Twenty-One Experts Define Cloud Computing

It is the infrastructural paradigm shift that is sweeping across the Enterprise IT world, but how is it best defined? I refer of course to 'Cloud Computing' - the phenomenon that has as many definitions as there are squares on a chess-board. To try and narrow it down we bring here a round-up of some recent attempts to bring welcome precision where there risks being unnecessary vagueness.

Reader Feedback: Page 1 of 1

Bruce Arnold commented on 22 Aug 2008

Kudos to the Cloud Crowd for Re-Inventing the Wheel!

One thing 30 years in the IT industry has taught me is that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Another is that the only memory we seem to access is short-term. A third is that techno-marketeers rely on that, so they can put labels like "revolutionary" and "innovative" on platforms, products and services that are mere re-inventions of the wheel ... and often poor copies at that.

A good example is all the latest buzz about "Cloud Computing" in general and "SaaS" (software as a service) in particular:

http://tinyurl.com/6let8x

Both terms are bogus. The only true cloud computing takes place in aircraft. What they're actually referring to by "the cloud" is a large-scale and often remotely and/or centrally managed hardware platform. We have had those since the dawn of automated IT. IBM calls them "mainframes":

http://tinyurl.com/5kdhcb

The only innovation offered by today's cloud crowd is actually more of a speculation, i.e. that server farms can deliver the same solid performance as Big Iron. And even that's not original. Anyone remember Datapoint's ARCnet, or DEC's VAXclusters? Whatever happened to those guys, anyway...?

And as for SaaS, selling the sizzle while keeping the steak is a marketing ploy most rightfully accredited to society's oldest profession. Its first application in IT was (and for many still is) known as the "service bureau". And I don't mean the contemporary service bureau (mis)conception labelled "Service 2.0" by a Wikipedia contributor whose historical perspective is apparently constrained to four years:

http://tinyurl.com/5fpb8e

Instead, I mean the computer service bureau industry that spawned ADAPSO (the Association of Data Processing Service Organizations) in 1960, and whose chronology comprises a notable part of the IEEE's "Annals of the History of Computing":

http://tinyurl.com/5lvjdl

So ... for any of you slide rule-toting, pocket-protected keypunch-card cowboys who may be just coming out of a fifty-year coma, let me give you a quick IT update:

1. "Mainframe" is now "Cloud" (with concomitant ethereal substance).

2. "Terminal" is now "Web Browser" (with much cooler games, and infinitely more distractions).

3. "Service Bureau" is now "Saas" (but app upgrades are just as painful, and custom mods equally elusive).

4. Most IT buzzwords boil down to techno-hyped BS (just as they always have).

Bruce Arnold, Web Design Miami Florida
http://www.PervasivePersuasion.com

YOUR FEEDBACK

	Are These the Top 50 Cloud Computing Companies? By Jeremy Geelan Paul Comerford wrote: It might also be worth checking out SaaSPlex. www.saasplex.com The SaaSPlex platform was developed to address some of the operational and business issues which start to occur as organizations move from the traditional model of addressing application delivery to a utility model of delivery. Some ti...
	IBM Harnesses Virtualization & the Economy to Push Microsoft Off the Desktop By Maureen O'Gara wrote: Trackback Added: IBM aims at VDI players with … VERDE; IBM is entering the VDI/cloud market itself with their VERDE solution, which stands for Virtual Bridges’ Virtual Enterprise Remote Desktop Environment (or VERDE in short). The system is based on IBM Lotus Symphony, IBM Lotus Not...
	Mike Neil to Present "Virtualization Futures" in His Keynote By Virtualization News Desk cautionyou wrote: If you want convert SWF to all sorts of video formats,you should follow those sites.I am sure you will find what you want! swf converter swf to flv ...
	Five Key Challenges of Enterprise Cloud Computing By Jian Zhen Jeffrey J. Hardy wrote: Separating Cloud Computing Fact and Fiction In November I presented a session at PubCon regardint Cloud Computing. Mike Culver from Amazon sat on the panel with me. My goal was to cut through the hype and buzz talk and to articulate the real potential benefits and debunk false claims. I got a...
	Who Has the Industry Lead in Cloud Computing? By Stephen E. Arnold Jeffrey J. Hardy wrote: Cloud Computing Fact and Fiction In mid-November I participated in a session at PubCon regardint Cloud Computing. My goal was to cut through the hype and buzz talk to articulate the real potential benefits and debunk false claims. I got a lot of feedback. So much so that I wrote a follow up ar...