The cloud can often still feel like a brand-new technology, which can make it all the more confusing to see how heavily implemented it is into every aspect of the internet.
There are often improvements to typical online functions, such as the ability to use online document software like OneDrive or Google Docs, with these platforms saving documents automatically regularly. This can help to curb the issue that many people might face with regular, on-premises document software, where a sudden, unexpected event can lead to data loss.
Understanding other ways that the cloud might have quietly improved your online usage can help you to better understand the cloud in general.
Storage and Retrieval
That really is the way that you might have encountered it most. By transferring the storage of data to the cloud instead of onto a device itself, the storage capacity becomes much larger, and you no longer have to rely on physical storage devices to contain all of this information. You might think of this in relation to documents on desktops and laptops, but you might not consider how it could be occurring on your phone with photos. With many phones, this can mean that without a connection to the internet, you are unable to view your photos (though this is something that can be changed in the settings). However, this also makes it easier to create cloud-based folders and drives that you can then share with others, meaning that this storage accessibility bleeds into being about even more than that.
Development and Integration
It’s not just about users, however. The developers behind the software that you use are also using the cloud for improved efficiency. Sometimes this is in such a way that they can continue development even while users have access to it, allowing greater versatility in how any given problem is solved. Even in specific considerations that you might have to make throughout development, such as network routing, you have multiple cloud-based solutions to consider – such as control plane vs data plane – that can shift the outcome of what you develop. This can help to showcase just how integrated the cloud is into every aspect of digital design, far from being just the latest quirk thrown on top of what was already there.
Gaming and Services
It’s difficult to differentiate the simple advance of gaming technology from the implementation of cloud technology into an industry that you feel you already know. However, cloud technology has been permeating gaming for a long time, and while this is sometimes as simple as backing up saved data in the cloud (perhaps most often seen when there is an error in syncing and it fails to retrieve properly), other times it pertains more directly to other services. For example, game streaming is something that is increasingly popular. Services such as Sony’s PS Now enable players to stream older games through the cloud. Additionally, services like GeForce Now give players the ability to stream games on their device (such as a laptop) that wouldn’t ordinarily meet the demands of the game itself.
