IT Curmudgeon

Technologies come and go. Sometimes it is hard to tell what will last and what will quickly fade.

Cloud computing is now the "marketing buzzword" phase. Companies try to find their way in the marketplace and peddle products using a marketing tag regardless of the suitability of the name. Because it is new, many people don't know the difference.

It is difficult to spot meaningful developments when "pioneer" personalities embrace anything new and proclaim it to be the wave of the future. When the "early-adapters" and mainstream folks start getting excited about a new technology, its critical mass is likely to have an impact. Cloud computing is starting to spread, and normal people are getting excited about the ways they can use it.

Today, people are getting excited about applications that will seem simplistic a few years from now. The utility, though, is huge for certain types of people.

An example of such an application is a document or spreadsheet created by an office worker on Google Apps. That person can work on it on-line when Internet connectivity is available, and off-line when it is not. The document can be shared with a group, and members can collaboratively edit from anywhere in the world. The document can be shared with the boss, who can monitor progress and updates. Workers can access the document from home or anywhere without having to transport it or download it. Soon they will be able to create and update documents from smart phones.

These basic applications will develop into new ways to collaborate. Today it includes basic documents, but could include musical compositions, graphics, and video. Developers will be able to access project plans and managed code libraries. Virtual machines will provide complete computing environments for delivering custom applications to users, testing software, performing user acceptance tests, and unlimited developments that can't be foreseen today.

There are issues that have yet not been completely resolved:

• Many customers want increased assurances of security.
• Pricing and profit models need to develop as the market matures.
• Toolsets need to be introduced to enable 2nd tier innovators to develop original applications
• Infrastructure needs to mature to make it easy for customers to host these types of services themselves.

Increasing network speeds and computing power promise to make this rich new avenue of technology indispensable to many individuals and organizations.