Aug
20
WRITTEN BY:
Liz Aspery
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the internet. These services are broadly divided into three categories: infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS). The name ‘cloud computing’ was inspired by the cloud symbol that's often used to represent the internet in flowcharts and diagrams.
Cloud computing services are sold on demand, typically by the minute or the hour. They are elastic—a user can have as much or as little of a service as they want at any given time—and the services are fully managed by the provider; consumers only need a personal computer and internet access.
According to Nicholas Carr, the strategic importance of information technology is diminishing as it becomes standardised and less expensive. He argues that the cloud computing paradigm shift is similar to the displacement of electricity generators by electricity grids early in the 20th century.[1]
Gartner Research[2] observed that ‘organizations are switching from company-owned hardware and software assets to per-use service-based models’ and that the ‘projected shift to cloud computing will result in dramatic growth in IT products in some areas and in significant reductions in other areas.’
The London Times compares cloud computing to centralised systems of the 1950s and 60s, by which users connected through ‘dumb’ terminals to mainframe computers.[3]
The cloud spans many borders and ‘may be the ultimate form of globalization.’[4] Open standards are critical to the growth of cloud computing, and open source software[5] has provided the foundation for many cloud computing implementations.
Technology is moving so fast these days, but what of regulations and the law? Which law will apply if we source from different countries? What if our data resides in one country and our processing in another? Who will make sure the law is enforced?
Will it offer competitive advantage to an organisation? How will we leverage it for the best advantage? How will we use the cloud without increasing risk and security concerns?
Cloud computing seems to be here to stay and appears to be a key ICT trend. It blurs the line between enterprise and small and mid-size companies. Even the US Federal Government is getting into the act with a predicted spend on cloud computing of over $7 billion by 2015[6].
Frame is using the cloud for some applications and, to-date, this has been very successful. It will be interesting to see the workplace in years to come.