Most people even remotely active in the technology world will have heard the term "cloud computing" by now. Some may even find they are suffering from cloud fatigue, an exhaustion from the repetitive hype about cloud computing. Let's put the term "cloud" aside for now, because the term may be tiresome, but the idea of computing is making moves toward become a commodity similar to the internet and electricity.
Converters allowed electricity to be distributed on a widespread scale, and virtualization is doing the same for computing. Separating hardware from software, virtualization allows different programs to be run on multiple machines and move freely between data centers. Given the rise in virtualization, large cloud providers, like Amazon Web Services, are capitalizing on the market.
The move toward computing-as-a-commodity is progressing much faster than our example of electricity had, startup companies everywhere are beginning to see the opportunity in the computing market. Zimory ties together corporate data centers for efficiency, Cloudkick is providing tools for managing the "virtual machines" that computing offers, and RightScale focuses on cloud broking - the ability to let customers switch and manage between different clouds. Larger companies in the industry are working to provide more cloud options. VMware is a major distributor of virtualization software for major data centers, and now are selling the same products to cloud providers. Cisco, the worlds largest provider of networking equipment, is pursuing technology to link separate data centers, creating a "cloud of clouds."
Amazon remains at the forefront of the computing movement. Since "the Cloud" has become a more accessible tool, the conversation regarding the evolution of computing branches into many different viewpoints. On one extreme, some believe that as technology improves, the move toward computing as a commodity will accelerate. At the other side of the spectrum, it is believed that the barriers inhibiting cloud computing will never allow it to be a fully tradable commodity. James Urquhat, a blogger for Cisco, is in support of the limits of cloud computing. Though virtual machines can move easily, the subsequent data is harder to move, both technically and legally. Certain data cannot be exported freely, and therefore present difficulties to the fluidity of computing.
Either vision could prove right, but cloud computing will move forward regardless if it is becomes fully tradable, or is limited to specific public and private clouds. Companies now are experimenting with methods that allow for easier and cheaper ways to move virtual machines (For example, when the demand is low, or when the physical temperature of the server room is lowest to save money on cooling). Only time will tell if the advancement of cloud computing produces a tradable commodity like the internet itself, but regardless if it becomes tradable or not, cloud computing will continue to grow its market share.
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