Cloud computing, although it seems to have become the latest buzzword in technology today, has always been a vaguely defined term. The cloud is referred to as a metaphor for the internet, so the most referred to definition of cloud computing has to do with using “virtual servers available over the internet.” (InfoWorld ) The definition is very vague and up in the air primarily because cloud computing is such a new and developing idea. However, simpler forms of cloud computing have been around for a long time, and chances are you’ve already used it in some form or another. It also appears that cloud computing is gaining in prominence, and is likely to become the most valuable trend in IT of 2010.

One common example of simpler forms of cloud computing that have been around for a while already are Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, or Gmail. The emails and data you access through these services are not stored locally on your computer, but on a server or network your browser accesses over the internet. Thus, your files are not on your local computer, but in fact somewhere on the cloud, and are accessed by your interface software, the browser. Traditional concerns with cloud computing have been about security, but according to James Deoulakis of GlassHouse Technologies, “the security concerns have been reasonably addressed through encryption and other techniques... Cloud services providers have been refining techniques to reduce latency and protect data more efficiently, meaning that their offerings will become more attractive to other users.” (CRN.com )

With security concerns moving out of the way, it appears that cloud computing is ready for implementation on both public and private ends in the near future. Cloud computing is also starting to be seen as a cost effective solution for developing a disaster recovery and business continuance plan, because it allows data to be stored safely and cheaply on a location away from the local server. This means that if a local server or hard-drive crashes, it will still be safely stored and accessible through the cloud.

Even those who have been hesitant to move to cloud computing in the past, will now have to consider moving towards cloud computing. John Ross, CTO of GreenPages, states “2010 will be the year of planning for the cloud. During this time everyone, customers, vendors, resellers and integrators will need to stop thinking about how we have done things in the past and begin to think about how we can do things differently with the resources that are being made available to us.” (CRN.com)

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