In the first quarter of 2012, a German enterprise software company (SAP) reported a 10% year-on-year increase in profits of 478 million of pounds thanks to the cloud, a method of computer storage (SAP looks optimistic as profits continue to rise, 2012). It is clear that methods of storing data on computers have developed rapidly over the past 60 years, from the first type of data storage on cylinders to storing data in the cloud. The purpose of this essay is to describe this development and show that individual physical memory, such as memory sticks and disks, is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. As an example, before the invention of computers, various methods were used to store and retrieve data. In 1725, for example, the "punched card" was invented, widely used in looms and primitive calculating machines. Although this was a significant development in storage, these cards were not made for "general use" until 1928. The need to store and retrieve data as a continuous stream and not as individual cards led to the invention of punched tape in 1846. In 1877, Thomas Edison invented a device known as the "phonograph". This device recorded sound vibrations on a metal cylinder with a recording needle and played back the recordings when necessary. These storage developments served as the backdrop for the development of computer storage. Professor Federick C. Williams and colleague Tom Kilburn developed the first random access computer memory in 1948, known as the "Williams-Kilburn tube". This device allowed 1024-bit storage but was later upgraded to 2048-bit. In 1951, "delay line memory" was invented. This form of memory consisted of a column of mercury with piezoelectric crystals to facilitate data transfer. W...... half of the document ......owstuffworks.com/cloud-computing/cloud-storage.htm on May 8, 2012.- Paul Lilly. (February 3, 2009). Computer Data Storage Through the Ages: From Punch Cards to Blu-Ray. Retrieved from http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/computer_data_storage_through_ages on May 8, 2012.- Pingdom. (April 8, 2008). Retrieved from http://royal.pingdom.com/2008/04/08/the-history-of-computer-data-storage-in-pictures/ on May 8, 2012.- Retrieved from http://cs-exhibitions . uni-klu.ac.at/index.php?id=187 on May 8, 2012.- Ryan Nichols (August 31, 2010). Cloud computing in numbers: what do all the statistics mean? Retrieved from http://blogs.computerworld.com/16863/cloud_computing_by_the_numbers_what_do_all_the_statistics_mean on May 24, 2012.- SAP Looks Optimistic as Profits Continue to Rise. (April 25, 2012). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17836653 on May 8 2012.