Cloud computing changes nothing

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Cloud computing, particularly as an architectural model whose primary benefit is the reduction of capital expenditures through more efficient use of resources, is set to take centre stage within data centres across the world. However, the “big switch” is largely internal. For consumers of applications, cloud computing changes nothing.

Most cloud computing models are currently levearaging virtualisation and the collaborative abilities of infrastructure to automate and orchestrate IT processes as a means to achieve efficiency.

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Using optimisation solutions, virtual machine (VM) density is increasing at a phenomenal rate and improving the overall efficiency of IT through the sharing of resources across lines of business, departments, and projects.

The automation of processes inherent in a cloud computing model is intended to simplify management of the data centre and free-up administrators to spend less time performing tedious and mundane tasks and more time innovating new solutions.

Cloud computing changes the way we look at resources, and applications, and scalability. It makes more efficient use of resources which decreases the costs associated with application deployment and delivery. It reduces the long-term management costs and frees-up financial resources across the organization, which allows reinvestment in the business that benefits everyone.

However, cloud doesn’t necessarily free-up the time of those responsible for developing and delivering new, innovative applications. A developer’s time is not freed by changes in administration of servers and applications, because their time was never allocated to such tasks in the first place, nor is the time of the business or product development stakeholder suddenly increased.

The very people who are responsible for creating and deploying new applications - who are responsible for innovating and creating new products for consumers - are not really affected by cloud computing except that they may eventually end-up better able to distribute their budgets; spending more on research and development and less on maintaining existing solutions within IT.

Electricity brought with it a decrease in the cost and administration required, as does cloud computing, but the former also wrought massive changes within society because it directly affected them. The consumer benefited from electricity in a way that consumers today will not benefit from cloud computing.

Cloud changes internally, not externally, and in fact there is no reason why a move from traditional data centre architectures to a cloud computing architecture should change things for the consumer. The application and functionality it provides is not changing, just the way it is delivered and where it executes.

Consumers today access applications over the Internet. As we move toward a cloud computing architecture, consumers still access applications over the Internet. And when we’ve completed the transition and are moving on to the “next big thing” consumers will still access applications over the Internet.

Nothing changes for consumers except perhaps the IP address of the application, and most consumers are blissfully ignorant of the host/domain name relationship to IP addresses and couldn’t care less about it.

Cloud computing models make IT more efficient, but the efficiencies are largely operational and financial. These changes are not seen by the consumer and, one could argue, they shouldn’t. The goal is to enact such a transition seamlessly, without impacting the consumer. Once cloud computing is more fully adopted it is possible that then we’ll start seeing changes for consumers.

The freeing of financial resources allows the hiring of more resources, which allows for the development of new and hopefully innovative applications designed for the end-user.

But these changes will be wrought slowly, over time, and certainly not with the blinding change that came from electricity. Cloud, for the consumer, changes nothing. At least for now.

The author is managing director, India and SAARC at F5 Networks.