Cloud Computing

The ideas behind creating a network of free-floating computers to carry data around the ether is nothing new. So, it's no wonder that some long time experts are eschewing the popularity of the new term, "cloud computing."

But the contemporary iteration of cloud computing differs significantly in focus from its older, hardware-based progenitors. New cloud computing systems still live on computers, yes, but these networks are usually focused on offering software services on dynamically changeable scales to individuals and companies alike. Such systems, like the Saas (Software as a Service) model popularized by Salesforce.com, grid computing, and managed service providers, are built to offer their network of services to a variety of different clients, and can be "scaled" or adjusted to accommodate different numbers of users and bandwidth demands.

Cloud computing today offers itself up as a way of getting services on a network without having to pay for the cost of individual software licenses and installations. Compare how much easier it is for a company to update its online service structure just once when new program upgrades are out, versus supplying and supporting hundreds or thousands of users with hardware upgrades.

So, while there may always be detractors who disparage the use of cloud computing as nothing more than a marketing gimmick, it is nonetheless an increasingly popular and apt term for the virtual rainbow of internet offerings floating in those clouds.