How Cloud Computing Has Changed The World
A closer look at how cloud computing has changed the world in the UK and beyond.
There’s no disputing the fact that cloud computing has changed the world. From webmail and social media to virtual servers and unlimited data storage, our lives have been transformed by the advent of the cloud. Concepts like installing offline software packages from a CD-ROM or only being able to access email via a fixed-location computer are receding into history, while the oft-discussed Internet of Things will eventually comprise tens of billions of devices with cloud-based connectivity.
However, there are winners and losers in any new technological roll-out. Here, we look at a couple of industries and professions that have been disrupted by the gathering clouds, and a few who may have lucked out…
The winners
- Broadcasters.
The advent of cloud computing has been a godsend for companies like Netflix and Amazon, whose business models simply wouldn’t work without cloud-hosted customer accounts. The ability to stream movies and binge-watch dramas on a number of devices has revolutionised the film and TV industries in ways not seen since satellite TV arrived in the late 1980s. When Amazon can afford to pay £160 million for three series of a motoring show, it’s clear that huge broadcasting opportunities are being generated by cloud-hosted streaming.
2. Cloud hardware and software providers.
An entire industry has developed around the provision of cloud services. As well as the very wonderful – and modest, too – VPS.NET, other firms and brands have capitalised on the cloud’s burgeoning popularity. This may involve software as a service – games providers like Steam and programming giants like Adobe – or platform as a service. The latter is typified by Apple’s iCloud, which minimises storage requirements on standalone devices by offering universal access to music collections, account settings and everything in between.
3. Telecom providers.
Cloud computing demands a stable high-speed internet connection wherever users happen to be. While mobile phone companies race to provide as much of the UK as possible with high-speed 4G, the provision of superfast FTTP broadband has transformed Virgin Media into a heavyweight rival to BT and Sky. With cars increasingly becoming set up as WiFi hotspots, and every venue worth its salt offering free internet, the telecommunications industry is enjoying a golden age even as its traditional services (like phone calls) decline in value.
4. Microsoft Outlook.
Perhaps a surprising entrant in this list given its historic connotations with fixed-location POP-governed email accounts. However, Outlook.com has brought Microsoft into the cloud in a way that has threatened the success of cloud-hosted packages from rivals Google and Apple. Outlook.com is compatible with the full suite of Office programs, and the interface app has been widely praised for its simplicity. Outlook.com also dovetails with Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage, enabling its (largely corporate) user base to access files from anywhere.
The losers
- IT professionals.
Cloud companies are increasingly promoting themselves as a one-stop solution for any company’s IT needs, augmenting their core services with remote support. This makes the networking and hardware skills of many IT managers seem superfluous, as the computing industry gravitates towards software creation rather than on-site maintenance. Being able to assemble a motherboard (even while blindfolded) is a redundant skill when a small business can be run from a sealed-unit tablet, without any in-house tech support being necessary.
2. Hardware manufacturers.
Cloud computing has brought anywhere-anytime accessibility to the world, and in doing so has undermined the value of desktop computers. Tablets have eaten into the market share once enjoyed by laptops, and there’s no need for your LAN to have huge processors or vast memory banks when all the hard work is handled in an offsite data centre. OEMs like IBM, Dell and HP are struggling to stay relevant in a world where Microsoft Exchange has been usurped by cloud email, and while cloud giants like Google and Amazon are designing their own data centre equipment and servers rather than buying third-party products.