This is Part 1 of a 4 part series focusing on cloud technology.
Over recent years, there has been a strong trend to move software applications and data to the cloud, and in many industries this has led to a number of advantages in reduced costs, flexibility, and operational efficiency. The mining industry, however, has largely been hesitant to follow the same path, in part due to obstacles such as geographical isolation, the cost of installing networks remotely, the robustness of solutions in a harsh mining environment and the need for data protection.
Despite a few companies leading the way, many mine sites still operate on a local laptop on a day-to-day basis. The spreadsheet is still king of software applications at many mining operations, and even transcription from paper and pen is common in many locations.
In this series of articles, we will look at the reasons that cloud adoption is gathering pace in the mining industry. Firstly, how did this come about and what are other industries doing to make it work for them?
What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is simply the process of storing data and applications on servers that are accessed over the Internet. Whilst the concept is simple, the widespread adoption of cloud applications in many industries have radically changed the way we work. Many commentators have described the advent of cloud computing and its associated technologies as the fourth industrial revolution, giving rise to similar increases in productivity and efficiency.
How did Cloud Computing start?
The concept of delivering computing services via a global network has been around since the 1960s, but made significant headway in the 1990s when the Internet started to offer increased bandwidth. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the world saw the introduction of cloud-based services such as storage, computation and virtual machines that, through economies of scale, could be rented more cheaply than the cost of maintaining local infrastructure.
In 2009, the arrival of Web 2.0 and subsequent advancements in HTML and Java technologies made applications much more usable on the web and reduced the gap between what was possible in browser applications as opposed to those running on the desktop. Other key factors that have enabled cloud computing to evolve include the:
- Maturing of virtualization technology
- Development of universal high-speed bandwidth connectivity
- Universal software interoperability (Web API), and
- Security standards
The Cloud Today
A recent survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit illustrates the significant to pervasive presence of cloud applications in a range of industries including banking, retail and manufacturing.
A few years ago when Dassault Systèmes CEO, Bernard Charlès unveiled the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, he said:
“The cloud is where consumers voice their needs, their ideas, their feedback. It is where innovation is fostered and ideas take hold. The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform reveals and delivers that potential. It gives our customers a holistic, unified view of their business and ecosystem to create better experiences for their end-consumers.”
Mining too, has not been immune to these advancements and we will continue to explore the advantages that cloud computing can bring and how they can be used to increase safety, performance and productivity.
Read Part 2: Benefits of Cloud Computing in Mining here
Read Part 3: Cloud Computing Issues & Benefits
Charles Elliott
Latest posts by Charles Elliott (see all)
- Solutions to Blending Problems in Industrial Minerals - July 31, 2018
- Part 4: Cloud Solutions - July 3, 2017
- Part 3: Cloud Computing Issues & Benefits - June 21, 2017
