"Cloud" computing - Kretov Nikolai Nikolaevich (2010)

About two years ago, this expression, which appeared among programmers and on computer forums, quickly filled the pages of the Internet, and then - of specialized printed publications. Now it has gradually begun to migrate from professional slang to the active vocabulary of the broad masses, who have become computer literate. So, what are these very "cloud" computing and why are they needed?

If we recall how we used to work on computers, for example, when many people in our country did not hear about the Internet, then we note: all operations were performed on our own machine. First, it was necessary to install the operating system and numerous office programs. This was fraught with considerable problems and cost nerves - it’s not without reason that so far, with the seemingly rampant computer literacy of the population, the services of numerous “I install Windows, treat viruses, install Office” remain in demand ... Further, naturally, it was on my computer that everything was done. tasks: drawing, typing, translating, creating three-dimensional graphics - and much more. The results of labor were stored here, on the "native" machine. If you wanted to do something new, for example, an office worker would like to draw, you had to install a new program on your machine. With the advent of the Internet and e-mail, sending letters, working papers, results of calculations, etc. was also performed most often from the same computer on which the letter was written, the task was completed, or calculations were made.

However, if an ordinary citizen hardly perceives work on his own computer as a problem, then in a large company that maintains its own database of clients, analysts that monitor the national, foreign and specialized press on the topic of its activity, creating complex documents with the participation of many dozens of people these processes very quickly became very problematic. For example, try to imagine for a moment the preparation of the annual report of a large mobile operator, which is written on the basis of a colossal database by employees of about a dozen departments and representatives of regional offices under the strict guidance of two dozen bosses. Everyone is constantly making edits and clarifications, financial and marketing data is constantly changing and being discussed, the final text is edited by a huge number of people. In addition, the operator also needs to store, maintain and constantly update a huge database that captures the necessary data of each call and SMS of the client. And you have to pay for everything: for installing and maintaining a giant server, for backing up and copying data, for electricity, for the services of programmers and technicians, for installed software - and for its maintenance too.

But then the story goes off the beaten track. First of all, thanks to such powerful offices of large organizations and firms, the need began to arise for the assignment of some rather expensive services to other shoulders. Numerous IT companies began to offer already prepared their own server space and storage space for a lower fee. Huge data centers offered to use their power to solve a variety of customer problems for a fee. Thus, it has become unprofitable to pay for the infrastructure of its own computing centers and for its own memory volumes. During the economic crisis, and in fact, even before it, companies began to offer "software as a service" instead of installing software. That is, the company may not install "Office" on the computer of each clerk, but get access via the Internet to a server with pre-configured office programs, the work of which is constantly, and not "sometimes on call" controlled by a specialist.

And finally, the last and decisive factor was the deployment of the so-called web 2.0, that is, the Internet created by users - with its blogs, acquaintances and content created on the fly. A huge number of people have the opportunity and need to quickly create something on the Web and immediately share it with others. Naturally, it is easier to serve such needs by concentrating work tools, memory for it and computing capabilities somewhere in one place, and not on the computer of each individual user.

Thus, "cloud" computing has arisen, which essentially involves the removal of the entire volume of services provided by a computer, and with them the corresponding problems, outside the user's computer. As the apologists of this approach say, this will allow you, for example, to start a new computer game directly on the game server without paying for it, from the machine at work, continue on your mobile on the way home, intercept the last fight with a save and continue on your home computer from the same places. And at the same time, neither the memory of your machines will be occupied, nor the box with the game will gather dust on the shelf, nor will you have to pay for it - you can play a bunch of games on a monthly subscription and leave any one anywhere, not sparing the wasted money.

There is, however, a barrel of honey and ... So, very well-known specialists in the programming world, as well as powerful analytical companies, emphasize that such an approach does not make programs guaranteed to be fault-tolerant, on the contrary, it is enough for the main machines of the service provider to collapse, and this has already happened, and you will lose everything that has been accumulated over a long time irretrievably. In addition, in this case, everything that you do, everything that you write, transmit and create is entirely under the control and in the hands of the one who contains the power of "cloud" computing. Big Brother is waiting...