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A Brief History of Cloud Computing

When you think of cloud computing, you may think of 21st-century ideas and technology. This recent article answers the question, “What exactly is this nebulous concept?”

The short answer is that it’s somewhere at the other end of your internet connection – a place where you can access apps and services, and where your data can be stored securely.

However, the concept of cloud computing has a long history that began as early as the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Understanding the history of cloud computing helps see how those early concepts made it what it is today.

The 50s

Massive mainframe computers came into being in the 50’s and were used in schools, large corporations, and even government organizations. Due to the size and expense of owning one of these machines, companies needed a solution to allow more than one user access. Creating “dumb terminals” so multiple people could access the giant mainframe computer was the beginning of modern-day virtualization, thus the beginning of cloud computing.

The 70s

As technology improved in the 70’s and mainframes became a thing of the past, people were able to have their own distinct computers, but still be connected via a network. This sharing of some of the resources while still being able to have each machine contain its own memory and processor were introduced by IBM as an operating system called VM. This took the idea of accessing a mainframe to a new level and allowed more than one computing environment to reside in one physical environment.

The 90s

The next big leap in cloud computing came in the 1990’s. With the commercialization of the internet, the average user was able to manage and use services online. As computers became more affordable for the average user, more and more people began having computers in their homes, though it wasn’t until the mid 90’s that technology advanced enough and became affordable enough for the masses. With sufficient bandwidth finally available, companies were finally able to connect their employees.

Y2K

The year 1999 saw many milestones, one of which was the introduction of the concept of enterprise applications via the web. In 2002, Amazon began providing several cloud-based services and by 2006 offered the first widely accessible cloud computing infrastructure. Cloud computing evolved quickly from grid computing to utility computing, to SaaS and finally to cloud computing. By 2009, with the introduction of web 2.0, Google and other companies began to introduce browser-based cloud applications.

Today

Cloud computing as it is today offers environments for companies that allow them to effectively employ their own clouds, either private or hybrid. They no longer rely on public clouds and are able to increase overall performance. IT teams now have increased visibility to the back-end of their system. Cloud computing has seen huge changes throughout history and will continue to evolve.

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Types of Cloud Computing

As society transitions into the age of technology, cloud computing is gaining traction as one of the number one ways to do business on the internet. While there are several benefits such as disaster recovery, document control, and security, it’s important to know the different types of cloud computing to see which one will work best for your business.

According to this article, in order to truly understand how the Cloud can be of value to an organization, it is first important to understand what the Cloud really is and its different components.

The Internet, along with its various processes, is filled with technical terms and instructions that are hard to understand.

We’ve broken down the types of cloud computing for you to decide what you would like to try

First, let’s establish a definition for cloud computing: what is it? It’s basically computing based on the internet. Files are shared, stored, and edited over the internet for various people to access.

There are 4 main clouds that are classified based on location, that are further classified as you will soon see. These four are public, private, hybrid, and community clouds. Let’s take a look at these a little closer to understand what they are all about.

Public

In the public cloud, the host of the cloud has primary control over it. This cloud is shared between organizations, and the customer has no control over it.

Private

This private cloud is dedicated to a particular organization or host and isn’t shared amongst other organizations as opposed to the Public cloud. While private clouds are more expensive, they offer more security in comparison to Public clouds. There are two types of Private clouds:

On-premise: This is also known as an “internal cloud”. It provides protection, but is limited in size and scalability. On-premise private clouds are best used for processes that require complete control and configurability of the infrastructure and security.
Externally hosted: These types of Private clouds are used exclusively by one organizations. One difference between this Private cloud and a Public cloud is that it is hosted by a third-party that specializes in cloud infrastructure. They are cheaper than on-premise private clouds.

Hybrid

As you can probably guess, this type of cloud is a cross between Public and Private clouds. Critical applications that require maximum security will be hosted on Private clouds while less security concerned applications will be on the Public cloud. This can also be called “Cloud Bursting”. For companies that handle a large computing requirement, this can ensure things run smoothly. The organization will use their own computing infrastructure for normal usage and the cloud will handle higher loading requirements.

Community

This type of cloud includes computing infrastructure that is shared between organizations of the same community. To clarify this point, think of all the government organizations in the state of Florida. They may share a computing infrastructure on the cloud to manage data related to citizens residing in Florida.

Consider the size of your business, the traffic is acquires, and the biggest problems you would like to avoid when handling company information. Do you need maximum security? Do you share an infrastructure with multiple organizations? Incorporating the cloud into your business with maximize efficiency, as well as profits.

For more information about the cloud, or how to incorporate the cloud, contact us today.

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On Site Computer Services When You Need Them

When you sit down to use your computer, you may be the expert. You may be the first to figure out how to integrate your computer with your tablet or mobile device or Bluetooth.

According to this article, things have changed considerably over the past five years, all for the better. These days, it’s more affordable for you to have your computer systems serviced on-site in your home or business.

But when the hardware itself has an issue, that’s when you need an expert to come to your site and get things running as they should. That’s also a matter of expertise: You know when to ‘not go there’ and call in someone who can navigate hardware as well as you navigate the software.

Technical failure can be frustrating and frightening if you have no experience with repairing it. Internal components, such as memory chips, are not compatible with all machines. Components may be fragile or break if installed improperly. Other components, such as hard drives, may be perfectly compatible, if configured properly, but may not work properly or may put your data at risk if incorrectly installed. In short, fixing the damage or performing an off the cuff upgrade can itself cause more damage if attempted by an inexperienced user.

Determining the Cause

Many situations can cause hardware problems. General wear and tear may impact hard drives, new equipment may need specialized installation, memory or other internal component updates may cause Microsoft Windows to not properly recognize your computer or Windows license. Many different levels of hardware go into making your computer operate, levels which normally perform as expected and which you never consider until they go wrong.

Just as you are the expert in your business, 4 Corner IT would like to be your expert with hardware. We navigate compatibility of components and installation and repair with the confidence and expertise that you navigate the details of your business.

For hardware concerns which require on site support, please contact us.

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The Cost Savings Benefits of Using a Managed Service Provider

Enlisting the help of a managed service provider lets you outsource IT tasks that would otherwise require you to hire an in-house IT specialist. Outsourcing IT support helps businesses to focus on business rather than technology support.

According to this article, a managed service provider (MSP) is a type of IT service company that provides server, network, and specialized applications to end users and organizations. These applications are hosted and managed by the service provider.

Deciding to use a managed service provider requires you to analyze the benefits and how they may help you reach your business goals. The benefits of managed IT services are many.

The following benefits impact daily operations as well as your bottom line.

Monthly Costs

Managing monthly costs is critical for any business. It is important to know how much you are spending, what you are spending it on, and what you may spend in the future. By outsourcing your IT support, you will pay the same amount no matter how much support you require each month. You will know how much to budget for IT support and you can allocate your remaining budget to other areas of your business.

Small Upfront Costs

When you outsource to a managed service provider, you automatically save on the upfront costs associated with buying necessary hardware and software. You can start with a monthly plan suited to your business needs rather than investing in costly equipment.

Scale Up or Scale Down

Managed IT services allow you to scale up as your business grows. If you need more users, it is simple to add them. If you realize your business does not need certain applications, request your provider remove them. Managed IT service is flexible in terms of adjusting to your business needs at any given time. This can save your business a significant amount of money during periods of growth.

Increased Productivity

A disruption in productivity due to IT issues can cost your business thousands of dollars. Rather than have you and your staff struggle with an IT issue, you can notify your managed IT service provider to fix the issue. They can often resolve your IT problem within minutes, saving you time and money.

Whether your business is small or large, it can benefit greatly from the use of a managed service provider. You will have consistent monthly costs, access to IT experts, and be able to scale up or down as necessary.

We have been providing Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties with word-class managed services for over a decade.

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How to Use Cloud Computing

Cloud computing gives you access to vast amounts of data and has been credited with increasing the range of services that businesses can offer with greater flexibility and optimum use of IT resources.

According to this article, in the simplest terms, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer’s hard drive.

There are many ways to use cloud computing to enhance the ability of companies to meet their business goals.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Instead of investing in massive hardware servers, a business can choose to load their software onto virtual servers (i.e., infrastructure) which act like your own servers but exist in the cloud (distributed over remote physical servers). Virtual infrastructure can give you nearly limitless storage and can be completely scalable as your needs grow.

Moreover, instead of purchasing your software, a business can choose software (i.e., platforms) in the cloud on virtual servers that can run on PCs in the office but can utilize much greater resources than the PC can provide.

Private and Hybrid Clouds

If your organization needs maximum flexibility, you can make us of a private cloud. These private clouds are really reserved space for your company’s own individual use on a system of remote servers accessed through a network like the internet. Private clouds can run on your own proprietary software. You may choose a hybrid cloud option as well, where some less demanding operations are run on a public cloud (shared servers) and more demanding operations are run on a private cloud.

Testing and Development

If your company is developing infrastructure, use of the cloud may be the best test and development environment. The cloud can give you large-scale computing power before having to invest in the physical assets, manpower and time to create your own server system. Cloud computing can tailor environments for your requirements as you need capacity.

Big Data Analytics

Retailers and suppliers are now extracting massive information from millions of consumers’ buying patterns. This helps them target their advertising or to provide more complete customer services. Furthermore, social networks are supplying vast raw material for analysis of behavior patterns that organizations are using to develop products and derive meaningful information. Then, the cloud provides the potential to collect and store these enormous data-bases.

File Storage

Similarly, the cloud can offer the possibility of storing all your working files. Additionally, without having to invest in enormous equipment expenditure. Storage expansion on the cloud costs much less that equivalent storage expansion on your own equipment.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Cloud storage is a widely used solution for data backup and recovery in case of disaster. Using cloud storage means that your entire business system can be duplicated off-site. That way it can be recovered in the event of damage to physical equipment on your site. Also, Cloud backup offers the additional advantage of being secure and off-site. Your files will be backed up even if there is damage to your physical facility.

4 Corner can offer complete IT support from its offices in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and New York.

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