As the Internet becomes ubiquitous in society for both personal use and business, its technologies have advanced to the point where it’s now possible to efficiently access shared computing resources on demand. This is known as cloud computing. The cloud has been a symbol for the Internet for many years, but only recently has it come to represent a specific environment used to remotely access information technology (IT) resources.
It is a central concept for adult learners in IT programs to be aware of as they learn to provide quality communications network services for various occupational environments.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in IT, we’ll explain the fundamentals, the evolution of cloud computing, and its applications for adult learners in this article.
The Basics of Cloud Computing for Adult Learners Considering IT Training
The metaphor of a cloud is used because services are delivered to the user over an invisible network, as if from a cloud. The growth of cloud computing is attributed to the expansion of network capacity while storage and computing costs have fallen, leading to easily scalable project management without prohibitive infrastructure costs. By alleviating maintenance and improving manageability, cloud computing enables companies to more quickly get operational and fluidly reallocate resources according to fluctuating demand.
It offers economies of scale for both businesses and network providers through the pooling of computing resources. They can be dynamically assigned depending on demand and consumers then pay only for the resources they have used, similar to electricity or water. A cloud is generally privately owned, providing user-based access to back-end processing capabilities. Resources can also be provided to various organizations from a public cloud provider or a shared community cloud.
Evolution of Cloud Computing and the Information Technology Career
The technology of cloud computing is a result of numerous technological advances throughout the years. Ongoing innovations in grid and utility computing, unified communication, and information technology hardware have taken several decades to arrive at our present capacity. Since the early days of mainframes in the 1960s, IT leaders have suggested that time-sharing technology could one day evolve to computing power and applications sold as a public utility.
The explosion of mobile, social media, analytics, and all types of digitization are the major trends driving business change today, all of which will influence the adoption and direction of cloud computing going forward. Companies in all industry sectors will expect continued improvements in agility, sustainability, reliability and efficiency through these technologies. Adult learners pursuing an information technology career will help companies adapt to these developments as cloud computing matures in the coming years.
Network Administration and IT Training
Important skills demanded in cloud computing jobs include programming, database management, systems automation, project management, and information security. Cloud service providers must protect consumers from external IT threats and ensure individual cloud environments are adequately isolated from one another. Consumers should understand their existing security software and hardware as well as how providers are protecting the overall environment.
Network administrators with IT training evaluate communications hardware, software and transmission service alternatives while monitoring network performance and providing systems support. The goal is to enable users to benefit from all of these technologies without being impeded by IT concerns. Security is generally improved with cloud computing but complexity increases when data is distributed across a wider area or over a greater number of devices. IT training is the ideal preparation to manage these challenges and embark on a rewarding career in the industry.
Looking for an information technology college to learn more about cloud computing?
Explore the many IT programs offered by Academy of Learning College for more information.