A Primer on the Cloud

Just under two decades ago, the only way every company on the planet could deliver IT services to support their business was to build their own data centers. The data centers offered a centralized facility to host applications, store data, process them, and offer essential IT services to support the business.

However, the concept of cloud isn’t new. In the modern world, all of us are used to the general concept of the cloud. Until the late 19th century, every household had to generate their own power from firewood and source water from wells on their property. With the invention of electricity and the evolution of communities and towns, utility companies have transformed the way households receive power and water. This proved both convenient and sustainable, as households no longer needed to erect their own wells, produce energy, and, more importantly, maintain them. They also offered a turnkey solution with metering and chargeback, which allowed consumers...