The Cloud is Not a Binary Choice

Cloud computing has gotten huge attention over the past couple of years and opened up a whole new way to do business, collaborate, and even game.  This shift has large hardware and software corporations panicking as the potential to stream processing intensive applications to cheap consumer hardware such as netbooks becomes viable.  The hype surrounding cloud-based technology is overwhelming.  While its implications do change the way we’ll approach computing forever, I do not believe that the Cloud presents an “either/or” situation.  The future is a blending of the best aspects of the Cloud and the Personal Computer, and when the hype blows over we’ll realize we’re all the better for it.

Here’s what’s strange to me: The Cloud is older than the PC.  Before Apple and Microsoft set out to put computers in all of our homes there were terminals and mainframes.  Before it was cost-effective (or  possible) to put a computer in a small box on your desk, the only people who had the resources to pay for and maintain room-sized computers were big companies like IBM, or large organizations like the military and universities.  Users accessed these giant computers via a terminal, which boils down to a monitor, modem, and keyboard.  Questions were posed to the remote computers, and the answers were transmitted back to the user.  When it became cheaper and more efficient to achieve these same tasks locally on desktop machines, users migrated to that model.   The way I see it, our demand for computation has shifted back to where our needs exceed our ability to afford them locally.  The Cloud still requires physical hardware somewhere on the planet.  Google and Amazon are the new IBM of yesteryear.  As soon as cloud-hype subsides, and hardware prices come down, people will migrate back to local computers ( powerful PC’s or their future equivalent).

The Clouds also has flaws in other regards when compared to local computing.  These have been discussed at length elsewhere, but they can be summarized as concerns regarding security, access, and reliability.  The security concern is obvious:  If someone else is hosting your sensitive data on their server they have the only true control over that data.  Furthermore, should they choose to utilize a 3rd party’s server space to host your data, you won’t even know who has your information.  The company you’re contracted with might not even know where exactly your records reside.  The cloud is, by nature, nebulous.  Knowing exactly where your stuff is, and how it’s protected, is of great value.  Should the cost of local hardware decrease, I believe the trend for anyone dealing with sensitive data will lean towards local solutions.

Access is largely a temporary concern.  At the moment, using the cloud can be frustrating because wireless service is not omnipresent.  Technology is capable of overcoming this weakness, and will do so in the next few years.  Customers have demanded it, and companies have responded.  3G is only the beginning.

There is the secondary issue of the reliability of Cloud based services.  It doesn’t matter if you’re connected to the internet if Google Apps is down and you can’t access the critical content you need immediately.  There are basic functions that are migrating to the cloud that, quite frankly, are weakened in translation.

I’ve been focusing on weaknesses of the Cloud, because often, all I hear is positive hype.   I’m actually a huge fan of utilizing the Cloud, and do so daily.  My concern is that we’re throwing tasks to remote servers whether the task benefits or not.  The strength of collaboration offered by Cloud based services is undeniable.  I do business with clients on the other side of the country and it feels identical to dealing with local clients.  This is phenomenal, powerful, and efficient.  Equally powerful is the scalable nature of Cloud-based resources.  A small-start up  can purchase servers on an as-needed basis.  This reduces the upfront costs and better serves the end-user.   It’s aspects such as these that mean the cloud is here to stay, and make it a good thing for all of us.  I simply believe that there are tasks that will always be better suited to local platforms, and people’s desire for individual freedom and control of their own resources will lead them back to Personal Computing.  The Cloud won’t kill the PC, merely empower it further.