We discuss the following topics in this blog:
- What is cloud computing, SaaS, IaaS, PaaS.
- Impact of Cloud Computing on Technological Evolution.
In addition to these topics, we shall also be answering the following FAQs:
- What is an Optical Fibre Cable?
- What is WiFi?
Overview
Contents
We live in a world that is constantly evolving; each organization needs to transform from time to time to constantly adapt to the changing internal and external environments, deeming technological advancement, a means of survival. In this uprising, cloud computing plays a key role in acting as a catalyst for this technological advancement.
These days companies are evaluated based on their customer experience; organizations that are empowered by the cloud and have cloud-delivered business models can implement innovative channels to offer exemplary customer experience by differentiating their solutions and strategy from their competitors.
Note: The power of cloud computing is evident from its numbers
What is Cloud Computing?
Before understanding the impact of cloud evolution on technological progression, let us take a look at what cloud computing actually means. It is the process of maintaining, storing, managing, processing, analysing and securing data via a grid of internet-based servers. Since data is not saved on physical devices and is instead stored in the cloud, businesses can access this data from anywhere, improve their management, streamline and simplify processes, increase productivity, augment costs and boost customer experience.
There are three types of cloud computing based on the service type:
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – A third party cloud provider such as Google, HubSpot or Dropbox makes software applications available over the internet, to customers globally for a subscription fee.
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) – providers offer their users cloud-based substitutes in place of on-premise infrastructure to prevent them from having to invest in costly on-site resources. They offer networking, pay-as-you-go storage and virtualization services.
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) – consists of a third-party vendor offering software and hardware tools such as security, storage, scaling, network components, data centre space or servers. The end users develop applications using these tools.
The cloud computing evolution has been in process for over two decades. To start off with, cloud computing technologies were primarily about SaaS. With the rise of PaaS and IaaS, cloud computing became more prevalent and valuable for enterprises.
Regardless of how our technology consumption changes, the technology patterns remain the same. Whether you are storing data in your enterprise network 12 feet away or in the internet cloud 1200 miles away, at the end of the day it is storage.
What is the Impact of Cloud Computing on Technological Evolution?
Experimental style due to faster procurement:
Cloud computing empowers businesses to go for the ‘hit and trial’ method. Until a few years back, software and hardware procurement took forever. With cloud computing, businesses now have the option to experiment with technology and figure out if a solution is truly valuable or not.
Be it data analytics, artificial intelligence, enterprise mobility, accounting system or any expensive technologically advanced system, one can try it at affordable rates to determine what works and what does not. It would burn a hole in your pocket if you tried this with old-school hardware and software systems, not anymore.
Enhancing digital business transformation
These days, the buzzwords that you here often are Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics and rightly so, because these technologies are what are driving business transformations through seamless operations, unmatched speed, enhanced and automated business processes. These digital transformation processes are a ‘must have’ to remain relevant and enhance customer experience.
But what is driving this integration? Yes, it is cloud computing. These technologies require a lot of storage space and high computational power, & cloud computing acts as a facilitator to integrate them.
In 2021, $58.3 billion is expected to be spent on AI, which will rise to $309.6 billion by 2026. Many organizations are adopting machine learning which act as the basis of multiple cloud technologies today, to automate their processes. [1] This demonstrates the sheer indispensability of cloud computing technologies!
Agility in developing and fixing cloud-based services
Cloud computing has transformed how technologies mature. Gone are the times of version numbers when one waited months, sometimes even years to get the required fixes and features. Today with cloud computing, the feedback from users has become instant and the cloud service providers are agile in their responses & solution providing.
They leverage their speedy development processes and put their DevOps team to task to resolve the issues and add the required features. To keep up with the accelerating pace of technological advancement, most of the fixes and features are also readily available.
Empowering the distributed workforce to work seamlessly
While remote working and dispersed workforce trends were on the rise even before the pandemic, it did play a role in engraining this style of working. How we consume technology today is very different from how we consumed until a few years ago. Organizations understand the distributed power of cloud computing, especially with the increasing numbers of remote workers.
Cloud computing offers governance, security and operations that can support a distributed workforce naturally. The cloud was built on the premise that its services could be omnipresent and accessible from any part of the world.
All in all, cloud computing is vital and this internet technology is being adopted by almost every business to keep up with and stay ahead of time. A recent study from Markets and Markets states that the impact of the pandemic globally on the cloud market size is expected to grow to USD 295 billion by 2021, growing at a CAGR of 12.5% [2]. This growth is owed to the repercussions of Covid-19 such as remote working and the need for cloud based business continuity services and tools. This sector has been on a swift rising trajectory since the pandemic and is only expected to go higher.
FAQs
What is an Optical Fibre Cable?
An optical fibre cable is a cable type that has a few to hundreds of optical fibres bundled together within a protective plastic coating. They help carry digital data in the form of light pulses across large distances at faster speeds. For this, they need to be installed or deployed either underground or aerially. Standalone fibres cannot be buried or hanged so fibres are bunched together as cables for the transmission of data.
This is done to protect the fibre from stress, moisture, temperature changes and other externalities. There are three main components of a optical fibre cable, core (It carries the light and is made of pure silicon dioxide (SiO2) with dopants such as germania, phosphorous pentoxide, or alumina to raise the refractive index; Typical glass cores range from as small as 3.7um up to 200um), Cladding (Cladding surrounds the core and has a lower refractive index than the core, it is also made from the same material as the core; 1% refractive index difference is maintained between the core and cladding; Two commonly used diameters are 125µm and 140µm) and Coating (Protective layer that absorbs shocks, physical damage and moisture; The outside diameter of the coating is typically either 250µm or 500µm; Commonly used material for coatings are acrylate,Silicone, carbon, and polyimide).
An optical fibre cable is made up of the following components: Optical fibres – ranging from one to many. Buffer tubes (with different settings), for protection and cushioning of the fibre. Water protection in the tubes – wet or dry. A central strength member (CSM) is the backbone of all cables. Armoured tapes for stranding to bunch the buffer tubes and strength members together. Sheathing or final covering to provide further protection.
The five main reasons that make this technology innovation disruptive are fast communication speed, infinite bandwidth & capacity, low interference, high tensile strength and secure communication. The major usescases of optical fibre cables include intenet connectivity, computer networking, surgery & dentistry, automotive industry, telephony, lighting & decorations, mechanical inspections, cable television, military applications and space.
What is WiFi?
Put simply, WiFi is a technology that uses radio waves to create a wireless network through which devices like mobile phones, computers, printers, etc., connect to the internet. A wireless router is needed to establish a WiFi hotspot that people in its vicinity may use to access internet services. You’re sure to have encountered such a WiFi hotspot in houses, offices, restaurants, etc.
To get a little more technical, WiFi works by enabling a Wireless Local Area Network or WLAN that allows devices connected to it to exchange signals with the internet via a router. The frequencies of these signals are either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bandwidths. These frequencies are much higher than those transmitted to or by radios, mobile phones, and televisions since WiFi signals need to carry significantly higher amounts of data. The networking standards are variants of 802.11, of which there are several (802.11a, 802.11b, 801.11g, etc.).