Early computing was dominated by massive, expensive machines. To make them efficient, organizations used "time-sharing" to allow multiple users to access a single computer.
As internet accessibility grew, the "cloud" began to mean the space between the user and the provider.
The story of cloud computing is the evolution from owning, heavy, on-premise hardware to renting flexible, on-demand digital infrastructure. It is a tale of shifting from "doing it all yourself" to leveraging a utility model, similar to how factories moved from private power generators to the public electricity grid.
In 1972, IBM developed the first virtual machine, a key technology that allows multiple operating systems to share the same hardware, which is fundamental to modern cloud operations. Chapter 2: The Infrastructure (1990s–2000s)
Here is a development of the story through its key chapters: Chapter 1: The Foundation (1950s–1970s)
In 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) transformed the industry by offering cloud infrastructure, allowing companies to rent computers rather than buy them, providing immense scalability. Chapter 3: Modern Cloud & The Future (2010s–2026) Cloud Computing: Co-Invention for the Masses - Publications
In 1999, Salesforce pioneered Software as a Service (SaaS) by delivering enterprise applications via a website, moving beyond local software installations.
