CSDL – IEEE Internet Computing. (September/October issue) 5

This special issue of the IEEE Internet Computing journal has a number of relevant papers on Cloud Computing.

The editorial (“having One’s Head in the Cloud) notes that we have come full circle – and that our idea of clouds is similar to the 1970s dumb-terminal acting as I/O device to a behemoth database. The central management this provided benefits but slowly we moved to the local PC.

Interestingly the editorial suggests the user as in control of the movement to the PC and subsequently the cloud. The argument is founded on the difficulties managing the updating of software (e.g. anti-virus) and of backup. The move to the cloud is thus about freeing us from this burden and is a return back to the mainframe (or at least a federated collection of mainframes).

But here I disagree with the editorial –  the key difference is that this is a federated collection of “mainframes” not just one at a time. On a dumb-terminal it was difficult to integrate and “mashup” services from multiple machines locally… on the cloud this is second nature.

Leiba, B. (2009). “Having One’s Head in the Cloud.” IEEE Internet Computing 13(5): 4-6.

There is much recent literature on the ambidextrous organisation… What does this mean for Cloud computing? If cloud enables organisations to change size and shape quickly (without rewiring or purchasing software/hardware) then perhaps it has a place… something to discuss more.

(E.g. Ågerfalk, P. J. and B. Fitzgerald (2006 ). “Introduction: SPECIAL ISSUE: Flexible and distributed software processes: old petunias in new bowls?” Communications of the ACM 49 (10): 26 – 34. )

The aim of this blog is to develop a dialogue on the nature of Utility, Cloud and Grid Computing which looks beyond the technical (as characterised by the Computer Science debates), and beyond the managerial (as characterised by, for example Nicholas Carr’s work “the Big Switch), to seek an view which is practical, grounded in management practice, and yet reflective of the technical challenges these technologies face.

The blog will follow my research interests and general reading on this topic.