2. Cloud computing
Name of the driving force:
Cloud computing
What:
Cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet. These services can be anything from file storage, contact person management, instant messaging to complete applications like Google’s Doc or even entire Operating Systems trough a web-browser. Cloud computing is a combination of different technologies like infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) as well as Web 2.0. How new and promising this may seem, it is however a very old concept which has been practiced in the computer history: centralization with mainframes and terminals. For example, Citrix is actually also a cloud computing concept, but because it has been mainly used in corporate environments like intranets, the term ‘cloud’ is somewhat excessive because the cloud term refers to the big internet network web. With the cloud computing trend set, more and more browsers are adapting technology to it. For instance Google Chrome is adopting to the cloud computing requirements for browsers. Google Chrome takes all the Google applications (Gmail, Picasa, Google Docs etc.) and serves them up in one neat package, almost exactly like an online operating system.
Enablers:
Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) including Amazon, Microsoft , Google , Sun and Yahoo exemplify the use of cloud computing. It is being adopted by individual users through large enterprises including General Electric, L'Oréal, and Procter & Gamble.
Inhibitors:
The risk of data security, data-location, political boundary issues, long-term viability, data recovery are all aspects which inhibit this driving force.
Experts:
John McCarthy (1960) and Marc Benioff (1999).
Timing:
Present - Cloudcomputing
1995 – Winframe, Citrix (centralization)
1980 – Intel processor power (decentralization)
1970 – mainframes (centralization)
Web resources:
- http://www.nuvideo.nl/bedrijven-van-nu/22885/gravityzoo-lanceert-adressenboek-in-de-cloud.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing#Political_issues
- http://www.newsweek.com/id/156911