All hail King Cloud (image credit: akakumo)
Last week, I presented a seminar on cloud computing for the Business Knowledge Initiative of the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce. The seminar covered the subject’s essentials: what it is, why it matters, and what to do. But increasingly, I think computing is just the start—or at least just a part—of a much larger cloud trend.
When we speak about “the cloud,” we mean computing that involves:
- No up-front (capital) cost
- No physical infrastructure for us to maintain
- Payment for usage (not ownership)
In the IT world, this means that you don’t buy a server, create and maintain an infrastructure to support it, and buy processing power and data storage to support extreme scenarios (for example, a one-terabyte hard drive that you may fill eventually, but not immediately, and perhaps never). Rather, you buy processing power and data as required (for example, you buy storage for your digital photos as you need it). While this has some downsides, the benefits are appealing—which is reshaping the technology landscape, creating new technology powerhouses such as Salesforce.com.
But to me, that’s just the most obvious example of the cloud. Other trends are afoot that suggest a general shift away from up-front investments and ownership of physical goods. For example:
- Car sharing services like Zip and AutoShare (you don’t own a car; you use a car when required)
- Other “transumer” services, such as for renting purses and designer dresses
- On-demand media services like Spotify, Netflix and Apple TV (you don’t own songs and videos; you pay to listen or watch when desired)
In fact, having realized the cloud’s benefits in business (using Salesforce.com for customer relationship management and more) and personal life (as members of AutoShare, my wife and I own no car), I’m starting to think the concept of the cloud should be extended to, more generally, “cloud living.” So I’ve begun looking for opportunities to eliminate capital investments and physical ownership throughout my life, and to shift towards pay-per-use or other more cost-effective approaches. I’ve recently decided, for example, to divest myself of physical books and shift towards e-books and (gasp!) using our local library.
What about you? Have any ideas for embracing the cloud? I’d love to hear them in the comments.
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