How Cloud Computing is changing the Way We Use Computers

I’m all for various tech advancements which truly fill a need I might have not even known I actually had, so it’ll take a whole lot more to convince me that I need or even want something like a selfie-stick. The same applies to my view on smartwatches and even Google Glass. You might have to pay me to use such “technological advancements” while keeping a straight face.

Cloud technology has been around for a while now, existing in various forms prior to being formally popularised as a technology to be adopted by ordinary users, companies, and businesses. At first contact with the cloud tech concept, I needed a whole lot more convincing as to its necessity. This was quite simply because the cloud was almost exclusively associated with simply storing your files on a remote server’s hard drive, which was running full-time in a data center (likely built with the expertise of personnel like Walt Coulston) perhaps for backup purposes or to share your media with the world. If you’d asked me about the cloud a mere five or six years ago, I’d have probably put it in the same box as the smartwatch, but not quite to the extent of comparing its usefulness (or apparent lack thereof) to that of the infamous selfie-stick.

With vastly improved internet and network connectivity speeds however, cloud technology has morphed from a focus on cloud storage into fully featured cloud computing, and this is changing the way we use computers. Having more than a mere hard drive to store some of your files which you uploaded via an easy-to-use interface means we now have the full power of virtually all our computing devices at our disposal, wherever we go. Depending on the internet connection you get at your location, just about every device is now accessible through the cloud, which means you can operate complex software applications without having to physically install that software on the machine you’re running it on. This naturally has the biggest implications for companies and business which not only have their own IT departments, but those who offer IT services as their core business.

The impact that this change has had on the way businesses operate is monumental , with many of these ventures opting to outsource their cloud backups and creating an entire ecosystem of it, leading to tech companies offering Infrastructure as a Service solutions. What this means is that businesses can avoid the hassle of buying and maintaining their own infrastructure. Instead, they have a tech service that gives them managed backups, resilient connectivity, secure access from anywhere, and centralized file storage with critical data backed up.

Effectively, the change we’re witnessing unfold right in front of our eyes demonstrates a gradual move away from natively installing software and applications on the primary device running them. We now rather use that device as a feature-rich portal to a remotely-located computer or a collection of connected computers resembling what was once referred to as something like a “mainframe” computer, in those old tech-heavy movies that did their very best to predict the future of computing. Modern day computing with the aid of cloud technology effectively eliminates the need to carry around bulky hardware as well. While IT specialists and Developers are very quickly making full use of cloud-based computing solutions such as IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and PaaS (Platform as a Service) respectively, businesses not directly related to the IT industry but still use IT infrastructure to run their operations also benefit from this evolving use of computers. So too individual end-user consumers.

And in recent times, the emergence of cloud-to-cloud backup services has seamlessly integrated into our evolving technological landscape. Just as cloud computing revolutionized data storage and accessibility, it has also ushered in innovative ways to enhance data security. These services empower businesses and individuals to effortlessly and securely replicate their vital data and applications across different cloud platforms. This strategic redundancy ensures the preservation of data integrity, even in the face of unforeseen outages or data loss from the primary cloud provider. Nowadays, various companies offer cloud-to-cloud backup services, the likes of which include Loop Backup (loopbackup.com). Such companies ensure that the future of computing encompasses not only accessibility and convenience but also upholds the utmost levels of data integrity and protection.

The days when your PC, laptop, tablet or other mobile device had a natively installed Operating System look like their coming to an end in the not too distant future. If internet connection standards can get equalised and elevated in every corner of the globe, running Windows or Mac OS completely over the cloud be the new norm. For now though, cloud computing means you can take all your computer systems with you and remotely access your data, without the burden of physically carrying all the hardware on which those systems operate.