Research: Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing Requires National Policy Leadership
The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation
Daniel Castro
August 2010
Castro makes the case that “cloud computing” has become an industry buzz word much like “Web 2.0″. But he does feel that this trend in computing will play a very important role in the creation of “new products and services for businesses, governments and individuals.”
The development of cloud computing and interest in the subject has clearly become more important within the last few years as Castro indicates in the following chart:
Castro discusses several types of cloud computing, including:
- Software as a service (SAAS)
- Platform as a service (PAAS)
- Infrastructure as a service (IAAS)
Castro believes that cloud computing will continue to prosper, but that policy should be created that adapts and benefits from all available opportunities so that developments are not restricted to the U.S. He refers to this as “resist[ing] merchantilist policies.” And finally he also feels that the U.S. should establish “cloud-neutral policies” so that policy is neither favoring or hurting any new business models or start ups.
You can find the full article here.
While many at Digital Society speak of roles for prioritized packets with consideration to the consumer, personally, I think cloud computing will make prioritized packets near mandatory for some services.
I already use some cloud based apps at my company. My only thought is.. How slow can a service be.
This is a wonderful post!
OK, first off, the fact that I can’t “copy/paste” a paragraph out of the PDF to comment on it tells me that I can’t DEPEND on content from the cloud. The article (you know, TEXT) describes how wonderful “cloud computing” is and then hides behind a format to prevent people from using a part of it in discussion. Not the approach I would have taken had I been the author.
Now that my minor rant is over, on page 3, second to last paragraph, the author tries to present an analogy between data “in the cloud” and “money in the bank”, and how the money in the bank is safer than if it was under your mattress. The issue with this is that DATA is not money; its DATA. Once lost it cannot be replaced. It also carries a context of value to the ability to access it. The business plans of a company, or its performance, carries a different value when its known by just the company than compared to the company and all of its competitors. There is no FDIC for Intellectual Property, corporate strategy, or even “business as usual” dialog via email. Once lost, it cannot be replace.
So it strikes me that “Cloud Computing” is just as bad as “web 2.0”: a buzz word and no more. The only place I see this possibly taking hold is in large corporations converting the traditional IT processes into a more dynamic “on demand” approach to doing business between IT and the rest of the company. The thing is that “the cloud” would actually be hosted inside of the company, and would follow the an IAAS / SAAS paradigm.
DEK,
Just tried to go do a copy/paste myself and you are correct. Of course that is an ITIF owned document and not free property so they have a right to do that. I mean, I guess in the “cloud computing” sense, we (you and I) aren’t paying ITIF for a service, so we don’t really have a right to manipulate their data in whatever way we see fit. But that’s just my opinion.
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