These days, everything online is served from “The Cloud”. But when we stop to think “What is the cloud?”, it is not the picture of a light and fluffy thing with a rainbow coming out of it as we might have liked it to be. Except for the rainbow part…
In actuality, the cloud is a huge network of servers all over the globe (covered with rainbow coloured lights…). They serve your files through Content Delivery Networks (CDN’s) that spread the most important parts of the information around the world. This makes the loading of files faster, for when your photo was uploaded in Bali, but you want to look at it in Johannesburg.
Why are servers significant?
Since the cloud is now land-bound and not floating past your house any time soon, what does this really entail? Firstly, a server is simply a specialised computer that is built to store and serve information to other computers. Hence the name “servers”. These specialised computers can obviously store much more data than your PC at home, but a single server is not even a drop in the ocean of the resources required in our modern era of technology. The servers are kept together in server rooms that contain anywhere between 1 to hundreds of computers.
As we all know, any electronic device needs power to operate. Servers are no different. In fact server rooms are commonly cooled by air conditioning to keep the computers from overheating. Along with the power these machines draw, it is easy to realise how much electricity this worldwide infrastructure is consuming.
We are all aware of the looming problem of global warming, greenhouse gases and all that. And even though we are striving for a carbon neutral future with wind energy, solar power and hydro-electric plants, we are not there yet.
In conclusion…
I am not trying to deter anyone from this ground breaking discovery. We experience the amazing benefits of these services every single day. Being able to work from home. Collaborating on projects with individuals on the other side of the planet. It is certainly not all doom and gloom.
Yet I feel that it is important to know the story behind the story. To be aware of what makes the world turn. Or in this case… makes the cloud float.
