In the last few months the term "cloud computing" seems to be becoming ubiquitous as it is spoken about as the latest next big trend in internet
services. Although it appears that the concept behind cloud computing is not really new. Some peer-to-peer applications and third party web services
already embrace cloud architecture. Cloud computing, however, departs from earlier forms of distributed computing because of the advancements made
in the infrastructure that supports it. The back end of cloud computing is basically a data centre of servers and connections which incorporate load
sharing and virtualisation providing the overall effect of a super computer. This means that applications, and of course data storage, can be housed
remotely. Thin clients, including hand-held processing devices ike PDAs, can therefore make use of these services with a lot less overhead since
utilisation would simply involve an internet connection.
The way in which cloud computing can allow resources to be scaled according to need was recently demonstrated when Google was able to accommodate
the sudden increase in user queries that hit upon the Country Fire Authority website during the fires of Black Saturday in Victoria. Under normal
circumstances, most websites that start to receive over 200 queries per second will generally break!
Cloud computing providers that offer Software as a Service (SaaS) will have a good chance of offering business solutions to companies that choose to
take advantage of subscription services, rather than the large upfront investment in servers and software licenses that make up the current IT
infrastructure of many firms. Google have already been offering the use of applications that are reminiscent of common desktop programs for quite
some time. With the advent of better quality internet connectivity, the attraction of cloud computing may lead many to consider it as a utility for
remote data storage, as well as the opportunity to engage in processing power that would be unavailable in conventional personal computers or
servers.
Sotware developers are already able to engage in APIs that offer functionality as part of internet business services, as well as take advantage of
development environments, enabling them to build cloud applications. The result of these possibilities demonstrates the extent to which the
boundaries of the web, as a platform for application development and use, have grown. As the playing field increases, so to does the battle for
business dominance. Google and Apple are already at the forefront of this race, followed closely by Microsoft since the release of Azure, its
development platform for cloud services.
Stay tuned for the release of Google's "G Drive" - a personal online storage utility that will be accessed by desktops, notebooks, and also mobile phones!