This week the assigned reading was on the Internet in AccessScience where is discussed the internet in-depth from its history to the different ways to connect to the internet through either dialup, DSL or Broadband, ways to communicate on the internet, and also how the internet is being utilized and will be utilized in the future. This article on the internet made me think of the concept of cloud computing and I found this video on Cloud computing where the concept is explained in a manner for the general public and while the video does not go into all that great of a depth, the concept of cloud computing and its appeal are explained in a manner that is easy to understand and makes the viewer want to learn more about cloud computing. One of the biggest points that the video on cloud computing makes is the simplicity of the system and how one is able to get their small business up and running in a few days whereas if they were using a traditional network system, it would be a minimum of a few weeks. Additionally, since the cloud is accessed remotely, there is no need to employ an IT staff since all bugs, routine maintenance and software updates are handled by the cloud employees and that service is included in the monthly service charge for using the cloud.
One connection between the cloud video and the main article on the internet is how far the speed of the internet has come. Cloud computing would not have been a viable solution in the early 2000s when a 56k dialup modem was considered "fast" and downloading a megabyte of information took more than a few seconds. Cloud computing could be considered a wireless form of a in inter-office network such as an intranet and after the presentation in class from Travis Peyton this past Tuesday on controls systems and how wireless is the way of the future and makes everything easier when dealing with installing a system in an existing building. Cloud computing can be thought of the same way, why have a wired network in-house when you can simplify the entire process and have a computer with just a power source and internet access and be ready to go by outsourcing the task of IT to a cloud company such as salesforce.com. There is the question of security for cloud computing but there will most likely be solutions for that or ones on the way if there are not.
Overall, the internet has allowed us to make large steps in terms of technological development where the the future most if not all tasks will use the internet to some capacity.
I agree, it's incredible to see just how far internet speed has come; however, it almost seems as if we've hit a plateu where there are two internet speeds: fast and not fast enough. What I mean by this is that "Broadband" internet, such as cable and ASDL have been around for at least 10-15 years. However, providers of these technologies are still still probably the most common sources of internet service providers today. While there are some anomolies, such as Fios and absurdely fast Drexel ISP, the vast majority people feel sufficient with cable or DSL connections. To me, it seems like the push for faster internet connections is not the same as it was when everyone was transferring from 28.8k and 56k to "Broadband" connections. This makes me wonder if we will hit a similar plateu with cloud computing due to a lack of bandwidth.
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