Cloud computing, a technology extensively used in a wide array of industries, is also the backbone of numerous gigantic platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Crackle, Hulu, Disney Plus Hotstar, and Google Search Engines. This technology enables interactions on your device from anywhere without the need for powerful processors or substantial hardware components, making it accessible to a wider audience. Didn’t understand? No worries. We will get into more details of it as we go.
Working of Cloud Computing
As the topic may be new to many of us, let’s get into a basic understanding of how Cloud Computing works and where it is being used at the current time.
What Is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing can be defined as the provision of computing services, including servers, storage, databases, and software, over the Internet, often referred to as “the cloud.” The term “cloud” describes a global network of servers, each with its unique function. Cloud gaming is a growing aspect of cloud computing, offering users a plethora of virtual experiences with minimal hardware requirements. Imagine a massive, high-powered computer running a game, and simultaneously, it streams the game to your device, complete with controls. You don’t own the computer. You only take the subscription of the cloud which owns this computer and the game runs on their device. Now, the game running on the computer is streamed to your device over the internet and also takes the inputs from your device through the internet. This technology is remarkably fast, delivering large applications and files almost instantly to your device.
Popular Aspects of Cloud Computing
Popular examples of cloud computing include cloud streaming and cloud gaming. Some notable names in these domains are:
Cloud Streaming
Cloud Gaming
- – Octro
- – Moonfrog
- – JetSynthesys Pvt. Ltd.
- – GeForce Now
- – JioGamesCloud
- – Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
- – Amazon Luna, and more.
The growth of cloud computing has been explosive, with a staggering 535% increase in its adoption from 2010 to 2020. You can guess this growth seeing how OTT platforms have grown in the past years. No one cared about Netflix in 2010, now it is a must for many people. Also, there are some alternatives for cloud computing like Edge Computing and all but we won’t be talking about them in this post.
How Cloud Computing Started
The use of cloud computing dates back to the 1990s when virtual computers gained popularity, making way for modern cloud technology. The term “cloud computing” became widely recognized in 2006 with the launch of Amazon Web Services (AWS), notably the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service. It is believed that Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, is the first person to use the word “cloud computing” in the modern sense at an industry conference back in 2006.
Current Standing of Cloud Computing
As of 2022, the global cloud computing market was valued at approximately USD 546.1 billion, and it is projected to reach about USD 2,321 billion by 2032. Cloud computing simplifies data backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity while offering various platforms to choose from, including:
- – SAP Business Technology Platform
- – Google Cloud
- – Microsoft Azure
- – Oracle Cloud
- – IBM Cloud
- – NetApp Cloud Services
- – Alibaba Cloud
- – Aiven Platform
However, users may encounter challenges, such as data loss or theft, data leakage, account or service hijacking, insecure interfaces and APIs, and denial of service attacks. So, if you are planning on using the cloud, make sure you do so through a trustworthy source. Let us now discuss one of the many applications of Cloud Computing, Cloud Gaming.
Cloud Gaming
The Process of Cloud Gaming:
Cloud gaming is a comparatively new application of Cloud Computing. It involves using powerful computers, possibly supercomputers, to render and stream games to users’ devices. Currently, the cloud gaming market is relatively small, especially in India, where only a few companies operate. This presents an opportunity for market capture by addressing existing shortcomings, but it requires substantial capital investment and extensive research and development efforts. But if you can manage to do these, you may as well create the next giant of the gaming industry.
Market Players in India
In India, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Jio Cloud Gaming, and Amazon Luna dominate the market. Multinational companies are also present but not solely focused on cloud gaming due to varying potential in India. Cloud gaming demands a robust network connection, which is not universally available across the country. Cloud gaming faces challenges like data loss, data leakage, account hijacking, insecure interfaces and APIs, denial of service attacks, server optimization, and latency issues. These issues are solvable but require significant resources and time, which means we may not be able to enjoy cloud gaming to its fullest until quite some time. Although, with the rate these things are growing we can’t really say.
How did Cloud Gaming Start?
The initiative for cloud gaming began with a company called G-cluster (short for Game Cluster) around 2000, officially launching in 2003. Microsoft’s Xbox cloud service played a major role in popularizing cloud gaming, starting with a beta version in November 2019 and later fully realizing it for Xbox premium users.
Conclusion
This was a quick overview of the process, working, potential, pros and cons of cloud computing and cloud gaming. The overall process and work for the cloud technologies is very complex and requires a good investment of time to learn in-depth. But if you are getting into it, and have read this article till here then Congratulations! It’s the first step that matters after all.
Hope this article was helpful
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