How Cloud Computing Will Shape Technology in 2010

Wikipedia has the following definition about the term 'Cloud Computing" as it is used as a metaphor for the Internet. Typically cloud computing providers deliver common business applications online which are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on servers. These applications are broadly divided into the following categories:

• Saas (Software as a Service) Examples are Internet Email, Twitter, Facebook, etc

• Utility Computing, Examples are Online Storage, Hosting Services

• Web Services, Examples include Web site hosting, email hosting, etc

• PaaS (Platform as a Service) Example is Google Apps, Paypal, Google Checkout, etc

• MSP (Managed Service Providers) Examples include IT support via remote, remote security monitoring

We as consumers and users of the internet use cloud computing on a daily basis, but most often do not think about the term cloud computing. We use the applications and services when we go to check our email, or communicate with friends and family on MySpace, Facebook or Twitter; we do not know that we used a PaaS service like Paypal or Ebay because they are just a part of our lives.

There are many people that are making speculations and predictions about Cloud Computing for 2010; and I think most are pretty close to the mark on what to expect. According to Dan Worth of V3.co.uk article titled

"Most SMEs will use cloud computing in 2010"more than half of small and medium sized enterprises are planning to use Cloud Computing this year. Others such as Jeremy Lew of Seeking Alpha thinks that cloud computing is also on the rise but with the need for better security and more reliability. 2009 was plagued with outages from Microsoft/T-Mobile to Gmail and Paypal that angered and frustrated users.

The question remains then as to how will Cloud Computing shape technology in 2010? I think that we will see a number of changes from how Saas (Software as a Service) is currently viewed to hardware and infrastructure enhancements and struggles in this area to advance. I also think that there will be an increase in IT jobs all over the world to help push this new technology.

As a consumer, I am already seeing a lot of movement in the realm of Saas (Software as a Service). Companies like Symantec, Microsoft, and Intuit are relying on this model to help to generate revenue. I like everyone else have seen the ads for Turbo Tax and H&R Block offering to complete your taxes completely using their online software. The main advantages are 2-fold; one being that you do not have to worry about updating your software because they are keeping the software up to date with all the IRS changes and new regulations. Second that at any time you can evoke help from one of their agents who are waiting for you to call or chat with them via a secure chat window.

In my opinion, completing tasks like one doing their taxes completely online talks volumes to how society as a whole feels about Cloud Computing and security of our data as well as ease and comfort level of using this service rather than installing the program on our local computer and running the application locally, etc. The more and more people that opt for the online version continue to add to our overall comfort level of submitting our lives over to a SaaS life style. Changing the direction of the freighter has been in the works for years, and now that other technologies such as High-Speed Internet is available we as consumers are ripe for this model going forward. Again, we have been conditioned over the years in preparation for Cloud Computing today, it all began with Online Email, Social Media such as online chat, community web sites, PayPal, Ebay, Facebook, MySpace, etc. These social sites have all added to our comfort level of SaaS that is needed in order for SaaS to ultimately be a success. As Cloud Computing expands so will, the demand placed upon infrastructure needed to support all the new technologies.

In regards to the infrastructure needed to support Cloud Computing, major companies are already investing heavily in this area. Rumor has it that Microsoft is building out more and more data centers globally so that major metropolitan areas are closer to a Data Center offering Cloud Computing Technologies. The same rumor is true of major companies like Google , IBM and NTT to name just a few. Major hardware manufactures such as HP and Cisco are building out new products designed just for Cloud Computing thus showing that innovation in technology is betting on this new formula to making money on the Internet. Even the big telecoms are making their voice known, as they want to move from the old POTS telephone lines to options that embrace higher standards of technology this is an attempt to ensure that 100% of America has high-speed internet options available to them. AT&T commented saying

"In other words, a huge proportion of the capital resources available to some of the largest telecommunications providers in the country is being directed, not towards improving broadband speeds or bringing broadband to more customers," AT&T contends, "but rather towards maintaining an increasingly obsolete network that is no longer capable of providing the services and features that American consumers and policymakers demand." This was taken from the article; "AT&T: landline phone service must die; only question is when" written by Matthew Lasar

One of the other hurdles that will need to be overcome in order to enable Cloud Computing to realize its full potential resides with the IPv6 conversion. The conversion to IPv6 is in the works and is being implemented, but as with any major updates takes time. Basically the standard since the beginning of the Internet has been IPv4, which we are all familiar with by working with IP addresses such as 192.168.0.1 The new IPv6 moves us from a 32-bit IP Address to a 128-Bit IP Address. This allows for substantially more IP addresses. IPv4 allows for about 4 Billion possible unique addresses. Well now that we as a world have used up all of these IP addresses the new Ipv6 standard is needed to allow the world to move forward. The new standard supports approximately 5×10²⁸ for each of the 6.5 billion people alive in 2006. The number of addresses that will be available will definitely help with Cloud Computing by allowing all of our smart phones and internet devices to have a unique IP address.

Looking at the possibilities, this will allow devices like your cable box to have the ability to connect directly to the Internet as well as your home network so you can stream that movie even faster. Your smart phone will be able to send files directly to other computers or a printer without having to go through other servers. By allowing some features to talk directly to a printer or another PC, this allows more bandwidth to be available to use Cloud Computing. No to mention anytime we send things over the Internet to its destination we are using Cloud Computing. However, our ability to use our devices this way will be overall less complicated and more productive, thus pulling us all further into the Cloud Computing trap.

It will take some time for al the infrastructure to be in place to move forward with Ipv6, but companies large and small are getting ready for this change. The need for devices such as your Smart Phone to engage in Cloud Computing is helping to push the success of the Ipv6 implementation, as well as, helping this advancement by companies making the change quickly worldwide.

Another way that Cloud Computing will shape 2010 will be in the job market. More and more applications are being built under the Cloud Computing model, this raising the need of programmers and support personnel. More and more servers are needed in increasingly growing data centers around the world. However, there is controversy on how many jobs will Cloud Computing really create. Some say that it will create several bands from high-level executives that are managing SLA's to lower level support personnel that maintain just the hardware. Others are speculating that the jobs created will be balanced across the spectrum. Still others see the job market in regards to Cloud Computing as a short period of a lot of work (5-10 yrs) then a period of tapering off until the next big technology comes along.

As for myself based on things that I have been reading I think that SaaS (Software as a Service) will grow as we all adopt this format via Smart Phones to computers to even the Netbooks that are geared to use the Internet to complete our work. Corporate America is also adopting this strategy so we will soon be familiar with SaaS from both the workplace and at home via doing taxes or keeping up with friends on Facebook or MySpace. Corporations are spending billions of dollars to update their infrastructure to ensure the success of Cloud Computing. Showing us all that this is not going away anytime soon and that we need to be prepared to embrace Cloud Computing everywhere we go. Finally, I think that we will see an increase of jobs in 2010 related to Cloud Computing that will help drive the job market in a positive direction.