Cloud computing, generally referred to as the “cloud,” is a type of Internet-based computing that provides shared computer processing resources and data to computers and other devices on demand, including tablets and smart phones. Types of services provided in the cloud are often notably distinct for consumers and for business. Common examples of cloud computing include Google Drive, Apple’s iCloud, Dropbox, Amazon Web Services and Google’s Chromebook. Data in the cloud is for the most part stored in privately owned or third-party data centers that may be located in the same city from the user, or across continents.
Cloud computing is favored for many reasons, arguably foremost because it allows companies to avoid potentially prohibitive initial infrastructure costs, i.e., servers, all the while creating opportunities for companies to focus on the scalability and high performance facets intrinsic to the cloud. Circumventing such costs, often expended in a “pay as you go” model, can enable companies to focus on their core business goals instead of expenditures on computer infrastructure that is often costly, requires regular maintenance, and is subject to obsolescence given the alacrity with which technology evolves. Unsurprisingly then, cloud computing growth has been astronomical, notwithstanding practical problems associated with cloud security and skepticism concerning intellectual property protections and the ability to contain an Internet-wide contagion in the event that a large cloud computing provider suffers an outage. As the New York Times Technology section declared on April 28, 2017: “Cloud Computing Asserts Itself.” The cloud computing market generated $100 billion in 2012, which could be $127 billion this year, and $500 billion by 2020.
