The Future of Cloud Computing: from people to devices

Looking backwards and seeing forwards

One can forecast the future of cloud computing by looking back in time. I had the fortunate chance of meeting with one of the pioneers who worked with IBM on the deal with Microsoft just before Bill Gates unleashed his operating system onto the world. At that moment IBM was a bit ahead of its time, thinking that no one would need a personal computer because everyone would access data and perform calculations through terminals that would connect to a main computer responsible for all their needs. Well IBM’s dream wasn’t true at the time, but recently it has become a reality due to the phenomenon we know of as cloud computing.

New trends and the future of cloud computing

The main sponsor of the Cloud Computing World Forum in London was Microsoft; providing a showcase of their new Office 365 and their future of the cloud from IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service). All these offerings show how the cloud is offering users options of mobility, data integration and collaboration among co-workers. I remember a Salesforce.com representative in May 2011 even defining cloud 2.0 as the integration of social media into all aspects of the cloud. Google+ has recently launched, showcasing its aim to position itself within the cloud 2.0 environment too; building upon Facebook’s identity focus. Wired posted a great article about the cloud-wars anticipated between Microsoft and Google+ within this space. In general, the cloud used to be about people interacting with data together; as Google+ and Microsoft-Facebook are currently in battle to win the hearts and minds of users. However, interactions between devices too will become even more important as devices become smarter. Every day more devices are becoming connected to the internet and communication between them is increasingly becoming important for new service offerings and solutions. Businesses will have to try and leverage these trends for their own advantage, for if not they may fall behind.