Cloud computing is upon us this year in 2010, showing us how much better our data-center universe can be. Applications and processing technologies are advancing so quickly that they are difficult to keep up with and even more difficult to plan for. Only those companies that have lots of capital and a fast track to market will be able to effectively deploy these new platforms and lead us into the next generations of computing.
Clouds will accelerate the operating and energy efficiencies of the computing industry across the board. For starters, they allow a business to better manage and control IT demands resulting in the downsizing and more efficient deployment of their IT systems. According to Jason Stowe of Cycle Computing, the cloud-computing model enables three fundamental forms of efficiency:
These forms of IT efficiency all result in reduced demand for lower power and cooling, and subsequently the downsizing and more efficient deployment of mechanical and electrical support systems, as well.
How exactly will these advances in applications technology change the way we design and build the networks and facilities that will support the cloud? And, what will they do to our now possibly outdated plans to virtualize, consolidate, and improve our operating and energy efficiencies? Do we already need to start planning for the move of our facilities into the next generation of cloud computing?