Over the last decade, cloud computing has quite quickly evolved from its niche corner of technology to becoming an essential keystone of both personal and business tech ecosystems. It powers everything all the way from data storage and online streaming to remote work and complex AI applications. But what is cloud computing, how does it work, and why has it become such a staple of our technological lives?

 

So, what is cloud computing? In essence, cloud computing is the delivery of computing services including servers, storage databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence over the internet ("the cloud") [1]. Instead of using personal hardware or local computers. It allows for users to easily access data and other services from any device with an internet connection, allowing for all resource intensive tasks to be done on the cloud, enabling a seamless experience for the user no matter the hardware capability. Cloud computing is usually provided by companies like Amazon Web services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. These providers operate data centres across the world and offer scalable resources to their clients based on their needs, allowing businesses to grow without heavy infrastructure costs. [2]

But why has cloud computing become so prevalent? There are several factors that can be attributed to cloud computing's popularity, the first being its scalability and flexibility. With the tools of cloud services at their fingertips, businesses no longer need to predict their computing requirements, months or even years in advance. Instead, they can simply just scale resources up or down based on current needs, paying only what they use. This ease of access and flexibility is invaluable for start-ups and even large enterprises. Traditional IT infrastructure would usually require significant upfront investment in hardware, software, and maintenance. Cloud providers handle all these costs, offering a "pay as you go" model, allowing organisations to not overpay for services they don't need. One of the most appealing qualities of cloud computing, however, has to be its accessibility, these allowing users to only need a working internet connection enabling them to work from anywhere. This first became an essential "must have" for all organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic, as cloud computing permitted them to rapidly adopt their remote work setups almost seamlessly. Another of the many factors for cloud services' prevalence would also be their reliability and their security. Major cloud providers have in most cases invested heavily in cybersecurity and their reliability, typically offering more robust protection than most organisations could achieve on their own.

 

Cloud computing works mainly through relying on data centres. These are massive facilities, with thousands of servers storing and running software. The process generally works through 4 parts, the first being virtualisation. Cloud providers use virtualisation technology to divide physical servers into multiple virtual machines, or VMs, each with their own dedicated resources. This method allows them to maximise the potential of their hardware and whilst catering to their many clients.

The second part includes 3 service models that modern cloud computing services are most commonly categorised into. The first service model, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), allows businesses to manage operating systems, storage, and networking, using virtualised computing resources over the internet. The second is Platform as a Service (PaaS), which offers a platform with managed services, allowing developers to build and run applications, without the worry of underlying infrastructure. And the final common model, Software as a Service (SaaS), delivers fully functional applications over the internet, with common examples including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Zoom. The third part consists of data centres and regions. Providers in most cases, have a network of data centres spread across the world, segmented into regions then zones. This infrastructure ensures data can be stored close to the user for fast access and also provides redundancy in the case of a system failure. The last part consists of APIs and Interfaces, in order to allow clients to interact with cloud services programmatically, cloud platforms often expose their resources through application programming interfaces (APIs). APIs are essential for integrating for cloud service integration with existing applications.

 

Cloud computing's versatility has been made very clear across various real-world applications. In entertainment, streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify use the cloud to store and stream to millions worldwide. In education, remote learning platforms like Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams, use the cloud to facilitate online learning and collaboration. The healthcare sector has also benefitted greatly from cloud systems, which support telemedicine, data analysis and electronic health records, all of which contribute to more efficient healthcare delivery. In a similar way, e-commerce platforms also leverage the cloud's scalable computing power to handle spikes in demand, especially during peak shopping periods, in order to ensure a smooth and reliable customer experience.

 

Cloud computing has become an integral part of modern technology, offering the world unparalleled flexibility, accessibility, and scalability. Going forward as the technology continues to evolve, we can expect even more innovative applications and a shift towards a hybrid cloud model, which combines the security of private cloud environments and the scalability and flexibility of public cloud resources.