Who invented cloud computing?

The term Cloud Computing emerged in 1997, in an academic lecture given by information systems professor Ramnath Chellappa . However, a few months earlier, in 1996, a business plan developed by a group of technologists at the company Compaq also used the term when discussing the evolution of computing.

The concept of technology is associated with John McCarthy , creator of the LISP programming language and a pioneer in Artificial Intelligence technology. In the 1960s, he discussed time-sharing computing , in which a computer could be used simultaneously by two or more users to perform tasks. He called this concept "Utility Computing".

Studies have shown that this change resulted in lower costs, with the user only paying for the use of the technology. Around this time, the concept of Cloud Computing began to take shape, culminating in a breakthrough with another scientist who was creating a concept that would revolutionize the world: the physicist Joseph Carl , a pioneer in the creation of the internet.

While searching for other uses for the computer, Joseph discovered a way to connect people, enabling data sharing and communication on a global scale. Following this, ARPANET, a global communication sharing network, was created, allowing Cloud Computing to take shape.

Outside of the field of study, who first applied cloud computing?

There are various rumors surrounding this topic. Many say that Amazon was the creator, while others claim it was Google. Recently, Fio Magazine posted a video showing that AT&T invented the cloud, telling the story of Andy Hertzfeld and Bill Atkinson , two of Apple's Macintosh engineers.

In 1990, they founded the company General Magic and built a software platform called Telescript, which was licensed in 1994. At the time, the CEO of General Magic said that the new artificial intelligence technology would allow users to send emails, make purchases, and keep track of inventory, among many other functionalities.

But the fact is that between 2006 and 2008, it began to be offered commercially, when small, medium, and large companies adopted it as part of the corporate world Amazon Web Services ( AWS ) product in 2006.

When it started, the concept of AWS was simple: each company could "rent" space and computing power, paying for its storage on Amazon. Now, each company can use more than 70 different services, including analytics and software.

The S3 storage service contains a massive database and handles millions of service requests every second. Amazon Web Services is also used by over one million customers in 190 countries.

The use of cloud computing in our daily lives

While AWS dominates the cloud computing space when it comes to enterprise environments, as consumers we're likely more familiar with services like Dropbox, iCloud, and Google Drive, which we use to store backups of photos, documents, and more.

The increased use of mobile devices, with their smaller storage capacities, has heightened the need for cloud-based storage among consumers. While some people may not fully understand what the cloud is, most are likely using at least one cloud-based service every day .

The cloud has enabled the growth of the mobile economy in several ways, making it possible to develop applications that might not have been possible in the absence of a cloud infrastructure.

Evolution of Cloud Computing over time

Cloud adoption is almost inevitable in our hyper-connected world. The need for computing and storage capacity has simply become too expensive to implement on-premises, especially for businesses, meaning they have had to outsource these tasks to cloud services.

As the shift to a 100% digital world continues to intensifies and the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow as a sector, cloud computing is expected to continue its upward trajectory over the next few years.

It is clear that after 50 years, following John McCarty's definition of computing as a public utility, the technology has gained a broad scope. The truth is that, decades ago, its concept was different from the current one. Over the years, there has been an evolution in this technology, where each year there has been a gain in meaning and representativeness .

This widespread acceptance that we are currently seeing is causing data processing and storage to be treated similarly to a water or electricity supply service, where each company only pays for its consumption.

Whatever your historical context, we can define Cloud Computing in one word: present. Many companies have already adopted this new business model, whether by contracting outsourced services or building their own servers. This proves that the cloud is a groundbreaking technology that has emerged to improve the way we communicate and do business globally .

Now that you know all about the history, evolution, and inventor of cloud computing, discover the cloud solutions that only Sky.One can offer with quality and security for your organization!

Written by Skyone