Talking about cloud, we mean scalability, availability and flexibility. But with a look at the recent and future developments, we can also notice a different context I have already presented during my talk at the Webmontag Frankfurt. Viewed from another angle the cloud represents the maximum flexible interconnection of many different areas that nowadays otherwise would not be imaginable.

The cloud encases the Internet

Actually, the cloud symbolizes the Internet. The word cloud is derived from the illustration of the network technology, in which the Internet is always shown as a cloud. This is related to the fact that the Internet is a global, decentralized network consisting of many local and national networks which are interconnected. How data is exchanged across the Internet is not directly visible from the outside. As all the data and applications within the meaning of cloud computing will be accessed over the Internet, now everything is in the cloud.

However, considering the development of many IT trends from the recent past and what lies ahead for us yet, the cloud is much more than just the Internet. The cloud is basically the value from which the Internet, as we know it and use it today, lives. Let us take smartphones as an example. Without the cloud we had nowhere near as much fun with it as we have it today. We would not be able to chat with each other location-independent, to tell us, or to share things. Similarly most apps that we use on our smartphones store their data in the cloud. An other sub-example for the smartphone is augmented reality. The real-time presentation of value-added information of an object that we see through the camera of our smartphone. Augmented reality apps store the value-added information not on the local device – the devices have too little space – instead they load the data on demand from the cloud. These examples show that only the cloud enables this development.

The cloud is not the Internet

The cloud is not the Internet. The cloud is a layer that encases the Internet and provides on the basis of its services a maximum flexible interconnection. There are the services of the cloud and other providers of this vast ecosystem, leading to more and more services and ensure a more and more networking.

And it goes on and on

Looking at a short distance into the future, we see the next mega-trend already rolling towards us, which already developed for several years and would not be possible without the cloud. The Internet of Things, in which everything is networked and communicates with each other. At first instance, the Internet of Things means the communication from machine to machine. For example the car noted that one is at home in 5 minutes and directly turns on the coffee machine.
But, of course we speak in this context about service to service communication because eventually services run on the machines that exchange information.
Another very important trend or market are the smart grids. The term smart grid refers to the communication network and control of power generators, storage, electrical devices and power equipment in power transmission and distribution networks of electricity supply. In order to optimize and monitor all connected components should be possible. The goal is to ensure energy supplies in an efficient and reliable system operation.

In the end it’s also about us humans who communicate with the machines and services to perform a certain action. The Smart Home is not more an idea of ​​the future since a long time. However, it has still not widely prevalent due to the cost. But, due to the cloud, here also develops a new market that produces effective and above all intelligent offers.

Bottom line, it must be said, that the cloud is likely to be a comprehensive IT concept that has the greatest impact on our society like no other trend before.

Video: Webmontag Frankfurt

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