Cloud = Utility Computing?

These days much is made of cloud computing and its ability to revolutionise IT, but is this genuinely new or is this merely the latest twist in an old tale? the answer is both yes and no. In the early days of computing IT was centralised in large, cumbersome and (by today’s standards) crude mainframe/mini computers with users accessing centrally held applications and data via dumb terminals. With both applications and data now being made available via the cloud, courtesy of the availability of low cost/high speed broadband, we’ve now come full circle. As we emerge from the distributed computing revolution which begun with the PC (with all due credit to Apple Macintosh as they were then) we are now discovering that utilising our incredibly powerful desktop/laptop/tablets to interact with remotely held applications and data via a browser and the internet is very efficient.

The holy grail is now and always has been ‘Martini technology’ ie anytime, anyplace, anywhere. The concept of having access to all of our core applications and information wherever we are and whenever we wish, is now tantalisingly close, given adequate mobile broadband access to match our cabled/WiFi services.

The exciting opportunities presented by both server and desktop virtualisation (commoditised computing on demand if you will) successfully leverage the commercial advantages of SAAS (software as a service) and centralised data storage accessible via a host of devices (including smart phones).

Cloud computing is undoubtedly ‘on trend’ to coin a fashion industry term, and will be an ever-greater driver of commercial ICT strategy over the next 3-5 years.