Put simply, cloud computing is just the internet growing up. Think goodbye CD-ROMs and expensive machines, and hello World Wide Web.
It was back in 1961 that John McCarthy first suggested that computing power and applications could be sold and consumed on a utility business model – just like gas and electricity. The idea faded however as it became clear that we did not have the technology to support such a dream. Fast forward 50 years and the internet is hitting the news daily.
Firstly, Gordon Brown declares that internet access is as vital today as gas and water. Then with the coming election, both parties have been keen to turn the internet into an election issue. This gives me great hope that we may one day soon enjoy ‘super-fast’ broadband and with it the removal of the final barrier to ‘utility computing’.
Delivering the software that we all use and need in business over the internet rather than on CDs will have massive benefits to business. For a start, the constant cycle of upgrades will be a thing of the past (how much have you spent on upgrading your Microsoft Office or Windows?!) as you will always be accessing the most up to date version over the internet.
Even the smallest business can have access to the latest and greatest technology and won’t need super-duper computer to run it, just an internet connected device. This month Google launched its marketplace offering web based applications that fit seamlessly with their Google Apps service. This now means that any business can benefit from both Google’s and other Apps users constant innovation.
No comments:
Post a Comment