Apparently, our Top Cloud Computing Stories for May podcast was well-received, because David Linthicum invited me back to swap top stories for June. Check out our podcast. Then, consider this: What will be the ‘Tang’ of cloud computing?
In mid-May, I tweeted my in-the-moment hypothesis on the most valuable use of cloud computing:
“Seems to me, #1 use case (value) of Cloud Computing should be Business or Business Capability Incubation. Cloud as experimentation platform.”
Some 30-odd days later, I find myself reaffirming this sentiment. Thus, the official entry into my cloud watch record.
Last week, Dave Linthicum invited me back to his podcast to discuss top cloud computing stories for May. There were no set rules on what constituted “top”. We each picked 3 stories, which we didn’t reveal to each other beforehand.
As for the results, I will say that we had one story in common, two mainstream stories (one each) and two wildcards (one each). The format was fun, so we’ll do another at the end of June.
To listen to the podcast (16 minutes or so), go here.
On Friday, David Linthicum invited me on his cloud computing podcast to chat about what we heard, and didn’t hear, at the Cloud Connect conference. Naturally, our discussion wound its way to the connections of cloud computing, enterprise architecture, service-oriented architecture and data architecture.
Our podcast is Picking Apart Cloud Connect. Check it out.
Salesforce.com just added a powerful new tool to its Force.com development platform, a Visual Process Manager:
“The Visual Process Manager brings the power of Cloud Computing to Business Process Apps. Now you can visually draw any business process and instantly deploy it in the cloud with no code, no software and no infrastructure. The Visual Process Manager helps companies easily automate specific business process like call center scripting, sales quotes, and new employee on boarding.”
According to a post on TechCrunch:
“The technology powering the Visual Process Manager is based on technology acquired from Informavores, call scripting startup Salesforce bought last year.
The Manager has several different components. The Process Designer essentially helps businesses more >>
Forgoing the hyperbole of cloud computing predictions – sensational outages to a cloud-in-every-pocket – I want to start 2010 discussing the enduring aspects of cloud computing on enterprise business-technology. Regardless of the final manifestation of cloud computing, and the tally of deployments, successes and failures, I believe cloud computing will influence the expectations and practice of enterprise business-technology throughout the decade.
I have identified five enduring aspects from a practitioner perspective. Certainly, there are enduring aspects on the provider side as well, such as advances from Infrastructure 2.0 and disruptions created by new economic and pricing models. However, I will leave that list for provider-side specialists.
The first three enduring aspects focus on the expectations from business-technology organizations.
1. Resource Optimization – Cloud computing has raised Executive awareness to the disproportion of installed versus utilized computing capacity, along with the requisite expenses of space, power, software licenses and support personnel.
If they have not already, Executives will mandate infrastructure ecology initiatives, starting with the consolidation and pooling of compute and data resources, and progressing to software execution efficiency.
