The importance and significance of cloud computing is becoming more and more prominent in today's digital age. It not only represents a technological innovation, but also a new business operation model. It not only expands the boundaries of technology, but also provides new impetus and possibilities for sustainable social and economic development.
Text |Miao Jingliang, Deng Yuanhui, Wang Guoqiang.
Miao Jingliang is an assistant researcher at the Institute of Innovation Strategy of the China Association for Science and Technology.
Deng Yuanhui is an associate researcher at the Institute of Innovation Strategy of the China Association for Science and Technology.
Wang Guoqiang is a researcher at the Institute of Innovation Strategy of the China Association for Science and Technology.
In today's era of vigorous global economic development, cloud computing has shown its unique charm as the core technology fulcrum of the digital economy. Especially during the pandemic, the importance of cloud computing has become even more prominent. Not only does it enable businesses to operate nimbably, but it also accelerates the pace of innovation across industries around the world. In the midst of remote work and digital transformation driven by the pandemic, cloud computing has become a clear sign of technological advancement, and it is playing a key driving role in the reshaping of the global economy and the rapid change in social structure.
fromEnvisiontoImplementation
The concept of cloud computing was born as a perfect illustration of human foresight. In 1961, a forward-thinking idea came to mind in the mind of American computer scientist John McCarthy, winner of the Turing Award [gf]2022[gf]**, who first proposed the concept of "utility computing" at the centennial ceremony of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. In his vision, computer resources in the future, like water, electricity and gas, will be transformed into a basic public facility in daily life, which can be used by everyone. In its time, the idea was undoubtedly bold and revolutionary, like a seed of the future planted in the world of traditional computing. Time flew by, and by 1996, the seed began to sprout. The term "cloud computing" first appeared in an internal document from Compaq in the United States, although at the time it did not yet attract widespread attention. What really made cloud computing a household name was a speech given by Eric Emerson Schmidt, then CEO of Google Inc. in 2022. He defined cloud computing as an Internet-based computing method in which shared hardware and software resources and information can be provided to computers for various terminals and other devices on demand. Schmidt opened the door to a new world and heralded a new era of free flow of information and shared resources.
Cloud computing, a concept we are familiar with today, is actually based on technological innovations decades ago. To understand cloud computing, we need to go back to the computer field in the 60s of the 20th century and see how it evolved from the technology of that time. Originally, the concept of cloud computing originated from the "time-sharing system", the core idea of which was to enable multiple users to use the same mainframe computer at the same time. The operating system uses an ingenious method of time allocation, i.e., time slice rotation, in which the processor's time is divided into small fragments and distributed to each user in turn. It's like cutting a large cake into many smaller pieces, and everyone takes turns enjoying a small piece so that everyone feels as if the whole cake is their own. This approach not only improves the utilization of computer resources, but also allows for parallel processing of multiple tasks. At the same time, another important cornerstone of cloud computing has emerged, and it is virtualization technology. In 1959, British computer scientist Christopher [GF]2022[GF] Strachey proposed this concept, which can be seen as an extension of the concept of time-sharing systems, which is the core of cloud computing infrastructure and the foundation of cloud computing development. In simple terms, virtualization is all about building a logical layer on top of physical computing resources, such as CPU and memory, so that these resources can be free from physical constraints. In the 70s of the 20th century, virtualization technology further promoted the concept of time-sharing systems, abstracting a single physical server and simulating multiple independent virtual machines, each of which can run different operating systems and applications, isolated from each other. In doing so, the technology enables multiple users to share computing resources instead of relying on a single physical machine, greatly improving the utilization of hardware resources, as well as increasing flexibility and scalability, laying the foundation for the digital lifestyle we know today.
In the decade between 1990 and 2000, the Internet began to spread rapidly and changed the entire landscape of information technology. During this period, the prototype of cloud computing began to emerge gradually, which was closely related to the rise of the Internet and the progress of data centers. As more and more people and businesses begin to interact and do business, the demand for reliable and efficient data storage and processing power has increased dramatically. This need has led to the rapid growth of data centers, which have become critical facilities for storing, processing, and distributing large amounts of data and underpinning the Internet infrastructure. At this point, enterprises are beginning to realize that by centralizing the management of information resources, they can more efficiently handle large amounts of network traffic and meet the needs of data storage. At the same time, this period also witnessed the advancement of key technologies, such as the popularization of broadband Internet to increase the speed of data transmission, and virtualization technology to greatly increase the utilization rate of servers. These technological advancements laid the foundation for the rise of cloud computing, which allowed data and applications to be more efficiently stored on remote servers and accessed via the Internet. It is in this context that cloud computing begins to take shape. Enterprises and individual users are moving away from traditional on-premises storage and compute to more flexible, cost-effective cloud services. This shift has driven the rapid development and popularity of cloud computing at the beginning of the 21st century.
Competing for supremacy
The era of commercial competition
At the beginning of the 21st century, the stage of cloud computing began to stage a commercial competition for hegemony. This period marked the shift from a technical concept to a practical application of cloud computing, and it was also a pivotal moment for major enterprises to compete for market leadership. Around 2000, virtualization technology gradually matured and became an important milestone in the development of cloud computing. In 2001, VMware released the first virtualization product for x86 servers, VMware ESX, a technological achievement that opened up new possibilities. It allows multiple virtual machines to run simultaneously on a single physical server. Not only does this reduce the need for servers, but it also provides a significant increase in speed and flexibility over traditional physical servers. The maturity of virtualization technology has made the cloud computing market commercial field begin to really appear.
In 2006, the stage of cloud computing ushered in another critical moment. Amazon Inc. officially launched the "Infrastructure as a Service" (IaaS) cloud platform, that is, "Amazon Web Services" (AWS), which has kicked off the commercial operation of cloud services. As a pioneer in the cloud computing market, AWS has been a market leader since its launch in 2006. AWS's services range from infrastructure construction to machine learning and artificial intelligence. The core component of AWS is Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). EC2 simplifies the process of running virtual servers in the cloud, making it easy for users to launch and manage server instances in the cloud environment. AWS's object storage service is Amazon **Storage Service (Amazon S3). It provides a simple interface for data storage on the Internet and is a highly scalable object storage service for backup, archiving, and Internet data storage. Since its launch in 2006, Amazon3 has become one of the leading services in the field of cloud storage, widely used in a variety of industries and applications.
With the arrival of 2008, more new players have joined the cloud computing commercial market. In the same year, Google began to offer its internal infrastructure as a service and launched App Engine. This "Platform as a Service" (PaaS) product allows developers to build and host web applications. The launch of this product not only marks a major step forward for Google in the field of cloud computing, but also provides a full platform that allows developers to focus on writing without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. Subsequently, Google gradually introduced more services, such as Google Compute Engine and Google Cloud Storage.
Also in 2008, Microsoft announced Windows Azure at its Professional Developers Conference (PDC), and in 2010 it officially launched the product. This means that Microsoft has officially joined the market in the cloud computing market. In 2014, Microsoft rebranded Windows Azure to Microsoft Azure to reflect its ability to support multiple operating systems, programming languages, and tools, not just Windows. Subsequently, Microsoft Azure rapidly expanded its service offerings to include service types such as IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.
While international cloud computing giants are competing for the market, China's cloud computing industry has also ushered in its own benchmark - Alibaba Cloud. In 2009, Alibaba Cloud was founded, and China's cloud computing market began to show its unique vitality and potential. Alibaba Cloud has made remarkable achievements in cloud computing technology, especially in the fields of big data and artificial intelligence. Some of Alibaba Cloud's core products, such as Elastic Compute Service (ECS), Relational Database Service (RDS), and Object Storage Service (OSS), are popular in the market. Over time, Alibaba Cloud has experienced rapid growth and expansion, not only occupying an important position in the Asian market, but also becoming a significant player in the global cloud computing market. The rise of Alibaba Cloud not only demonstrates the speed of development of China's cloud computing technology, but also brings a new competitive landscape to the global cloud computing market.
In addition to these giants, there are other important companies, such as IBM, Oracle, etc., that have a significant presence in a particular region or industry sector. The competition among these cloud service providers is fierce. They compete not only on the best of the best, but also on the quality of service, technological innovation, global reach, and the customization of industry-specific solutions. This competition pushes each cloud service provider to continuously improve and expand its services and capabilities, ultimately enabling the entire cloud computing market and related technologies to evolve rapidly.
Cloud Revolution,
Start your digital life
Cloud computing technology is gradually transforming our world, especially in key areas such as healthcare, education, and finance, and it is leading digital transformation and innovation. By optimizing data processing processes and resource allocation, cloud computing not only improves the efficiency of these areas, but also greatly improves the quality of life and service experience of the public. * Cloud:Open the era of intelligent governance
In the field of cloud computing, the application of cloud computing has realized the transformation from traditional face-to-face services to efficient online processing models. The government cloud significantly improves the service efficiency of the first department through the processing of data, and at the same time enhances the intelligence level of modern office, public transportation, urban management, enterprises and social credit systems and other fields. Some government cloud platforms are also equipped with advanced data processing mechanisms, including data identification, hierarchical classification, data desensitization, anomaly detection, and monitoring and early warning, etc., to ensure the security, reliability, and credibility of the platform. Through such a centralized cloud platform, it can make decisions and manage more effectively, improve the quality of government services in an all-round way, and directly benefit public life.
Taking the Shenzhen government cloud project as an example, the project was launched in early 2019, mainly building a unified cloud management platform in Shenzhen, realizing the co-construction and sharing of infrastructure of various departments in the city, the overall deployment of information systems, the aggregation and sharing of data resources, and the effective collaboration of business applications. Based on HUAWEI CLOUD, the Shenzhen Government Cloud uses the cloud management platform to connect the municipal government cloud with provinces and districts, implement unified management, and implement mutual resource sharing and disaster recovery between cities and districts based on the government extranet.
Medical Cloud:Kick in the era of digital health
In the healthcare sector, cloud computing is increasingly becoming a key force in modernizing the industry. Cloud computing makes the storage and access of medical data more efficient and secure, enabling healthcare organizations to seamlessly manage and share electronic health records. Cloud computing enables telehealth services, improving access to medical resources, especially in remote areas. It also provides powerful computing power for big data analytics, enabling medical researchers to quickly analyze huge health data sets to accelerate the development of new drugs and diseases. In addition, artificial intelligence and machine learning tools on cloud platforms are transforming the diagnostic process, improving the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis.
At present, the application of medical cloud has made significant progress in China, such as Beijing's medical big data platform. This platform uses artificial intelligence technology to automatically collect, correlate and integrate, standardize processing, and facilitate data retrieval and analysis. It builds a clinical big data knowledge graph and reasoning engine to deeply explore the potential correlation between disease symptoms and improve the utilization rate of data and scientific research efficiency. At present, the platform has served more than 100 clinical studies, established more than 1 000 datasets, and about 90% of the data requirements have been completed through the platform, supporting the submission of many articles and the formulation of research protocols.
Education Cloud:Start the unbounded learning revolution
In education, cloud computing is revolutionizing the way learning and teaching are done. By providing flexible and scalable resources, cloud computing enables educational content and tools to be accessed anytime, anywhere**, enabling a more personalized and collaborative learning experience. Software as a Service (SaaS) applications on cloud platforms, such as classrooms, Learning Management Systems (LMS), and Student Information Systems (SIS), greatly simplify instructional management and curriculum design. In addition, cloud computing has also made distance education and courses possible, breaking the limitations of geography and time, providing high-quality educational resources to a wider group of students. At the same time, the ability of cloud technology to store and process large amounts of education data provides strong support for educational research and learning effectiveness analysis.
Taking the Lianyungang online teaching service system as an example, the system uses the national primary and secondary school smart education cloud platform to establish a "four-in-one" online teaching service system. This system provides students with electronic textbooks and teaching aids, uses a pronunciation learning system and a text reading system to assist learning, and provides live lectures and Q&A services from famous teachers. During the pandemic, the system has played a huge role in ensuring that students "do not stop learning". At present, the total number of visits to the online teaching service system has exceeded 15 million, which effectively supports the continuous development of education and teaching activities.
Financial Cloud:Open the stage of security innovation
In the financial sector, cloud computing is leading a profound digital transformation, providing more efficient, secure, and innovative services to institutions and customers. Through the cloud platform, financial institutions can achieve more efficient data management and processing, supporting complex big data analysis and real-time transaction processing. This not only speeds up the decision-making process, but also improves risk management and fraud detection. Cloud computing has also made financial services more flexible and accessible, supporting emerging fintech applications such as mobile banking,** payments, and personalized financial management services. At the same time, cloud computing plays a vital role in ensuring data security and adhering to strict industry compliance standards. With advanced encryption and security protocols deployed in the cloud, financial institutions are able to protect sensitive customer data and transaction information.
Huawei's enterprise business is a typical example of the cloud-based transformation of the financial industry. Huawei leverages its information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure to create a secure, stable, and efficient financial cloud platform. The platform supports deployment in private clouds, Huawei public clouds, dedicated clouds, and financial industry clouds, as well as financial edge cloud scenarios such as smart branches. Through this platform, financial enterprises can quickly build mobile banking, mini programs, etc., improve user experience, and at the same time integrate financial services into various industries through open application programming interfaces (APIs).
Rise to the challenge
Facing the new world of the future
In this rapidly evolving digital age, cloud computing is a symbol of technological progress, but it also faces challenges such as security, technological innovation, sustainability, and compliance. From protecting data security and privacy protection in the cloud to the deep integration of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things in the intelligent cloud era, cloud computing is constantly pushing the boundaries of the technology world. The rise of edge computing symbolizes the need for fast, efficient data processing while reducing the pressure on the central cloud. While pursuing green transformation, the rise of green cloud computing highlights the importance of environmental protection and demonstrates the harmonious coexistence of technology and sustainable development. In addition, global data governance and increasingly stringent regulatory requirements have brought new challenges to cloud computing compliance. In the face of these challenges, cloud computing technology continues to evolve and iterate, and it will surely open up a new world. Defend the clouds
While cloud computing provides enterprises and individuals with flexible and efficient computing resources, it must also face continuous security and privacy protection challenges. These challenges are spread across several key areas: first, ensuring the security of data on remote servers to prevent any risk of data leakage or unauthorized access; the second is to strengthen user authentication to ensure the confidentiality and security of personal information; The third is to keep up with and comply with increasingly stringent data protection regulations and adapt to legal requirements around the world; Fourth, it is necessary to effectively respond to insider threats while ensuring stability and security in cross-platform and multi-cloud environments. Fifth, continue to guard against cyber attacks, such as malware and phishing attacks, to ensure that the system's defense capability is always in the best condition. To address these challenges, the future of cloud computing security will focus more on building a comprehensive defense strategy, adopting an intelligent approach to threat management, and adhering to regulations to protect user privacy and enterprise data security.
Zhiyun era
The combination of cloud computing with artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things marks the beginning of a new era of technological innovation. Powered by a cloud-based platform, AI algorithms are able to access and analyze massive data sets around the world, further improving the accuracy of decision-making, accelerating the discovery of new insights, and optimizing automated processes. At the same time, the massive amounts of data generated by IoT devices can also be effectively managed and analyzed through cloud computing, making various applications such as smart home and industrial automation a reality. This convergence not only dramatically improves the efficiency and intelligence of data processing, but also drives innovation in new services and applications, such as in areas such as smart cities, telemedicine, and smart manufacturing.
Revolution on the Margins
The rise of edge computing marks a major paradigm shift in computing that addresses the growing demand for data processing and the desire for low-latency applications. This emerging technology moves data processing, storage, and analysis from centralized cloud data centers to the edge of the network, which is closer to where the data is generated, such as a user's device or a local network. This shift enables applications that require real-time or near-real-time data processing, such as the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and telemedicine, with shorter response times and greater efficiency. At the same time, edge computing reduces the bandwidth requirement for the central cloud and improves the reliability of the overall system. It can be said that the combination of cloud computing and edge computing provides a flexible and efficient solution for processing large amounts of scattered data, and promotes the development of a new generation of intelligent applications and services.
Green transition
The sustainability of cloud computing has become a key topic in the technology world. With the rapid expansion of cloud services, the energy consumption and carbon emissions of data centers have attracted widespread attention to environmental protection in the industry. In response to this battle, green cloud computing was born, which aims to reduce these impacts by adopting renewable energy, improving the energy efficiency of data centers, optimizing resource allocation, and reducing redundancy. In addition, green cloud computing includes the use of more efficient cooling systems, improved hardware design, and software optimization to reduce energy consumption. These efforts not only help to reduce environmental impact, but also improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. As a result, green cloud computing is becoming a key factor in driving the technology industry's transition to sustainability.
The way to compliance
Cloud computing presents complex compliance challenges due to the potentially global and cross-border nature of the data processed and stored. With data protection regulations, such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the U.S. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), cloud service providers and consumers must ensure that their operations comply with these regulations. This means that cloud service providers must ensure transparent processing of data, strengthen user privacy protections, and implement compliance measures for data sovereignty and cross-border data transfers. In addition, regulatory differences in different countries and regions increase the complexity and application costs of compliance, especially for cloud service companies operating across borders. As a result, cloud computing users need to keep an eye on regulatory changes to ensure that their cloud policies and applications can adapt to these changing regulatory environments.
Over time, cloud computing has grown from an emerging technology concept to a core pillar of today's digital world. Not only has it revolutionized the way businesses and individuals process data and use applications, but it continues to push the boundaries of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data analytics. In the future, cloud computing will continue to evolve to address security and privacy challenges, while playing a key role in driving the global economy, promoting technological innovation, and achieving sustainable development. There is no doubt that the journey of cloud computing will be full of possibilities, leading to a more intelligent and connected future.
Cloud computingMemorabilia
a brief history
1961 year
McCarthy, an American computer scientist, came up with the idea of providing computing power to users as a utility like water and electricity.
1969 year
The Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US Department of Defense developed ARPANET was officially put into operation.
1999 year
salesforce.com was founded to provide web-based SaaS, which was an early example of cloud computing applications.
Year 2002
Amazon Inc. launched the AWS platform, marking the beginning of the modern era of cloud computing.
Year 2006
Amazon Inc. has launched EC2, which offers scalable virtual private servers.
In 2008Google Inc. has launched AppEngine to provide developers with cloud-based application hosting services.
In 2009
Google Inc. launched Google Cloud Platform to provide cloud computing services for enterprises.
In 2010
Microsoft Corporation launches Azure, the flagship offering of its cloud computing services.
10s of the 21st century
Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and other companies have joined the cloud computing market and launched their own cloud service platforms.
In 2012
Cloud computing is starting to become mainstream in the enterprise, and more enterprises are adopting SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS.
In 2014
The major players in the cloud computing market are expanding their cloud services globally.
In 2016Cloud computing has begun to evolve to edge computing, accelerating the development of the Internet of Things and mobile computing.
20s of the 21st centuryMulti-cloud and hybrid cloud strategies are becoming popular, and enterprises are beginning to leverage the services of multiple cloud service providers to meet different business needs.
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