Today's Forecast: Bright and Cloudy

I have been growing increasingly fascinated with the concept of cloud computing. It is amazing. Very generally, we consider cloud computing to be "stuff stored on the Internet". That is true, in that there is no saving on the cloud without the Internet, but cloud computing is much more complex than being a mere closet for our files. However, we won't be getting into the technical details here.

"How you doin'?"

Let's take this blog entry itself as an example. I have made rough notes for the content of this entry in a Google Drive document. Before Google Drive, one would probably have made those rough notes in a MS Word document. Now I am sitting in Subway eating a sandwich, and I remember something I'd like to include in this entry. If I were using Word, I would have had to make a note on an application on my mobile telephone--or, worse, on a piece of paper or napkin--and then transfer it to Word once I got back home and on the computer. With Drive, I can open the document on my mobile telephone and make the addition then and there. Done deal. 

Cloud computing enables the user to get the work done without being restricted by the equipment available. This is done by separating the hardware from the operating system from the application. Let's break that statement down: Before the proliferation of cloud computing, work was hardware-specific. The documents saved on my laptop could only be worked on from my laptop. In other words, there was no separation of the hardware (my laptop), the operating system (Windows), and the application (MS Word). While at Subway, I was able to edit the rough notes document because the application (Google Drive) is operating system- and hardware-blind. Because it is a web browser-based application, it does not matter whether it is being accessed from a Windows laptop, a Chromebook, or an iPhone. It does not even matter which web browser is being used to access it. All that is required is an Internet connection. 

Regular readers of this blog know my feelings about empowerment and freedom and their connection to the Internet. I cannot help but draw a parallel between cloud computing and another abstract concept: diffusion of power. Authority figures across the board--from CEOs to dictators to parents--struggle with this concept. Indeed, it is not an easy concept to come to terms with, let alone practice. It involves foregoing one's ego, but I digress. What cloud computing embodies so well is decentralization. As a user, my goal is to edit that document. Would I rather have the convenience of doing it whenever and wherever or be handicapped by the fact that I don't have my laptop with me at all times? 

By this point, most people are aware of how cloud computing enables synchronization across devices, ease of use, agility, etc. Holding all those things together is cloud computing's defining feature: simultaneity. Collaboration and sharing are cloud computing's two underlying principles. There's a flow, a seamlessness with cloud computing. Sure, security will be a never-ending issue. But isn't security a never-ending issue by its very nature? Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos famously believes we are using less than 10% of what the Internet is really capable of. If that is true, it is awesomely exciting to imagine what the remaining 90+% has in store. It is critical for businesses today to embrace cloud computing. In other words, it is critical for people today to embrace cloud computing. Software was undoubtedly a terrific innovation, but while it was cool back then, who wants to be seen with a flip-open mobile telephone today?