Cloud computing is the future of the Internet -- and, by extension, the future of enterprise IT. But unless a bigger effort is made by key players, it's a future deferred indefinitely.
Cloud computing promises a scalable way to support multiple computing, storage, and bandwidth resources for future online applications -- and which IT apps in the future aren't going to be online? But we're a long way from realizing even a part of that goal, as David Vellante of Wikibon states in his latest blog.
While Amazon Web Services LLC , Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), and other players claim to offer cloud services today, the reality is far from the vision. These companies offer little more than online storage and/or email -- with indifferent support and unpredictable performance. Larger-scale cloud services from IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) and other big vendors are usually priced out of range for all but the largest shops.
What can we do about this?
R&D -- the right kind of R&D -- tops the list of remedies. Cloud services have been hampered by a lack of commercialization. While a number of projects are underway -- the latest being the rumored Midori cloud OS from Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) -- many appear to be marketing exercises that make good publicity but stop short of actual products and services.
Deploying six “centers of excellence” equipped with Intel and HP equipment, testbed participants will (hopefully) provide more researchers with the means to create cloud computing technologies that are actually aimed at commercialization, while streamlining the sharing of information across research sites.
The HP/Intel/Yahoo effort recalls the alliance between Google and IBM announced last year. That effort, though, targeted at computer science students looking to create applications, is a far cry from IBM's proprietary cloud computing efforts and from the kind of service that haunts corporate IT's dreams.
Which brings up a second obstacle: In their efforts to own cloud computing, the big IT vendors appear to be working harder on their own than they are together. It's not at all clear that the latest HP/Intel/Yahoo effort will really change this pattern. But if it can boost competition from other group efforts, that will be a step in the right direction.
And that brings us to your role. Cloud computing is the way forward for Internet-based IT. How long it takes to get there is in the hands of the leading vendors. As IT pros, you have those vendors' ears. Make your voices heard.
After delving deep into the murky mass known as "Cloud computing" all I can say is...."Are we regressing or are we being controlled?" Think back to the "dumb terminal," "centralized computing," and other forms of the same animal. Microsoft and others have long been trying to make software as secure as possible to prevent illegal copying and the like, but have yet to succeed. After many years of frustration and monetary loss due to piracy, the big guys have decided that the only financially viable solution is to initiate monitored usage for a fee. This lowers production cost, marketing becomes more targeted and effective, fewer free-loaders/users, and more which increases the companies bottom line thus providing everyone a better ROI. Now all this has it's value but at what future or present cost? I'm not sure if I want anyone to know how much I use a particular program or for what. Then there's the being on-line issue which means that all data passes over some form of secure or non-secure connection giving whomever the ability to invade my privacy or whatever. Are we currently capable of securing these connections and applications without enormous hardware, software and personnel investments. How long before the hacker community takes down even the most secure software hosting networks just for S&G? Microsoft has created many frustrated, aggravated individuals that now have nothing better to do than constantly throw garbage in the road in the form of hacked software, rogue web-sites, Windows eating viruses and then some. The horror stories are endless concerning the ongoing dislike of the paths that Microsoft and others are leading us down. Want to fuel this fire of descension even more? The move to "cloud computing" will invariably bring about even more insidious attacks on the web in an attempt to bring the business world down through the inability to use core programs/applications. Add to this all the new forms of virus delivery systems and what you end up with is a major mess with no immediate fix or solution. Advice? Keep it local, secure it local, back-it-up, and stay informed! The license you hold today could be your ticket tomorrow!
This blog went over my head the first time I read it. Good thing the learning curve is shortened @ IE.
With approx $5 billion that Microsoft allocates to R&D annually, it seems difficult to gauge what their focuses are on for short run, short-long run and long run R&D.
Midori is the coolest code name to date in my opinion :-).
For some reason when I read 'cloud' this time I thought of Nimbus.
According the their illustration, it seems much like the terminal-mainframe relation of yesteryears. (I don't like it)
What type of personal security and privacy issues are at hand currently when discussing 'cloud' computing among the decision makers/innovators?
Ashy actually answered that question in another thread I found!
I think the availability and transparency are the key barriers to adoption,
The widespread visibility of Amazon's S3 service affectation hitting twitter, SecondLife to name a few further causes the "adventure seekers" to rethink their decision to go with the cloud.
However it is inevitable that the business logic of focusing the core assets of any organization into the primary business rather than running an IT, security department is so compelling that these kinks will necessarily need to be worked out - today's IT vendors either need to get their act together or a new breed of CC grade vendors will emerge to address this need !
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Among the home truths for IT pros is this: Vendors speak a different language than their customers, and managing that reality is a responsibility that falls to IT.
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) is grabbing for a bigger slice of the enterprise "private cloud" pie with the Windows Azure Platform Appliance. Redmond's announcement this week also could raise the level of market-babble about private clouds to cacophonous levels.
UPDATED 7/12 11:00 AM A surveillance program in the works by the US federal government could add significantly to the IT burden in many industries, despite adding a layer of security.
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