Cloud Computing, a new Idea, or an old idea with some new bells and whistles?

What is Cloud Computing?

I know that today the buzz technology of the day is Cloud Computing, but is this really a new technology or just a new term for an old type of tech that fell out of favor. To understand this premise we need to look at what Cloud Computing promises both the user and management.

From Wikipedia we have this definition of Cloud Computing:

Cloud computing is Internet ("cloud") based development and use of computer technology ("computing"). From a technical point of view this generally involves the provision of dynamically scalable and often virtualised resources as a service over the Internet.[1][2] From a conceptual point of view, cloud computing refers to a paradigm shift in computing whereby computing resource and underlying technical infrastructure are abstracted away from the user. Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure in the "cloud" that supports them.[3] Cloud computing services often provide common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers.

Very cool and interesting, but is it really different from the old Client/Server architecture from the good old days of mainframes and minicomputers? Here is the definition of Client-server again from Wikipedia:

Client-server computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or work loads between service providers (servers) and service requesters, called clients.[1] Often clients and servers operate over a computer network on separate hardware. A server machine is a high-performance host that is running one or more server programs which share its resources with clients. A client does not share any of its resources, but requests a server's content or service function. Clients therefore initiate communication sessions with servers which await (listen to) incoming requests.

The only real difference other than updated terminology is that Cloud computing has moved Client-Server out to the internet. This is not a bad thing, it has some major advantages to the basic Client-server design, but is it really a new technology? The short answer is no, it is an old concept which has been given a new life by adapting for use over the internet and it is no longer confined to the realm of your LAN.

Technology Cycles vs. Business Cycles

After working in IT for many different businesses I have seen a reoccurring cycle or theme as to how best to serve users of Managed Information Services. While every tech likes to see his company explore the newest technology the reality is that the driving factor for every business in dealing with IT is money. “What is it going to cost?” is always asked and in today’s depressed economy that is an even more pressing issue. Most companies today buy or lease equipment on a three year cycle. With revenues falling the accounting department is looking for ways to stretch that cycle out to four or even five years, more if the economy stays down. I believe this is why the Client/Server server architecture is returning to popularity now with the new marketing campaign and rebranding as Cloud Computing.

A Client/Server architecture allows for the utilization of older less powerful computers with newer software as the processing load is kept mainly in the server. Over the last several years most companies have employed a File/Server architecture where most of the computing power was used at the client side and the server was mostly for Data storage. File/Server Architecture became prevalent as existing servers became older and new Client/Server type servers were cost prohibitive while desktop computers had fallen in price and the Return on Investment(RoI) to move to a File/Server architecture was sufficient to make the change for most companies. Today the winds of change have again shifted and now cost favor returning to a Client/Server architecture.

In conclusion if you are looking to predict the request of management just remember that the accountants have the most pull in any business, or at least they should, and as such they are your best source for help in building your case for a new technology to present to management. RoI will make or break your presentation in a down economy so make sure that you can show how any new tech you are asking for will save money for your boss. If you can demonstrate reduced cost by changing to a new technology your boss is much more likely to give you the green light to start designing or planning a new project.