You may have noticed the term 'cloud' or 'cloud computing' circulating around popular media. This has become an increasingly popular term and is used quite frequently by Microsoft in their recent advertising campaigns in order to create buzz. Although it is a widely used term it is not a widely understood concept. What makes cloud computing unique, or how does it work? Is it just a new term that means the internet or online?
According to Wikipedia cloud computing is web-based processing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand over the Internet. In other words, using a web browser instead of software directly installed on your computer. Many companies have already utilized a type of cloud computing by installing software on a server and allowing remote access. Even though the software is not installed on the user’s computer they can still access it using an internet connection. The benefits of cloud computing is that it allows you to access information from anywhere with internet access or on a smart phone. All essential programs and software are kept on a secure server for easy access from any location at anytime.
The idea is not new, and in fact, it has been around since the 1980's. Thanks to the recent upgrades in internet speeds cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular. It was not possible before because even just ten years ago downloading a song over the internet took an hour instead of just a few seconds on a wonderful dial-up connection. It is the increased speed that has made cloud computing possible and viable.
With modern smart phones being able to access the internet from any location at faster speeds than our old computers used to be able to it is becoming clear that cloud computing will become, and may already be, the new norm. Many of us are already using cloud computing in one form or another. A common example of cloud computing are some apps, whether on your phone, Facebook or any other system. Fifteen years ago the idea of having a game that constantly updated your information and could be accessed from any location was limited to simple browser based games that operated using mostly text. Today even apps such as "Farmville" can be considered a type of cloud computing.
Cloud computing is a tool that constantly updates your information on a server 24/7 and allows you to access that information from any location in the world with an internet connection. Why leave cloud computing to chickens and cows on Farmville when you can use it with a client to heighten energy awareness and provide yourself with limitless information? Continuous Energy Management and Optimization (CEMO) uses cloud computing to constantly update a buildings energy performance information on a database allowing 24/7 access on a web-based platform. The CEMO system display energy consumption and costs, all in real-time and displays historic information on an everyday web-browser. The CEMO system has the ability to monitor anything that can be metered. For any energy performance specialist this can prove to be a priceless tool. Tracking building performance 24/7 from any location in the world is now possible thanks to the power of cloud computing.
Forward Energy Solutions, Inc.
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