Dell, IBM, Sun, Microsoft, Amazon and many others are all doing it this year. Cloud computing is a type of computing that is comparable to grid computing, relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle applications. The goal of cloud computing is to apply traditionalsupercomputing power (normally used by military and research facilities) to perform tens of trillions of computations per second.
To do this, Cloud computing networks large groups of servers, usually those with low-cost consumer PC technology, with specialized connections to spread data-processing chores across them. This shared IT infrastructure contains large pools of systems that are linked together. Often, virtualization techniques are used to maximize the power of cloud computing.
There are many people out there who believe the term cloud computing is just another buzzword that is used to describe too many technologies, making it confusing to many. The term Cloud computing has been used to mean grid computing, utility computing, software as a service, Internet-based applications, autonomic computing, peer-to-peer computing and remote processing. When most people use the term, they may have one of these ideas in mind, but the listener might be thinking about something else.
Regardless if you share this view or not, you're bound to hear more on cloud computing in the coming year.
Sun Lays Out Cloud Computing Strategy (internetnews.com) Can Dell Hold Its 'Cloud Computing' Trademark? (internetnews.com) Why 'Cloud Computing' Is for the Birds (ITChannelPlanet)