Technology has been advancing at an incredible pace in the twenty-first century. The innovative streak has come a long way from feature phones to smartphones that are highly intuitive devices capable of doing all that an ordinary man would need. A lot of what our “mobiles” can do today is owed to the genius of cloud computing. The extent of benefits derived from cloud computing is unimaginable, but a few of its advantages to society are worth discussing.
Supporting the hybrid work culture
The adoption rate of digitalization has increased exponentially since the pandemic. The idea of working remotely, which was supposed to be a temporary fix to lockdowns, has turned into reality. The escapade of work from home (WFH) has questioned the need to be on the office premises to get the job done. As per research conducted by Cisco Systems, nine out of ten people surveyed wanted to have the autonomy of choosing to work in a hybrid setting even beyond the COVID-19 situation. This is due to the flexibility provided by cloud computing, which also empowers distributed workforce to work efficiently. It even allows organization members to access data and documents from the cloud database if they have access. As a result, the latest forecasts in the field have signaled the possibility of over 90% of organizations fulfilling their infrastructure needs with a hybrid cloud environment, combining private and public clouds.
Handling the data problem
As the information captured in the age of the Internet of Things (IoT) is enormous and complex, structuring this data is impossible through edge computing due to a limited processing capability. But this data can be seamlessly handled on the cloud. Cloud computing allows for streamlining storage, structuring and accessing data remotely. The speed of computing is also enhanced with more processing power. In industries such as finance, the need to access data and execute transactions in real-time are of utmost importance. Here, the quick computing capability can flag frauds much faster. Cloud servers are also secure from physical breaches that offer great relief to the management of smaller organisations, which can save their hardware and software investment costs.
Last mile connectivity
There are many underserved people in society due to a lack of proper physical connectivity. The cloud offers an excellent opportunity to build an inclusive community by integrating these people through the cloud. Access to information, drone deliveries, WFH, navigation and a lot more could be done using cloud servers. All the data that goes to the cloud in real-time with high-speed internet (such as 5G) can help improve the communication systems in a big way. Public services can also be provided efficiently by developing smart cities through cloud networks. Analyzing data through cloud computing is a cakewalk given the remote management possibilities and the transformation from a support to a production system.
Tool to manage climate change
An industry cloud is being innovated by Huawei that allows multiple clouds to work simultaneously in a digital ecosystem and have the ability to interact distinctly across departments. The services industry, especially the creator economy, relies heavily on cloud computing to process large digital media sizes. Therefore, industry cloud and on-demand cloud services are great ways to use shared resources that ultimately help in minimising the carbon footprint. Electric vehicles can also use cloud computing to train AI for autonomous driving on the roads. The software updates can be pushed through the cloud to the systems, which will not require as much physical maintenance as traditional legacy fuel-engine vehicles, nor will it cause that much pollution.
Summing up
The use-cases of cloud computing are endless, and so is the process of evolution, it seems. As around six billion people are expected to inhabit urban spaces by 2045, the need for even faster computing will increase unfathomably. The time is ripe for organizations to adopt the cloud infrastructure to not miss out on the competition.
References
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-wfh-survey-idUSKBN26Z0S5
by Manoj Dhanda, Founder & CTO, Microhost Cloud
