There are many technologies that have pushed our world into the digital age. Faster chips, clearer displays, faster internet, and more efficient machines all have their part to play. However, one of the most important is cloud computing. The name cloud computing is derived from the way that clouds behave. Having on-demand access to resources, storage, computing power, and other functions is a tool that almost seems too good to be true.
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Cloud computing includes an array of servers, different forms of storage, access to databases across the globe, the ability to join and generate networks, use software, study analytics, and shared intelligence. As an individual or business, having these tools at your disposal makes it incredibly convenient and simple for you to get a lot of work done. Cloud computing is used by people to share photos or organizations to share information with relevant stakeholders across the globe. It could be anything from a Google Drive folder with your wedding album all the way up to IaaS, SaaS, and PaaS solutions. The cloud computing industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing in the world.
As of 2022, almost 50% of all corporate data is stored in cloud servers. Cloud computing is so readily used that it now accounts for almost 3% of energy consumption across the globe. This is 3% of all energy consumption, not just in the IT sector. At its current trajectory, cloud computing infrastructure is expected to grow to $118 billion a year in 2025. This has been a long time coming with every major name in the tech world having a stake in the market. In its current state, Amazon holds around 33% of the cloud computing market thank to its Amazon Web Services program. This is followed by Microsoft with around 20% and others with >10% each.
Trends in Cloud Computing
As we have seen across the board, there are constantly growing and evolving trends in the world of tech. Cloud computing is the same and we will now explore the different trends that have emerged in recent times.
Edge Computing
Cloud computing relies on servers or data centers where all the processing power and storage are consolidated. Edge computing takes this same concept but instead of using a data center to get work done, it uses an array of localized devices to do the job. These devices are located around the “edge” of the network – a point where different devices will connect to networks to send or receive data while getting their instructions from a central server.
In an edge computing server, different computers create the network so you have one system computing, the other storing, and the other managing security. Edge computing is often considered as something that compliments cloud computing. Using edge computing, a system is able to have quick data processing times, low latency, and low bandwidth usage. When combined with cloud computing, this makes for an efficient system that can help streamline and automate processes.
Serverless Computing
Cloud computing conventionally uses server provisioning where, depending on your access, you are allotted a certain amount of space on a server. In Serverless computing, the cloud provider assumes responsibility for this allotment and you essentially only pay for the space you need. Instead of paying for 100 gigabytes a month which you might not use entirely, you would pay for 68 gigabytes i.e. your usage. One of the key reasons why Serverless computing is gaining popularity is thanks to the fact that it removes the complications involved with cloud infrastructure management. Since you don’t need to actively manage or assign space on a server, this removes the load from an IT team that can focus their resources on more pressing matters.
The demand for serverless computing is expected to rise by 22.6% by 2026. This shows that there is great potential that will eventually find its way toward more widespread adoption.
AI and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence is one of the most promising fields in the world. It is being used across different industries and it has the power to change the world as we know it. Training computer systems to work autonomously and have learning capabilities is extremely exciting. However, all of this requires powerful systems for it to run. This means high processing power along with a lot of data bandwidth to make it work. All of this requires significant resources to be pooled to set up the network and system needed for this.
If we introduce cloud computing to the mix, you see this cost going down. Instead of having to set up systems and computing power to run AI applications, organizations can use cloud servers for the job. Using cloud computing, an organization can have AI and ML applications running, using it to gain a significant understanding of trends and industry insights. By using cloud tech, organizations can save money and resources i.e. bringing down costs and increasing profits.
To be more specific, cloud computing enables the development of language modeling and creative algorithms. Language modeling is the use of computer programs to better understand human languages. This allows businesses to let their computing systems translate different human languages into machine-readable instructions. Creative algorithms, as the name suggests, are algorithms that allow AI to create data on its own. This data is then used to train AI programs which sounds simple but in reality, has tremendous potential to change the way computing works.
Furthermore, AI usage is not restricted to large corporations. Smaller businesses and startups also stand to use AI for their process and thanks to cloud computing systems, this will become easier for them. The benefits of this are immense and this market is estimated to be worth $850 billion by 2028!
Conclusion
Cloud computing is no longer a luxury or restricted to a certain niche. With more of the world switching to cloud infrastructure, it is only a matter of time before cloud computing completely dominates this space. It is important to know that this is only going to grow as time goes on.
