Is Cloud Computing Just a Trend, or Is It Transforming the Globe?

The IT world changes so fast that people sometimes can’t keep up. In fact, even people like Infor’s Charles Phillips, who has made IT his affair, sometimes struggles to keep up. That said, he has figured out how to do it: by anticipating the next development and being proactive about it, he has placed himself in a truly unique position. You see, the newest development in IT is cloud computing, and Phillips is in the heart of that.

Cloud Computing

The cloud is a new form of technology, which means that people can get a lot of benefits from it, but there are quite a few risks to still contend with as well. This is why Infor provides people with proper evaluation services, enabling them to look on their company’s needs in the here and now, and their long term goals and objectives as well.

Even the government has gotten involved in cloud computing. In fact, federal agencies are investigating the cloud to determine whether all agencies could potentially benefit from it. Again, it seems Phillips has been proactive, sitting on the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. The Federal CIO and the Office of Management and Budget have set up the Cloud Computing Initiative (CCI). The goal of the CCI is determine whether the significant growth in cloud computing means that it should be adopted across the board. And this growth has been nothing short of significant: in 2013, the cloud computing industry was worth a whopping $44.2 billion, up from just $17.4 billion a few years previously.

Overview of Cloud Computing

Essentially, the cloud allows for the creation of an environment where people can work together and share resources. The cloud is flexible and scalable, and doesn’t require many if any interaction with providers, nor does it require much management. This doesn’t shed much light on things for people, which is why the paying for an electricity bill analogy may work better.

Every month, a household uses a certain amount of electricity. The utilities provider monitors this and bills the customer according to that usage. A household that is off the grid would, in this analogy, be non-cloud, as they do not receive services from a utility provider. If, however, they do sign up to a utility provider, are many do, they are cloud enabled. The cloud, in this analogy, is the power plant, giving consumers the infrastructure and the power.

The cloud was once incredibly expensive, because it was new. All new technologies are expensive. But nowadays, there are even free cloud providers, although these are limited in the amount of storage they get, as well as not being as safe as most businesses may require. However, even the more secure options, designed specifically for businesses, are now far more affordable.

The  government is now looking at National Institute of Standards of Technology recommendations in order to find out what the cloud should look like. Specifically, they have determined different characteristics, service models, and deployment models.

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