Cloud Computing is the modern buzz word which appears 48 million times on the internet! The transition to mobile devices is further tilting the balance in favor of Cloud Computing. This term does not appear in the Oxford English dictionary! But let us start from the very beginning — Who invented Cloud Computing?

Evolution of Cloud Computing

Hardy Schloer, during the 1950s, went a step ahead by patenting his early execution and employment of cloud computing, which he termed as ‘One page web”. It comprised of cloud storage, multi user applications and back-end-servers replete with security features! Unbelievable, isn’t it?

J.C.R. Licklider introduced the concept of ‘Intergalactic Computer Network’ during the 1960’s. He is supposed to have been worked for growth of Advanced Research Projects agency Network (ARPANET). It is he who envisioned about the program and data access from anywhere and everywhere — what we today proclaim as Cloud Computing! John McCarthy presented the idea of delivering computation services as a public utility.

Recent Milestones in Cloud Computing at a Glance

John Mc Carthy in the 1960s was reported to have mentioned about computation being ‘organized as a public utility’ someday. In 1966, the book — ”The Challenge of the Computer Utility” was written by Douglas Parkhill mentioning cloud computing as we know it in modern days — as a utility, online etc. Herb Grosch too envisaged that one day the world would function on terminals powered by mega data centres!

Even Marc Benioff from Salesforce.com has been given credit for the invention of cloud computing. MIT Technology Review even talks about Associates in Compaq Computers to have used the phrase ‘Cloud Computing’ in some business venture.

Even Larry Ellison is not left behind in this context. Evan Goldberg, a talented developer at Oracle in the 1990s, thought of an idea of software as a service which he conveyed to Ellison, his colleague at Oracle. He suggested Ellison what he explained as building ‘a version of Siebel (CRM software) but on the Internet’. Ellison funded the project and a company named NetLedger was born which was later renamed as NetSuite. Benioff, another colleague too showed interest in doing ‘that Siebel online thing’ and founded Salesforce.com which too was founded by Larry.

Some are of the opinion that it was launched by AT&T in the year 1994. Although the question is single, the answers are many! Some believe that it was Amazon.com in the year 2006 while others point to Google.

Some people believe that in 2006, Google CEO Eric Schmidt used the term for an industry conference. The report in The New York Times on November 15, 2007 too deserves mention here, ‘IBM to push Cloud Computing’. There are many more names and companies such as Rackspace (calls itself ‘Open Cloud Company’),

It is unclear as to from where this term originated and who invented it. Well, a virtual platform as Cloud computing is best kept as it is — VIRTUAL!