In the January installment of this article, I wrote about "Cloud Computing" becoming the newest "killer app" for business. I’ve also written more than once, that "the world has changed". The cloud’s growth is an important indication of the world’s continuing and accelerating change.

Cloud computing is just one of many ways our world is changing, but it is a very significant one, and it is becoming mainstream. It is the buzzword assigned to the practice of storing data on an Internet server in order to access it from anywhere, at any time, and accomplish desired tasks with any Internet connected device.

Think of it this way...your primary computer (with all your information) could be in Phoenix, Montreal, Tokyo, or Hamburg. Your connection device (the one you access that information from) could be a desktop system at your home or office, but more likely, it is a laptop, or Smartphone. The only requirement is an Internet connection.

To visualize the cloud, think of a local area network (LAN), with a primary network hub (server) where all data and software are stored, and all the attached workstations having little or no storage capacity, and no software. The cloud is merely a virtual private network (VPN), with connections to your data being made via the Internet.

With your data in the cloud, your access device doesn’t need to be particularly powerful, nor does it need lots of software loaded on it. The software tools and the power reside in the cloud, with your data. The benefit of this configuration is that your cash outlay for both device and software will be much less, and you can easily access your files or do your work, from anywhere an Internet connection is available.

Microsoft and Google offer subscription services to utilize their "cloud", while Canonical Ltd. has plans to include open source (free) cloud management tools in the next release of Ubuntu Linux Server Edition, enabling businesses who operate their own web or network servers to build their own cloud.

The Cloud isn’t just for business either! Social Networking sites such as Flickr, Facebook, MySpace, and more, utilize the cloud concept. Like many people, I prefer to retain control of my data (as opposed to trusting an Internet server in Phoenix), but the practicality of having access to it from anywhere, at any time, and at much lower expense, is a prospect that many businesses cannot overlook...especially in tough economic times.

The Cloud keeps growing; the world keeps changing, while we just try to keep up.

Just so you’ll know,
Terry