Is the Cloud the Future of Computing?

2. Historical Development Of The Cloud Infrastructure

Traditionally data center computing models were mainly based on a client-server model architecture and design relying firmly on a three-tier architecture design that included access, distribution and core switches connecting relatively few clients and meeting limited client needs compared to today’s cloud services models. Each server was dedicated to either a single or limited applications and had IP addresses and media access control addresses. This static nature of the application environment worked well and lent itself to manual processes for server deployment or redeployment. According to both Jim Metzler and Steve Taylor of Network World (Metzler, 2011), they primarily used a spanning tree protocol to avoid loops. Recent dramatic advances in virtualization technology, distributed computing, rapid improvements and access to high-speed Internet have all had dramatic influences on the current models of computing and data center. From services on demand to unprecedented elasticity in resource acquisition, users now have an array of choices at hand on demand and in quantities of choice. The services are fully managed by the provider, with the user as a consumer. Let us briefly look at those characteristics that have come to define cloud computing as a technology (Mell, 2011).