How do you define "cloud computing"?

Riba, maybe you meant Google App Engine, because Google Gears is a client-side technology. The question I ask is: Does it really sit OK with customers to say "this is a really complex domain that I don't want/need to know anything about"? It seems to me that vendors are eager to shove more and more functionality into "the cloud" -- which, as Riba put it, is just a black box -- because that effectively throws all the control into the hands of the vendors. As long as customers are willing to remain ignorant about a huge chunk of complex functionality, vendors are able to sell whatever they want. Also, does the cloud still look like a cloud once the contracts are signed? It seems to me that enterprise developers are invariably going to have to get up to speed with the ins and outs of cloud services once the ink is dry. In other words, the so-called black box will have to be opened, at least a little bit. So again, this is mostly a sales tool. But hey, call me cynical.

Hi every one, As you know the cloud or net spreading everywhere or scattered sources make a full scene of any situation. This is the same thing in cloud computing where many scattered systems or processors run at a time and make a single complete processor and its computing ability is 100% faster than a super computer. It is a huge network of computers like google inc. they are operating in whole world and make a sense of one machine. shehzadahmad@ymail.com

Cloud computing is the ability to draw IT resources from an internal or external, third-party source using either Internet-based or local-area infrastructure. The cloud is essentially the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model expanded to include hardware-driven functions like storage and processing. Check out more of my definition here. http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/docs/1122

We just implemented a "Hybrid" cloud computing strategy that offered us the benefits we needed with a more realistic price and Security option. We found out the combination of a "public" and "private" system worked out best. http://www.hybridcloudcomputing.net

Especially for small-to-medium business owners, defining cloud computing is more than an intellectual exercise. Knowing what cloud computing is - and what do it about it from a business standpoint - is mission critical. We consulted IT experts from small businesses, from a top cloud computing company, and from academia to address this: "Tell me what I need to know about The Cloud in terms I can understand and that I can do something about - or not - for my business, for my customers, and for the greater good." We have a series of 10 blog posts with helpful definitions, answers, and explanations. And for those for whom words about IT just don’t make sense, we ended the series with diagrams. We hope the series may be of service: http://www.handshake20.com/2009/06/cloud-computing-just-draw-me-a-pictur...

Cloud computing is a combination of SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS. An example of SaaS is gmail or NetDocuments, while Amazon is and example of IaaS, and Salesforce is an example of PaaS. Is that simple enough?

"Does it create massive carbon footprints the likes of which the technology world has never seen?" That is certainly the one thing it does NOT do! It might _look_ like it increases the carbon footprint, but that is only because it centralizes the resource consumption into a few locations, rather than spreading it out all over the place. Sort like the difference between a coal-fired plant and a automobile. Which one pollutes more? The answer is not as obvious as it might appear on the surface. Most current uses of the cloud are really just off-site virtualization - which is inherently good at optimizing hardware utilization - for a net result of reducing the number of computers needed to achieve a task and thereby reducing the economic and environmental cost of the tasks.

I'm comfortable with the definitions that have been posted about cloud; i.e. IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, etc. The part that I've been wondering about is anyone actually USING this model for critical business functions. Do they actually trust the cloud? I would love to hear examples of that.

First of all this is nothing new; banks, pharmacies, grocery stores and many others have been using this method for many of years. The architecture is primarily designed for businesses to store large amounts of data, and place it in strategic locations for simultaneous utilization. However, this methodology will quickly be incorporated and applied to users’ software. The final frontier of software giants strangle hold on consumers will be complete. People will soon discover the true meaning of licensed software. The Amazon Kindle and Apple nightmares are soon to follow. Companies new business plans are you never own anything except a lease agreement with a monthly fee. Will people allow this to happen? Sure, they will; offer the product at a reduced price and people will eat it up. Who care that everything from writing a personal letter to a spread sheet will be in the clouds for everyone to see? People today couldn’t care less about fundamental foundations their forefathers have laid down. We just want it cheap and lots of it.

For a unique and really fun definition, I just read Loraine Antrim's great piece on "Does Cloud Computing Need a Shrink?" http://cloudcomputing.sys-con.com/node/1009501 My feeling is that until the feds give us the "official" definition, there will be many many variations. Each vendor offering cloud computing services defines it differently and whether you are an enterprise or a SMB, there are further variations in defining. I think we need a wait see attitude until the dust settles on this one.

Cloud computing = when 100% of your servers are hosted by a vendor in their data center. You have less headaches without having to maintain servers, the vendor handles the backups and guarantees uptime. Not to mention that most data centers are more redundant than commercial office spaces.

It seems to reflect some of the sentiment in the current comments on this thread.

Follow the posts here: "Cloud Computing Explained"
http://community.hyper9.com/blogs/h9labs/archive/2009/09/29/cloud-comput...