One of the first sketches of a cloud-like network dates back to 1971. The previous year, the telephone company AT&T introduced the Picturephone, which was intended to be used for video conferencing over digital systems and telephone lines. In response, Irwin Dorros, who worked in AT&T’s research department, published a schematic of the system: cloud-like shapes linking the computers together. He didn’t know when which computers and lines should be connected. This is how the Internet was imagined in the 1990s.
The cloud turns smartphones into supercomputers
But “cloud computing” only caught on in the 2000s. In March 2006, Amazon launched its first cloud service as part of its Amazon Web Services, or AWS for short. Amazon was originally planning a platform to help companies set up their online shops. The tools and databases intended for this could also be used outside of online trading. So Amazon started renting its servers and database tools to companies. They saved money and were able to release and maintain their programs more cheaply. This also applies to the online real estate marketplace Zillow. Instead of operating its own servers, the company stores 100 terabytes of images and data on Amazon’s AWS. External servers can be even more secure because they are less likely to be overloaded. Also, many of them keep backup copies of their data.
Most cloud services regulate traffic peaks and slacks in the network with the help of optimization tools. And data centers around the world ensure that pages load quickly enough, even abroad. The cloud offers so much computing power that it practically turns your smartphone into a supercomputer.
Cloud services fall into three categories: software, platforms and infrastructure. Cloud-based software runs over the Internet. Users don’t have to download anything. Programs such as the instant messaging platform Slack or the file sharing service Dropbox take advantage of this. Developers can create and run their own software on cloud platforms such as Google’s App Engine. The cloud infrastructure offers server spaces that can be managed remotely.