The History of the Cloud

by Sarah M. Goulet

Given how the usage of the internet and computer systems have boomed over the past few decades, one might suppose that Cloud Computing is a relatively young phenomenon.  The ability to connect devices wirelessly only happened around the turn of the century (Zimmermann), after all, and HTML as a language appeared around the 90s.  However, the roots of Cloud Computing reach back even further - to the 1960s.

Early Cloud Computing 

In the early days of terminal usage arose the concept of mainframe computing. In this system, terminals could access a main computer - usually a far more powerful one - to gain access to a shared resource.  Powerful computers were expensive (to buy and maintain), and providing every employee with all of the licensed software they needed could rack up the bucks quickly (Neto).  In terms of cost and efficiency, it made far more sense to set up a system that could be shared - a process favored by companies such as IBM.

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay 

Virtual Machines

In the 1960s, DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) funded $2 million to MIT in order to create a computer "that could be used by two or more people simultaneously" (Foote). What MIT came up with was the precursor to what would be known as virtualization.  This idea was expanded upon by a computer scientist named J.C.R. Licklider, who was a principle player in developing ARPANET, one of the earliest forms of the internet.  In fact, he was one of the earliest people to sow the seeds of what the web would be like today, envisioning a connected, automated computer network - an "Intergalactic Computer Network" - that would allow access of information from anywhere (Waldrop).  Sound familiar?

The meaning of virtualization has changed somewhat over the years.  These days, we use the term virtual machine (VMs), which describes a virtual computer that acts like a real one (Foote).  Yet, this idea of one of the key ideas that allows Cloud Computing as we know it to work.

The Late 1990s - Early 2000s

The advent of the World Wide Web, allowing millions of personal computers to be connected, expanded the possibilities of information exchange even further.  Now business weren't the only ones who could affordably link their computers.  The late 90s marks the start when the phrase "the cloud" started to gain traction, although it initially described the space in between the user and their provider (Foote).  In 1999, a company called Salesforce took the idea of the cloud and began to market the idea that software could be delivered over the web via SaaS (Software as a Service).

By the mid 2000s, the cloud and its capabilities began rapidly gaining traction.  In 2006, Amazon introduced its Amazon Web Services while Google released Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets (Foote). Google CEO Eric Schmid used the phrase "Cloud Computing" in a conference in the same year, marking the point at which the Cloud gained its modern connotation (although some attribute the first usage of the phrase to a company called NetCentric in 1996) (Regalado).  Indeed, the mid-to-late 2000s marked a boom in usage - Netflix, for example, started up in 2007 - and the expansion of the cloud has barely slowed since.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay 

Today (2010+)

These days, the ability to use the cloud is mainstream, and it more and more companies and personal users alike are using the cloud for storage, software, and more.  Large companies, such as healthcare providers, use the Cloud to host vast stores of information.  Students and professionals alike can use services such as Google's Drive or Microsoft's OneDrive to host their projects, then access them from anywhere.  From Facebook to Twitter, from Google to Youtube, we all use some aspect of the Cloud, sometimes unknowingly - and that usage is only going to grow in the future. 

Extra: Interested in learning more about Licklider and ARPANET? Check out some good reading material here and here. 

Additionally, this interactive website provides a great overview into the startup of web languages, functions, and browsers that add up to the Internet we know today.  

References: 
Foote, K. (22 June 2017.) A brief history of cloud computing. Retrieved from https://www.dataversity.net/brief-history-cloud-computing/#.

Neto, M. (18 March 2014). A brief history of cloud computing.  Retrieved from https://www.ibm.com/blogs/cloud-computing/2014/03/18/a-brief-history-of-cloud-computing-3/.

Regalado, A. (31 Oct 2011). Who coined cloud computing? Retrieved from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/425970/who-coined-cloud-computing/.

Waldrop. (2000). Computing’s Johnny appleseed. Technology Review, 103(1), 66. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-bloomu.klnpa.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=2656766&site=ehost-live&scope=site. 

Zimmerman, K.A. (7 Sept 2017.) History of computers: A brief timeline.  Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/20718-computer-history.html.