What does Cloud Computing mean?



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When we hear the term "The Cloud" or "Cloud Computing" we immediately think in a vague and intuitive way of the Internet (and it's true, in fact, that the expression computing cloud has a lot to do with the Internet). However the Internet, in its most proto-archaic form, exists for over 40 years and it is popular for at least 20 without the term cloud being associated to it  in any way. Indeed this term  was coined in recent years to give account of a new phenomenon related to the Internet [i] of a new form of access to applications (the term software is barely used nowadays). Years ago the way to access a program, application or software was typically go to the computer store, purchase some discs and load them into the computer (hardware). Almost inadvertently, this type of access to computing applications has been displaced by its use online .

Without straining much the memory, we can mention the example of Adobe Acrobat, which until very recently called for a download of the program on the computer and now, however, only requires the user registration while all information is supported online . It is true that the documents you create can be downloaded into your private computer (although it is also possible to opt for storage in the cloud ) but the use of the service itself does not require any download. Another example is the emergence of platforms such as SoundCloud which doesn't require any software download but allows users to store their favorite songs and access them from their computers or any other computer. 

The concept of cloud computing is very broad and covers almost every possible kind of service online but when companies offer an utility hosted in the cloud,  they usually refer to one of three modes: software as a service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

Software as a service (SaaS) refers to a software distribution model in which applications are hosted by a company or service provider and made ​​available to users throughout a network, usually the Internet. Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a set of utilities that supplies the user with operating systems and associated services via the Internet without the need of performing any download or installation. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) refers to outsourcing of equipment used to support operations such as storage, hardware, servers and network components [ii] .

Ultimately, the term "The Cloud" does not refer to any "big one-eyed, omni-present mythical creature out in the land of the interwebs"[iii] . but to a new way of accessing and using computing programs.

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[i] The origin of the term cloud computing is unclear. The expression cloud is Commonly used in science to describe a large agglomeration of objects That Appear visually from a distance as a cloud and describe any set of things Whose Further details are not inspected in GIVEN context. Liu, [edited by] Yang Hongji, Xiaodong (2012). "9". Software reuse in the emerging cloud computing era . Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. pp. 204-227. ISBN  9781466608979 . Retrieved 11 December 2014 . (Cited in Wikipedia "Cloud Computing." Wikipedia . Wikimedia Foundation, nd Web. 29 Oct. 2015).

[ii] "What Is Model SPI (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS)?" - SearchCloudComputing Tech Target, Feb. 2012. Web 29 Oct. 2015.
[iii] Greenlee, Greg. "Get your heads out of the Cloud!" Blacks In Technology." Blacks In Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.