Book #24, As you hopefully know about a month ago my latest publication was released titled “Cloud Computing with VMware vCloud Director“. When I was visiting Palo Alto a week ago I met up with one of the co-authors and vCloud Security Expert Michael Haines. Michael managed to get a stack of books signed by the author of the foreword, Paul Maritz. Luckily he managed to get 3 of my books signed by Paul Maritz as well. Of course I will hold on to one of those copies myself, but I want to offer all of you the opportunity to win a signed copy by Paul Maritz.
So if you want to win a copy, comment on this post and let me know what cloud computing means to you… that is all you need to do. I will contact 2 randomly picked winners on the 8th of June and announce their names in this article.
Randomly picked winners (thanks to my daughter for assisting me in randomly picking 
): Adam, Mark
Cloud computing means that I am free from being chained to the physical datacenter. It gives me the opportunity to have my datacenter in my pocket either with my phone or iPad. It’s also security in keeping my entire datacenter in a redundant state.
Cloud computing gives me the opportunity to explore more HA options…perhaps even some DR options. It can be private, public, or hybrid. It can be a great opportunity for developers to have their own self-service portal and be more efficient with development and QA. It also makes me nervous about security.
To me cloud computing means I can go anywhere and still get anything I need. The more stuff that is pushed to the cloud the more convenient technology is. We’ve been stuck in the physical limits of technology for so that that it’s liberating to finally be at a point where everything we need is available to us at any time we have the desire to call it up.
Cloud Computing to me is all about access. Being from the education environment the ability to provide access to software and technology to the students and staff whether they are in schools, out of schools, at home, on the road, etc. On top of that, the ability to provision, deploy, scale up, scale down automatically…This to me is the real power of the cloud.
To me, cloud computing is finally starting to go in the direction of what our customers want: using their IT-resources as a commodity to add value to their business.
IT has too long been seen as a black hole that swallows money, and gives me heartache in return. With cloud computing I can (and in a good design, I will) address the three main wishes my customers have:
* IT has to be as cheap as possible, adapting when my needs change.
* IT has to be as available as I need it, allowing me to change availability according to the needs of my business
* IT has to be as performant as I need it. I don’t need the fastest system, I just don’t want to wait when push comes to shove.
Cloud computing has shown us how flexible IT can be, and show. Us that IT can truly be an asset to the way we work, instead of us working the way IT used to work.
Cloud computing to me is about breaking free of the traditional boy dries that existed for most enterprises.
It is about shared infrastructure rather than siloed datacenteres.
It is a journey not a destination just yet
Anything, Anywhere, Anytime.
Cloud Computing is more than an ambiguous phrase or paradigm shift – it is the foundation of my career growth. I have been at EMC for a few years now and I am all in. The future of this company and the industry is ahead of us.
Thank you for the opportunity to win such a great read Duncan.
Cloud means a lot to me…but at this particular moment the most important thing to me is that it’s part of my Master’s thesis. I would love to be able to cite the book in my research!
Cloud is about convience and agility. Being able to provide services on the fly from anywhere. Enabling your user base to be more self relient so they can access bring up the reosuces they need quickly without you having to give over all the control. About making IT efficent, reliable, and cost affective for businesses.
Cloud computing means being able to provide infrastructure to clients, while only needing to design and deploy once.
A new industry and a new career
To me, cloud computing means not having to remember where I put my stuff. It means that even if I get a new PC, I no longer have to worry about transferring my stuff from my old one. It means that if I have access to the internet, I have access to the data I need. It means I have to spend lees time screwing with my OS and applications, and more time getting down to business.
To me Cloud Computing is not only about efficiency and flexibility but a lot about Security, which is in my opinion the biggest challenge.
For me cloud computing means explaining to the C-Level that the “cloud” is not a magical place that can solve all of their problems and that there is far more involved investment in time, and materials to put something in “the cloud” than the marketecture has lead them to believe.
Cloud computing means providing resources at speeds unheard of only a few years ago. Not long ago IAAS meant a physical machine hosted by a third party that could take days to deploy. Clouds services make scalable IAAS available as quickly as we can provide payment, making it possible for businesses can obtain the infrastructure they need as soon as they need it.
It’s all white and foggy here, where is that VM again?
Great flexibility for Your IT…
… if you manage to Orchestrate it
http://geekandpoke.typepad.com/geekandpoke/2009/03/let-the-clouds-make-your-life-easier.html
“Cloud computing” is something everybody talks about, but when asking 10 people what it is, you will end up with 12 different opinions.
Cloud is the new Portal
Clouds!
Cloud Computing to me is as other have stated anywhere, anytime by putting resources/data/applications centralized in the “cloud” whether that be private,public or hybrid. The cloud is the abstract of those resources.
My new BIG Intranet.
To me Cloud Computing is about agility and flexibility. It’s about being able to provide services when are needed and with the resources needed. It’s about extending the datacenter outside the datacenter and being scalable and dynamic.
I don’t think I could do any better than this:
http://www.vcritical.com/2011/01/unboxing-the-cloud/
Cloud computing means I have to move my datacenter. Again.
Cloud computing:Me :: Babies:Anne Geddes.
To me Cloud Computing means providing highly flexible, highly scalable, highly automated, on-demand, access to infrastructure and business resources driven by the needs of the business. It also means something that is more easily said than done.
Hi Duncan
Is there any chance of this being avialable on the Kindle?
Oh, i completely forgot to say what it means to me!
Cloud computing gives SMB the opportunity to take advantage of enterprise-grade infrastructure without the enormous costs involved.
It also gives a self-provisioning, autonomous system that scales up and down with business demand.
It also gives every man and his dog the opportunity to co-locate a server somewhere and call it “cloud”. Hahah!!
I think to a lot of folks cloud computing means we can focus more on the services we provide and less on the infrastructure to support those services. I’m more interested in the infrastructure so it to me it means more cool stuff to learn about.
Cloud computing to me is data consolidation, security, usability, and availability all at once. It’s many things when properly implemented, and sometimes most importantly, it’s a super management buzzword
Yo, I just joined a cloud team that is looking at implementing VMware Cloud Director. I had the awesome privilege of playing with it at Stratogen when they had the beta open. This would be really helpful right now with the new Job as a consultant. I will have to pick one up as soon as I get things a little ironed out with this job. As always Duncan you do a great job and come up with clever ways to keep people interested – of course it could be that your somewhat an expert??? nah….
Cloud Computing – not having to looks at blue/amber lights on servers in a data centre, not having to call vendor support for a HD replacement, not having to spend hours in a cold room when its winter outside…freedom!
Cloud computing == On demand infrastructure that I can offer to my peers and colleagues, increasing convenience while saving the institution money.
Having worked in the “cloud” since it’s inception, I find it a cute marketing term. But all of that aside, I explain it as a way for an organization of any size; be it small 4 person mom & pop shops to international conglomerations; to leverage “group think” to solve their infrastructure needs.
Because it’s nearly impossible for the larger organizations to move with the nimblness of the smaller shops, they can easily free up resources to solve the problems other than the day to day care and feeding of the infrastructure. On the flip side, the small shops get all the power and security of a datacenter without having to actually deal with the cost and headaches.
Now if we could only find someplace for all the displaced mid-sized IT workers when their companies move their services to the cloud, we’d REALLY be moving.
Cloud Computing => future.
cloud computing for me represent the best usage of hardware resources and what is most important is that
the final customer will benefits of the best resources available to do their business.
When you work with hosting, like me, you come to hate servers in one way. They are heavy, they are noisy and they break. They take power, generate heat and worst of all, they are many.
The last few years, working with virtualization, it has become much easier. Now there is a single point of management, and the servers havent really gotten fewer, but I dont need to handle them as much.
This is cloud computing for me.
Our DataCenter is on the 43rd floor! So technically speaking its a cloud within a cloud…
Cloud computing for me – FLEXIBILITY
Cloud is a new era and new challenge fot IT guys!
Cloud breaks the barriers of old IT infrastructure and makes computing without any boundaries.
Cloud computing means flexibility for me
Cloud word itself contain, its give you what you require, Hardly matter what is residing in it.
Cloud Computing => future
Cloud to me means a change in the future of Infrastructure for businesses and a place for new oppurtunities with continually new things to learn.
Go with it or get left behind!!
Cloud is about adding a level of fluidity to the relationship between the IT service providers and IT service consumers.
To abstract the magic that was once held only within the data center walls and evolve to a self-service computational buffet. It is about breaking down the ‘us versus them’ mentality that has been seen too many times between the providers and consumers.
Overall it is just about better enabling your end users to execute the mission and moving IT out of their way.
- twitter.com/jkordish
Cloud is simply the evolution of the data center/IT services from a walled garden of fiefdoms to a dynamic confederation of resources.
Cloud means paying for what you use, not a big oversized box.
Cloud means not knowing or caring what hardware or even OS your application is running on.
Cloud means letting someone else troubleshoot hardware issues.
Cloud means reclaiming data center real estate.
Cloud Computing means agility to grow. The companies don’t need to be worried about where their applications are running so they can focus only on their core business.
I already have the book, but a signed copy would be even better
Cloud Computing means a lot of things. But there is only only one company making true Cloud Computing available: VMware
Cloud Computing means a new way to deliver Infrastructure, Platform and Software services. It’s a revolution, many things are changing including how the business is run, very excited
Cloud Computing for me is lots of things:
- new business opportunities
- new research directions
- new mindset in the IT domain
- a step on the right direction on the IT
Cloud Computing :
computation software, data access that does not require end user knowledge of the where abouts of physical location of system that deliver the services.
Cloud computing is equivalent to utility computing where customers get the luxury of paying for IT services on a per usage and as needed basis.
To me, cloud computing means several things…
As an IT Professional: Whether it is a private cloud or a public cloud, I see cloud computing as an on-demand service which hosts workloads for the end-user. It provides the end-user with insight into the cost of their workload and simplifies showing the value of IT. It also, allows IT staff to be more efficient through task automation and a dynamic infrastructure.
As an End-User: Cloud computing means that I have flexibility. Flexibility by being able to access data anytime, anywhere, and through any device. I am no longer limited to a small cubical or wires.
Cloud Computing mean ITaaS to me!
You may call me a cynic but I think the cloud is just a term for upper management. Cloud is all about perspective, it doesn’t really define automation, provisioning and anything operational. For me, being a Virtualization Engineer myself, I will probably never realize the cloud although we are required to define and design it. The cloud will be realized by end users who are actually the consumers. If it be speed of provisioning, faster time to market or ‘enter wizbang marketing term here’ they can all be included in the cloud. However, for engineers and architects who create the “cloud”, it’s just another architecture. For the private cloud we are designing I feel like I’m under the cloud…and it’s raining. But as a consumer of public cloud services I think it’s a great step for all of technology. The cloud is what we make of it.
The book will go great next to my picture with Paul at VMworld 2010: http://www.ntalekt.com/images/VMworld_2010.jpg
Keep up the great work Duncan!
Hey Duncan,
To me cloud computing is about opportunity. I am a systems engineer for an IT consultancy in New York. I’m helping my company work on their cloud strategy, and part of that strategy is to deploy our own cloud services platform, leveraging vCloud Director.
I attended one of Paul’s sessions at VMworld 2010 and he said that the transformation to cloud computing is inevitable – it’s happening now, and the only thing we can do is figure out how to best become part of it. I think that was the first time it really hit me that I need to figure out how to position myself in my career so that I can be a part of this transformation. Designing and deploying our cloud services platform would be a great step in that direction!
I’ve gotten a great deal of knowledge out of your past books, whitepapers, and blogs (I own and have read both the HA/DRS Deep Dive and the ESX 4 Quick Start guide), and I’m sure this would be no different.
This could help me out a lot – if I do get selected though you’ll have to send me 2 copies – one to put on the shelf (Paul’s signed one), and another to read and mark up
Thanks,
Cloud Computing is a type of computing environment, where an ISP is providing a space and allow to use its Infrastructure, like a Rack Space, Public IP access, and Server with the applications running under such infrastructure, ISP provides its Private infrastructure as a Services ( IAAS, SAAS), on the charge basis, what are the services is utilised by the client.
Basically A cloud Computing is what we are running and utilizing in ISP Infrastructures is having a basic Server installation and also the application running on those servers either it is Physical Hardware or Virtual Hardware, no matter that is all Cloud Computing
Cloud Compung, as a System/Network Administrator as i am… is simple our future and a big opportunity. All those private and public clouds will be the future for the mid-to-low size companies… who is interested in managing a small data centre, hw upgrades, maintenance costs, ecc. when you can simply directly rent an infrastructure or a service? obtaining better services at lower costs!
Cloud Computing is an opportunity for my internal customers to access there data from anywhere.
Cloud computing is simply the availability of resources to be used as and when required by any person or business for any reason, available on demand with high availability and performance built in, and being able to access that resource from wherever I am, and using any device I have at my disposal.
To me Cloud Computing is all about automation. It is the beginning of a new era where our IT environment uses a central brain in order to provide services.
Automation will handle everything from monitoring to proactive maintenance and all we left to do is to sit back and enjoy
hello from france
Cloud computing means ITaaS for me. You can Access your desktop, data, desktop, servers, applications everywhere, any time, simply et quickly from any devices.
The biggest difference is in the pricing and how the cost are calculated. The future should be “pay as you go and grow as fast as you want”.
Cloud computing means everything to me. I’ve just opened up my company offering cloud computing solutions.
We are now offering a new type of solutions, using Public, Private and Hybrid Cloud Technologies.
Private cloud is the most exciting though.
To be honest, cloud computing to me is a fad that will come and go with time. I don’t see cloud computing becoming a mainstream way of running a business. With all the security breaches taking place right now, would it really be in your company’s best interest to leave the security of your information up to someone else. I think the cloud is a great idea, but the sustainability is in question. Obviously VMware has invested a great deal of time and resources in the cloud, but the processes behind the cloud need to be addressed further to make it a more suitable solution for businesses.
Cloud computing to me means that I recently started the most exciting job ever!
Compute Limitations Obliterated Unlimited Datacentre
I was a hater when the term first started taking hold. I’d been creating shared VMware clusters for multi-tenant use for a couple of years before the VSPP program began. I thought the term was confusing, and found myself trying to explain it to people all the time.
Now I think it’s taken shape and proved me wrong. It’s still a very general wishy washy term, but the market needs that right now. Grouping Salesforce.com, DropBox, Facebook, Hyper-V and vSphere into one term cannot hold in the long-run, but it helps the man-on-the-street know we are talking about the same emarging market of subscribing to a something provided by someone, somewhere using the internet.
See, I’m a convert ;-P
Hey Duncan,
Cloud computing allows end-users and businesses to gain Enterprise class and scaled applications and services at an easy to reach entry point. It brings new levels of IT efficiency and availability for businesses that wouldn’t be able to afford this if hosting these services internally, but it also allows greater levels of control and flexibility for larger enterprises where scale and flexibility is required.
Cloud computing is definitely exciting for me as an Architect as it really opens a lot of doors for giving customers greater flexibility and hybrid clouds are an exciting opportunity for many customers. Being able to dynamically grow from internal services to external services with minimal out-lay, investment or setup costs is hugely valuable. It also reduces the time these services can be deployed, from weeks to minutes or hours and this can hugely benefit the business time-to-market.
Cloud computing is the next step toward SkyNet. I say that only half joking. Perhaps autonomous cyborgs are a stretch but unencumbered access to data and computing resources will transform our centralized computing model into a more dynamic and resilient model.
Cloud computing is going to depend on some vendor neutral standards laying the groundwork for both terminology and functionality. But we are definitely on the cusp of something fantastic and amazing.
Cloud computing is flexible computing allowing for flexible infrastructure to exist and accommodate changing business needs. Cloud Computing will enhance IT’s vision of providing service to business units and will free IT from being handcuffed by hardware limitations.
Apart from all the goodies about Public Cloud Computing for me there are a lot open questions about Cloud Security. I think that if the security requirements can be fulfilled then Public Cloud Computing will success.
I think the success of Public Cloud Computing depends a lot on security. If these security needs/requirements can be fulfilled then Cloud Computing will be very successful.
Cloud computing is the new way-of-computing. As virtualization has changed the way we build computing systems, the Cloud computing will deeply change how we exploit and manage computing resources. Cloud computing and its three layers (IaaS, PaaS and Saas)annouce a more flexible, dynamic, IT era that is going to give a chance to modest actors to access and exploit secure and robust IT infrastructures.
I would like to read the book about cloud computing, already read vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS technical deepdive.
Huge fan of Duncan.
Bart
To me, I really like the simplicity of this picture in explaining cloud computing. http://tiny.cc/fwzs8 Highly virtualized environement with the addition of elasticity & scalability, automation, and self-service.
Hello,
Cloud Computing means for me : “Focus on your business and customer needs, and stop spend time on managing things which are not part of your core company business”
Best regards
Fabrice
Hello All,
I have to agree with some of the other comments. The term cloud computing means many things to many people. As an engineer I am constantly asked what is cloud computing and I reply, “it depends”. To me its a better way of delivering services. Many of the services we deliver by cloud computing have been around for a long time. Cloud computing allows engineers to consolidate resources and streamline provising for a better experience for the end user/customer.
Cloud computing to me is about saving money,streamlining computer operations for the end user and company.Cloud computing to me allows companies to potentially save a ton of money on in house services and hardware.Cloud computing to me could be an answer to stimulate the job market.When companies (TCO)goes down it can help free up capital to invest in more employees (Purchase only what your needs are).
Cloud computing offers scalability,flexibility,versatility all while reducing costs to an organizations bottom line .Just my Observations
Dave
What cloud computing means to Mike: A dynamic computer system environment that provisions multiple virtual compute structures granting hardware autonomy and high efficiency.
I think that Cloud Computing is all about bringing the data center to the Masses. This is why we are seeing the 2nd internet bubble, the barrier to entry is so much lower now with cloud computing. All you need is an idea and a Cloud Foundry account and you too can start the next Airbnb or Getaround.
To me Cloud Computing is about flexibility. It creates elastic solutions which allow applications to scale or move on demand without human interaction. And it creates a buffer between application and hardware, to the point where developers and users don’t really have to know what the underlying hardware looks like.
To me – since I am about to grow from an Technology Consultant to a Solution Architect – Cloud Computing is an opportunity to provide flexible IT solutions, discuss about solutions adapted to business needs and last but not least it’s a personal opportunity to show expertise and grow on new challenges in the IT world.
To me cloud computing is putting the computing resources on a virtualized environment so that these resources can be requested on demand. This is a great way to save processing power
Well, Cloud Computing suffers the same problem as many buzzwords of the past 5 years… few people have been willing to try and pin down the meaning which leads to everyone having a different definition.
Cloud Computing… it’s like dynamic provisioning of virtualized blades, it’s like thin-clients without the client, it’s like “the network is the computer”, it’s like Microsoft Terminal Services – without the Microsoft, it’s like a SunRay with your phone being the terminal, it’s like a TeleVideo terminal without the modem. And… it’s all around you… not so much a cloud as a fog of excitement about dynamically hot-provisioning workstations for assistants to run MS Solitaire on their thin and silent video display device.
Cloud computing means to me that users can access their data and apps from anywhere and anytime from a user point of view.
To facilitate this the engineers need a virtualized environment so they are flexible where to store data and servers.
Cloud Computing to me is facilitating your resources anytime, any place, anywhere and deliver a Service Catalog towards the end user via Self Service portals.
Therefore end users will only be charged for what they really use !
It’s like App store from Apple, Android, etc. so you can run any app from any device from any where there’s internet connection.
As a newly minted “Cloud Server Engineer” I would love to add this invaluable book to my library.
Cloud computing will give our internal business units the ability to manage their own set of resources.
Cloud Computing means more work, because everyone wants it.
I commented previously but totally missed the question..lol so here I go.
Cloud:
Meaning 1:
Verb: (of the sky) Become overcast with clouds.
Noun: A visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the ground
Cloud in a nut shell – Cloud to me is the complete harnessing and unification of ALL computing resources and bringing it all together in one single easy to manage environment designed to meet the needs of today’s business in every possible way. Cloud will address the needs of tomorrow.
Cloud computing is the natural consequence of virtualization.
Cloud computing currently means confusion and challenges. In time, that confusion should turn into clarity and the challenges into opportunity and customer satisfaction.
I have this view because I work for a company providing IT services to a program with a huge investment in virtual technology. The cloud is the next big step we’re undergoing as all of our services are being “widgetized” to be delivered through the cloud enabling a virtual workcenter for the analysts/customers.
Cloud Computing is a new era in computing world….