Being involved in the IT industry, it becomes more and more evident that hosted solutions are becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Cloud Bursts: The problem with Cloud Computing by RIC007GP alerted me to the risks and dangers of on the cloud computing. 

I wrote in an earlier post about the direction I thought personal computing was taking, using the iPad as my inspiration. In simple terms I said that computing was heading for the cloud and that machines would not need the storage and processing power of current PCs.

We all have different opinions and definitions of what a cloud is and should look like. Some cite paragraphs of praise for something very new, and some shout anger for something completely misunderstood. I for one tend to sit and read some very interesting ideas on SaaS or the old term, ASP, or Application Service Provider, I read ideas on how to implement this idea, how to make it work, where to get it, and the more I read about the idea or function, the more I can't stop thinking about the fact that these guys are selling us doom!

Think about it, in 20 years, your service to the company, your role, will be executed by a service provider, and you'll probably just manage that service or the service provider.

Our jobs or their jobs?

Cloud computing is set to change the way we use our PCs by running and accessing all our day to day applications online from office tools (thing Google Docs) and if Google has their way even our operating systems (Google Chrome OS). By doing everything online you won't need a powerful, expensive PC since all the processing and storage is done on remote servers saving everyone a lot of money. The major downside to all this is that the quality of a cloud computing experience is all reliant on the quality, speed and availability of an internet connection not such a big problem for corporates in first world countries but it's becoming an increasing issue for home internet users with ever more stringent limitations being placed on bandwidth and speed especially in the United States and of course in South Africa a fast affordable internet connection beyond the reach of the average SA citizen and will be so for quite some time.