A cloudy future:

The rains have been lashing the lashing this side of the country for over a month now and everyone has been talking about how the weather would be over the next couple of days. However, there are also people who never have to stop out on the road but still seem to be very upbeat about the prospects of the cloud. These are people who have defined the future of technology over the years. The companies they have set up or have been running are the behemoths of Information Technology. From Google to Microsoft, from Oracle to SAP, from Amazon to Yahoo, everyone has only one point of focus- the cloud.

Understanding the cloud:
Technically, the term cloud has been derived from the nascent stages of the internet. The internet has traditionally always been depicted as the cloud. In terms of computing, the cloud stands for a cluster of servers which work in tandem to provide users access to applications running on them over the internet.

Typical cloud architecture looks as below:

Image Courtesy:Sam Johnston

Typically a dedicated server is not fully utilized and most of its resources are left idle. In such a scenario if the server can be clustered with other servers to work in tandem, sharing resources would make for a large number of users to make full utilization of the capabilities of all the connected servers. Since the resources are being shared seamlessly, the users do not have to bother about downtimes or even about which server they are connected to. This results in uninterrupted and seamless work in terms of the users needs.

This then is the cloud.

What is the big deal about the cloud then?An application which runs on the users desktop is only available to the user on that machine. For hundred users to use the application would require a hundred licenses in addition to the resources needed on the desktop. Not all of these hundred users would use the application at the same time. However due to the dedicated machines and licenses, the resources would still be wasted.Now if this application was to be deployed on the cloud, not only would the resources be efficiently deployed but they would be fully utilized as well. The servers that make up the cloud would be able to manage all the users at one-tenth the resources and the cost. Vendors deploying applications on the cloud usually charge users on a pay per use basis. Thus subscribing organizations not only end up with huge savings in cost but also have increased productivity.

Clouds that matter:

1. Microsoft:

One of the late entrants in the cloud computing space, Microsoft has a host of applications built on the cloud. Microsoft Office applications have already found their place here whereas the Azure operating system has been specifically built for Microsoft’s cloud computing subscribers.

2. Amazon:

One of the early adopters of the cloud, Amazon’s entry into the space is a parable on lost opportunity. With a huge stack of servers available and nothing much to do on them, Amazon introduced its cloud services which today provides users with tools to build their applications on as well as storage.

3. Google:

Google tells the world, they were already in to cloud computing before the world woke up to the phenomenon. With Gmail offering almost unlimited storage and the cloud based Google Docs, Google is again one of the top companies in the cloud applications space.

4. Zoho:

Aah, we do have a desi touch on the list of top cloud based companies. What started as a small start up is today one of the global forces with applications that range from storage to CRM to office, all cloud based.

5. GoGrid:

Rivaling Amazon, the company offers a range of services for web developers and other cloud based application developers.

The future of the cloud:As per the techno enthusiasts, one day the internet would be a vast, tightly integrated, all encompassing network consisting of humans and machines. And in this scenario, the cloud would play a major role in integration of the resources and minimizing the cost.

As for now, the world seems to be headed towards a cloudy future, at least technically.