07.01.10
Mass Movement to Cloud Computing
[Cartoon]
Virtualization of servers is a great capability. Corporate IT Data Center managers found that with virtualization they could reduce costs and reduce the provisioning process time. Little did they realize that they were laying a path that, eventually, would eliminate their corporate jobs.
Cloud computing arrived as a new way to deliver virtualized servers. The hardware provisioning takes place over the internet. The provisioning is more advanced, but less complex to use. Amazon gave cloud computing a big boost by introducing their cloud computing services and many others, including Microsoft, have followed.
Small organizations and startups are finding the use of cloud computing to be a great opportunity. They previously needed to invest in server equipment. The IRS would only let them amortize the cost of the equipment over five years. Most organizations with any growth found themselves needing to upgrade their servers much more often than five years. With cloud computing they only pay for what they use. This allows them to report to the IRS their server cost as a variable expense of doing business.
Innovative companies like rPath (www.rPath.com) are providing products to help in the management of cloud-based resources. They use a repository to track and control all changes to the components. They have simplified what could be a complex change management problem.
There are still objections to using cloud computing that will be overcome. Security is always at the top of the list. In most cases, this issue has already been resolved. Although it is unlikely that the CIA will move to cloud computing, there is little reason for others not to take full advantage.
With the enormous benefits of using cloud computing, the real question has become not “if” but “when”. Cloud computing represents one more major shift in the delivery of information services.
Closing the Business / IT gap
