In the modern world, the Internet is one of the most powerful resources both businesses and individuals have. Enabling people to connect around the globe, this sort of resource is perfect for companies looking for a way to get out into the world. Of course, though, without the right tools, this sort of resource has very strict limits. To lift these limits, and make computing power more accessible, servers are being used around the world to connect small businesses. But, how is it being done?
Before you can understand how this sort of technology works, you have to know why it’s necessary. In the past, large-scale data operations, like medical or scientific research, could only be done by companies with the money to buy a supercomputer. This made it very hard for smaller companies to break into fields which need to handle big data. Nowadays, though, times are changing, and new options are popping up everywhere. With this revolution, a lot less potential is being wasted.
To put power into the hands on small businesses, a very simple concept is used; colocation. Instead of organizations using their own servers to power their work, they use a service which provides it to them. The cost of colocation is far lower than the price of running your own data center and is affordable for the small companies who need to use it. In systems like this, servers are able to be much more powerful, as funding comes from customers as well as the people building it.
In a lot of the systems being built today, you won’t find a single company responsible for them. Instead, on most projects, groups of organisations work together to create what they need. In some of the biggest examples, governments have been funding the construction of these facilities. This ensures that usage fees and rates stay low, while also making sure that the server is able to be funded adequately.
The best modern example of this sort of systems is Canada’s latest supercomputer; Cedar. Built by a large group of different organizations and companies, along with being backed by the government, this system promises to change the country’s connectivity. Businesses from all over will be able to access the resource, along with schools and other bodies benefiting, as well. Of course, though, Cedar isn’t just cool because it what it will be used for; it’s also extremely powerful. Having over $75 million in investment, Cedar is home to hundreds of different server modules. Each of these is more powerful than most home computers, while also running cooler and with less power. This makes for a very exciting entry into the supercomputing world.
As time goes on, shared computing promises to become more and more powerful. What the future holds is uncertain. But, in the near future, you could be seeing systems like this going much further, being used to augment the devices we already have. Just imagine being able to use a smartphone as if it were as powerful as your computer at home.
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