Business Wakes Up to Cloud Computing – NYTimes.com

We are finally getting somewhere…

Cloud computing, though, is more than a hyper-efficient means of distributing digital services. The cloud model is animated by a set of Internet technologies for juggling computing workloads in data centers far more efficiently than in the past — potentially reducing costs by about half, analysts say.

Yet to date, the large, established technology companies — and their businesses and government customers — have trailed in cloud computing. The marketing of the cloud, analysts say, is way ahead of real offerings by suppliers and its adoption by business customers.

But there are some recent signs of change. Last week, I.B.M. introduced a range of cloud services, including paying for computing resources like processing and storage on a metered pay-for-use formula, almost as if modeled on an electric utility. I.B.M. will offer customers an à la carte menu, in which they pay for different levels of guaranteed security, support and availability.

I.B.M., a bellwether in the corporate technology market, forecasts that it will have $7 billion in cloud revenue by 2015. Of the total, $4 billion will be customers shifting to cloud delivery from the company’s traditional software and services, and $3 billion is expected to be entirely new business.

via Business Wakes Up to Cloud Computing – NYTimes.com.