The Future of Cloud Computing
Posted by Crystal Nichols on Mon, Sep 06, 2010 @ 07:31 AM
If there’s one thing that the vast majority of tech experts and, more importantly tech investors, agree on, in is the fact that cloud computing is becoming and will continue to become more dominant over the next few years. In fact, most speculate that the cloud will become more relevant than the desktop, and that most of the communicating and computing done by people will be done via remote servers owned and operated by third parties.
A cloud storm over Main Street
It isn’t just IT departments and tech workers anymore who utilize cloud computing. It’s everyday folks. The fact that 500 million users now use Facebook is simple evidence. If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest country in the world, after China and India. Most folks rely on Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo for their email. They don’t send picture attachments, they use Flickr or Picasa. They share files with Google Docs, they plan trips with MapQuest and they do business on eBay. It’s not just that these apps are online, it’s that they run entirely online, with only a web browser as a client.
Desktop computing won’t disappear
This all doesn’t mean the desktop is going away. Most folks recognize that personal computers are here to stay. However, more and more computing functions will run on the cloud, and very few competing functions will remain on the desktop. That said, there are some functions that will remain on the personal computer.
Development will be strongest in the cloud
Application development will increasingly move to the cloud. Some experts suggest that an Internet-based application, such as Google Docs, will take over desktop-based applications like Microsoft Word. This means that those companies who today have their strengths developing applications for the desktop will have to realign themselves in order to reach the cloud instead (or as well).
Large businesses may fear the cloud
Large companies that have the kinds of resources required to meet their technology needs in-house may have a hard time moving to the cloud. They want control and they want security, and it’s just as economical for them to have it in-house as it is in the cloud. This will, perhaps, be the ultimate reason for the persistence of any desktop computing at all.
Guide to cloud computing, click here to download.