The concept of cloud computing dates back to the early years of computing. The personal computer which was very expensive and fragile is the base how computing started. Computers were designed with the intent for running many programs for many users. This was considered the most efficient solution to that day.
When the era of personal computers began in the 1970s, it was generally called micro-computers. It later became an affordable consumer goods when the microprocessers where developed. The workstation computers started in the 1990s. With various developments of harware and processor components, the computers became much more easily available for cheaper costs.
The applications that were running on the personal computers were platform dependent and there was no direct connectivity to share data from one to another. Security was a major concern during this time. System administration and responsibility of data, system crash and virus infections became widespread.
It was Tim Berners Lee who developed the World Wide Web in the early 1990s. With the introduction of web browser, the world wide web found a turning point. The dot com bubble came into picture. Many companies found success developing various business models.
Cloud computing has evolved through a number of phases that includes grid and utility computing and Software as a Service (SaaS). Though the idea and concept of computer network in global terms was thought in the 1960s, cloud computing came into light when internet started offering its service.
Cloud computing reached the public in the year 2007. The model of Cloud computing changed how computers could be used and how information could be spread. Google provided the search engine that could be accessed for free from any internet connected computer.
Companies started offering cloud applications that targeted both individuals and businesses in both free and paid versions. The benefit was to reduce company's budget as well as energy by 'outsourcing' the business applications to the cloud. Features like security, data back, development of new features etc. was the responsibility of the solution provider rather than the internal IT department or staff.
The different types of cloud computing services are offered today, that has become essential for everyday business process. For businesses, it is now very easy to find and get any kind of application or feature that they desire. Think of how businesses would have worked without the invent of cloud computing.