Cloud Computing...  Is it new?

This column does not have a single author, but is submitted by a number of experts that contribute regularly to our news source.  Some are in Canada, some in the UK and one is in the far east

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What Google does, leads the way, so get ready.  Cloud computing is here to stay because it is natural.  The Cloud is a fancy name for using the Internet for everything and not relying on local programs, local data, backups, versions, virus software or whatever.

Remember SUN Microsystems old tagline?  "The Network is the Computer"  That's what Cloud is.

So in the future the Cloud people tell you that you will not buy a new version of Microsoft Office, but you will use ever more powerful programs that don't reside on your local computer, but live on the Cloud.  Not only that, but all your data will reside there too!  It will be managed by experts not your geek son-in-law.

No more worry about versions and backups and lack of compute power.  That all gets handled on the Internet.  Companies will build their  Information Technology on the Cloud.

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16/11/2010 08:56 PM

Let's take an example... suppose that the Bluewater School District could convert to the Cloud.  It would mean the reduction of the IT staff to a minimum and the sharing of programs all across the world for the use of people concerned with Education.  No more worry about data storage and compute capacity.  Everybody can have their own Cloud and be part of a big thunderhead.  This lightning will be shared across the Internet and reside on a set of application Clouds.

This is not a new concept.  The old 'Mainframe' computers attempted to do that with IT staffs and a central set of big computers.  They failed due to bad IT people and fragile computers. The IT staffs had no competition and became dictators. This resulted in the PC revolution and the dramatic growth of companies like Dell and Microsoft.

Now we are going back to the Mainframe idea, but the computers are servers by the millions that traverse the globe and have deep redundancy.  If Cloud has its way, all clever computer people will develop for the Cloud and not the PC. 

This technology depends upon Internet connectivity and bandwidth to make it work.  It seems to be upon us.  We think we are already there.  We use lots of Cloud like programs on the Net all the time.

Notice that Bruce Telecom and Eastlink are in a race for bandwidth.  If you examine Google closely, you will see Google Docks the first vestiges of a Microsoft Office layer of Clouds on the Net.

Stay tuned for new high technology companies who will ride the Clouds.  They  may make interesting investment opportunities or don't you remember the hay-day of the dot.com people?  Dreams reside in the Clouds, don't they?

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