Cloud computing arguably plays nearly as significant a role in the average person’s daily life as the Internet itself. Many people and businesses use cloud computing solutions so regularly that they might not even realize they’re doing so.
The cloud seems to be a fairly new innovation. While its popularity among users is certainly a recent trend, the cloud is actually decades old, according to some perspectives.
It would be impossible to cover every detail of cloud computing’s history in a single blog post. Entire books could be written on the subject. However, this overview will help you better understand what the cloud is, where it came from, and where it’s heading.
What is the ‘Cloud’?
Before learning about the cloud’s history, you need to know what it actually is. This term is used so often in the digital age that it’s easy to overlook the fact that many don’t truly understand how the cloud works. Unless you’re an IT specialist, it simply may not be necessary for you to have a deep familiarity with the cloud.
The “cloud” isn’t as ethereal or intangible as it may sound. The cloud usually consists of a network of servers. Various providers allow customers to store their data, content, and other digital assets on their servers, which may be dispersed across a range of locations. This allows individuals and organizations to save money that would otherwise need to be spent on expensive hardware. It’s also been shown that data stored in the cloud is likely more secure than data stored on the premises of an organization.
The Cloud’s Origins
The roots of cloud computing date back to the 1960s. That’s when the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an agency within the Department of Defense whose goal is to develop innovations that can be used in defense and military applications, contracted experts at MIT to develop a computer that could be used by two or more individuals at the same time. The result of the project is what many consider to be the first primitive example of cloud computing.
The 1990s: The Cloud Takes Shape
Although the cloud may have been “born” in the ‘60s, it wasn’t until the Internet revolution of the 1990s that cloud computing truly began to develop and gain traction.
The Internet provided software companies with the means to deliver their products to customers more conveniently and efficiently than ever before. Several companies began allowing businesses to save time and money by downloading their products via the Internet instead of buying physical copies. This trend represents the beginning of cloud computing’s popularity among businesses across a range of industries.
The 2000s: The Cloud Goes Mainstream
The cloud started to attract attention from business leaders in the ‘90s. In the 2000s, when doing business on the Internet became standard, a number of major corporations migrated to the cloud. This vote of confidence from successful experts gave cloud computing the legitimacy it needed to become a commonplace tool.
It’s worth noting that cloud computing is also an innovation that’s still growing and developing. Cloud services providers are constantly finding new ways to make their services and products more valuable to users. Cloud computing may already be popular, but it’s likely to become even more ubiquitous in the coming years.