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The amount of information we utilize in our day-to-day activities has made it pertinent that we save data. Data is collected and utilized not only on an individual level but as well as by a huge range of institutions and organizations, including businesses, governments and non-governmental organizations. The growth of the web over the past decade has also led to the upsurge of data collection, utilization and storage.
Now, data processed and stored varies in size depending on its potential to be mined for information. Data volumes could be as much as terabytes, petabytes or exabytes, such data can be referred to as big data, although big data does not equate to any specific volume of data. Big data is often characterized by 5Vs: the volume of the data, the variety of the data types,the velocity at which the data must be analyzed, the veracity (i.e., how much noise is in the data) and the value of the data.
When data reaches such volumes as to be referred to as big data, the options left available for processing and storing such data becomes limited. Small data as opposed to big data can easily be stored on flash drives, CD's, hard disks and external hard drives, but such devices would not lend its use to big data. Hence the need for appropriate means of managing big data which has led to the advent of cloud computing.
Cloud computing is a process of storing, managing and processing data using a system of remote servers hosted on the internet, instead of on a local server or computer.Cloud computing, which is often referred to simply as "the cloud" can also be explained as the delivery of computing resources over the internet on a rental basis. It has an unlimited capability to process, store and manage data, which makes it the perfect choice for big data.
Since the advent of the cloud and its use in computing, sometimes around the 1960s, big data has been affected in a number of ways. A few of them include:
Considering how much cloud computing means to big data, it is safe to say that big data is dependent on cloud computing. It also lends credence to the common saying "Cloud computing is a perfect match for big data". Therefore, the impact of cloud computing on big data cannot be overlooked.