In Arthurian legend, the Holy Grail is a sacred but elusive vessel associated with divine revelation. King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table spent years searching for it, but came up empty-handed. VMC Engagement Manager Chuck Hobart explains why he thinks computing’s own grail quest has already turned up real rewards.
Because the modern concept of Cloud computing is still in its infancy and constantly changing, many people are understandably mystified by it. But I ask them, “Are you on Facebook? Are you using web-based email?” If they answer yes, I tell them they are already in the Cloud and have been for a while.
The Cloud actually has origins in the 1960s, with ARPANET (Advance Research Projects Agency Network). Instead of having to take a disk out of a computer and physically run it down the hall to give to someone, the federal government decided to connect computers using a basic communications protocol. Over time, ARPANET developed into the Internet, which is the original Cloud. The Cloud term came about because at the time, it was the easiest way for architects to diagram the complex maze of connections that made up the Internet.
As the Internet Cloud grew larger, it became harder for a person to sift through the millions of pieces of information to find what they wanted, so a web crawler was created to do that job. This was the basis for Cloud computing – the idea of using the Internet to perform tasks. It wasn’t long before people wanted to do their tasks from anywhere; they didn’t want to be restricted to the computers on their desks.
Today, Cloud computing is more of a concept than it is hardware or software. It provides a structure that allows you to access information from any device anywhere, while maintaining security. Since day one, the industry has been looking for the Holy Grail of computing. The ideal is to get information accurately, rapidly, and as needed. With Cloud computing, we’ve now come as close to that Holy Grail as we’ve ever been.
Being able to use resources on an as-needed basis, with complete reliability, at low cost, is paramount to a business’ success. While the concept may have seemed like a myth mere years ago, it’s now within reach. What steps are you making to harness the efficiencies of Cloud computing?
Contact Chuck Hobart by email at chuckh@vmc.com or call him at 877-393-8622.
