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Every dozen or so years, a revolution changes the way we use computers. Huge mainframes in the 1960s, minicomputers in the 1970s, personal computers in the 1980s, cell phones and smartphones in the last decade, and now the emergence of cloud computing.
Cloud computing represents a new way to deploy computing technology to give users the ability to access, work on, share, and store information using the Internet. The cloud itself is a network of data centers – each composed of many thousands of computers working together – that can perform the functions of software on a personal or business computer by providing users access to powerful applications, platforms, and services delivered over the Internet.
In 2007, the United States ranked15th in the world in broadband penetration and 13th in overall Internet connectivity
If the United States falls short in universal access, cloud benefits will fall short, too
Open AccessOpen AccessUniversal ConnectivityUniversal Connectivity
“The point is that no one should be denied access to [online resources] because of who they are…. So this is a fairness issue more than anything else.”
- Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
This raises complex issues that emerged in the debate over “net neutrality,” and powerful commercial interests are at stake
Any barriers that restrict access to the Internet limit the potential of the cloud
“There will be 499 million in-home consumer broadband connections worldwide by 2012 – an extraordinary number, but it represents only 25% of the world’s households.” - Gartner Group
Interoperability and User ChoiceInteroperability and User ChoiceReliabilityReliability
Even best-known providers of cloud services fail from time to time – stiffening resistance of IT departments
Service that comes close to 100 percent reliability is a prerequisite for widespread adoption of cloud computing
“It is not just about being ‘always on’; it is this idea of reliability. If this is reliable, that’s a big thing. If it isn’t, then what do we turn to?”
- Kevin Kelly, Founder, Executive Editor, Wired Magazine
“If a customer doesn’t like our service, they can cancel.”
- Polly Sumner, President, Platform, Alliances, and Services, Salesforce.com
As of now the major players operate proprietary cloud infrastructures, with varying degrees of open standards
If large providers move to dominate with proprietary clouds, it will be difficult to realize the full potential of cloud computing
In the United States, the law treats personal information differently once it’s handed over to a third party
Cloud providers must protect user data from unauthorized government access and ensure integrity of commercial use
“The best medicine is accountability and transparency.”
- Dan Burton, Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy, Salesforce.com
Notion of making a third party responsible for keeping data safe continues to provoke debates in corporate IT departments
Cloud providers must demonstrate that data is safer than in current systems
“If we give this data to a cloud computing company, and there is a security breach or if that company gets sold, how do we address that? I am accountable.”
- Carolyn Lawson, Chief Information Officer, California Public Utilities Commission
SustainabilitySustainabilityEconomic ValueEconomic Value
The cloud is creating new business opportunities and new markets by offering high-end computing at lower cost
The real test will be for the cloud to reduce costs, increase productivity, and enable faster innovation at the enterprise level
“The classic challenge of addressing a new market is to do it at a lower cost, make things available where they could not previously be delivered, or remove complexity. The cloud can address all three of those.”
- Russ Daniels, VP and CTO of Cloud Services Strategy, HP
EPA estimates that by 2011, consolidating computing into data centers could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 47M metric tons
As enterprises come under increasing pressure to go “green,” sustainability is critical to the viability of cloud computing
In 2006, data centers consumed 1.5% of all electricity used in the United States.