Cloud computing

[gono]

opinions on the success and future of cloud computing? Besides google, vmware, msft, akamai. Who should I invest in?

[ldivinag]

cloud right now is not what everyone has evisioned it to be.

i would invest just because they are all money maker.

[Anti-Hero]

opinions on the success and future of cloud computing? Besides google, vmware, msft, akamai. Who should I invest in?

"cloud" computing isn't a product, it's a paradigm. Not sure what you mean by investing in it, unless you're talking about investing in one of the companies you mentioned above.

IMO cloud computing is the future, it has to be to facilitate the inter connectivity, the always on/always connected required by devices today.

[ExtremeX]

Tactical Cloud... The term Cloud has really been overused, just another marketing catchphrase... In a simple sense its really just the Internet. People have been using cloud technologies for years and many don't even know it. For example an FTP site is a cloud type service.


There are many cloud "Internet" products out today which have really caught my eye... One I personally use for work is MS Office 365 (formally known as BPOS), its SaaS (Software as a Service), they deliver MS Lync (formally know as Communicator) Exchange Server, Sharepoint Server, Life Meeting and some other goodies as a subscription based service. Its saved my company thousands in up-front and maintenance costs since its all cloud based, and managed by Microsoft. Their direct competition is Google Apps which is another similar service.


VMWare also has products which do a lot for cloud computing... but virtual computing has more to do than just cloud computing.

[lazyworm]

Cloud is another one of the hot buzz words, like "social networking"
Amazon is leaps and bounds ahead of other players in terms of users
and revenue.

[ibanezfoo]

Cloud is another one of the hot buzz words, like "social networking"
Amazon is leaps and bounds ahead of other players in terms of users
and revenue.

Agreed. Every time some sales chump shows up at the office and uses the word "cloud" I want to punch them in the throat.

In general, it seems like regressive computing. A return to 1960's mainframes.

[ibanezfoo]

Tactical Cloud... The term Cloud has really been overused, just another marketing catchphrase... In a simple sense its really just the Internet. People have been using cloud technologies for years and many don't even know it. For example an FTP site is a cloud type service.


There are many cloud "Internet" products out today which have really caught my eye... One I personally use for work is MS Office 365 (formally known as BPOS), its SaaS (Software as a Service), they deliver MS Lync (formally know as Communicator) Exchange Server, Sharepoint Server, Life Meeting and some other goodies as a subscription based service. Its saved my company thousands in up-front and maintenance costs since its all cloud based, and managed by Microsoft. Their direct competition is Google Apps which is another similar service.


VMWare also has products which do a lot for cloud computing... but virtual computing has more to do than just cloud computing.

We use a lot of VMWare stuff and it works great. We also use some MS hosted services and they are honestly, hands down and without any question some of the worst things I have ever used in my entire life. We've used Google Apps (and still do for some things that just don't work at all in the MS crap) and it is light years beyond MS as far as actually working vs. looking pretty but not accomplishing anything useful. My company sells services based on a Sharepoint/MS framework and I feel bad for our sales people. They have to look customers in the eye and try to sell them our crap. Many sales people have quit because they can't honestly sell it... thats pretty bad for sales type people! Its one of those things where the Google products just work... the MS stuff requires browser tweaks, OS tweaks, application tweaks for things like Outlook plugins that don't work right.

But, I know my peer IT people keep pushing the MS crap because, and they've actually told me this, "it pays my bills". They love substandard crap that they have to fix all the time because it keeps them employed. Thats the dirty secret of modern IT I wish CEO's would wake up and see... that their companies are being manipulated by dishonest IT folks just so they can keep their jobs.

Not all MS stuff is crap. Hyper-V with Citrix makes a pretty slick virtualized desktop infrastructure.

[Coded-Dude]

ibm has plenty of research documentation on the topic.....

[ExtremeX]

We use a lot of VMWare stuff and it works great. We also use some MS hosted services and they are honestly, hands down and without any question some of the worst things I have ever used in my entire life. We've used Google Apps (and still do for some things that just don't work at all in the MS crap) and it is light years beyond MS as far as actually working vs. looking pretty but not accomplishing anything useful. My company sells services based on a Sharepoint/MS framework and I feel bad for our sales people. They have to look customers in the eye and try to sell them our crap. Many sales people have quit because they can't honestly sell it... thats pretty bad for sales type people! Its one of those things where the Google products just work... the MS stuff requires browser tweaks, OS tweaks, application tweaks for things like Outlook plugins that don't work right.

But, I know my peer IT people keep pushing the MS crap because, and they've actually told me this, "it pays my bills". They love substandard crap that they have to fix all the time because it keeps them employed. Thats the dirty secret of modern IT I wish CEO's would wake up and see... that their companies are being manipulated by dishonest IT folks just so they can keep their jobs.

Not all MS stuff is crap. Hyper-V with Citrix makes a pretty slick virtualized desktop infrastructure.

We cant be talking about the same products here.... BPOS / Office 365 is a turn key communications infrastructure delivered by MS as SaaS...

I can agree with you, if the shop is buying and maintaining the MS software themselves then its a total PITA. It is what keeps your IT guys employed because in order to stay on top of it its a lot of work.

I had the option of Google Apps and MS BPOS and MS was a clear cut winner. The only maintenance on my side I had to deal with was paying the $10 per user per month... Everything is maintained on the back end by someone else.

All this extra stuff you are talking about isn't something I ever experienced with my 3 year ownership of the product...

[Deadbolt]

this thread makes my head ache. Antihero wins with best answer thus far in relation to the OP.

Regarding sales staff and selling : find new sales staff.

[gunafficionado]

In general, it seems like regressive computing. A return to 1960's mainframes.

+1.....Big Blue computing....

[Khanan]

Every time someone says cloud another puppy dies. Just don't do it.

[Nose Nuggets]

As an IT profesional, i don't really care for it. MS BPOS and Office 365 are ****. Intermedia's hosted exchange - ****. There is only one cloud storage product out there i know of with two factor encryption.

like right now in office 365 - no message tracking at all. none. if you do more then 5 message tracks in a month with intermedia you have to start paying for it. give me an exchange server and an active directory any day. i want control. getting the same uptime (100%) is not hard, it just costs more money.

[223Devil]

Check out Onlive

[Deadbolt]

give me an exchange server and an active directory any day. i want control. getting the same uptime (100%) is not hard, it just costs more money.

2 things:

1: Exchange sucks.

2: Any decent distributed solution integrates or allows for integration to proprietary ADP / LDAPs