Cloud computing with virtualization represents the newest face of IT, as more computing companies choose to offer services based on this model. Virtualization, using hypervisor software, frees computing resources from their physical media such as servers and desktops, allowing much greater flexibility and the ability to combine pieces of information across servers.
The number of physical units (i.e. servers) is thus reduced due to increased use of resources. The cloud of computing resources is available to provide more power than could have been achieved with a bank of servers operating individually – that is, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Cloud computing with virtualization allows IT companies to offer Software as a Service (SaaS) (see "Cloud Computing Explained") and Platform as a Service (PaaS). In these modes, the software or platform being utilized by the client is distributed over a number of different physical units that can each provide a segment of the software or platform. Redundancy and therefore reliability are greatly enhanced. Because of the many advantages of cloud computing, IT companies are quickly transitioning to this more abstract model.
Impact of Cloud Computing on Consumer Services
Services that are provided to consumers, including businesses and private individuals, will be significantly impacted by the application of cloud computing with virtualization. Some of the benefits include the following:
- Increased reliability, due to redundancy in the SaaS and PaaS configurations
- Smaller server “footprint” – fewer servers are needed to provide the same services, since they are used more efficiently.
- Flexibility, since the cloud of resources will be available for efficient reconfiguring whenever needed. Fewer changes in hardware will be required.
- Virtualization and virtual machines allow a desktop to access the software in the cloud using different formats, such as Windows 2000 or Linux, without actually making changes to the desktop itself.
Cloud Computing and the IT environment
IT departments will also need to adapt as services shift to cloud computing and virtualization. In the list below, the first item is the most critical to the success of IT.
- Creative, out-of-the-box thinking will be needed to make the most of the cloud’s flexibility. Organizations need the ability to change paradigms since the method of providing services can be drastically altered through cloud computing.
- Virtualization is an abstract model rather than a concrete, physical model. Virtual machines will decrease the importance of the operating system.
- SaaS and PaaS will decrease IT costs such as purchasing individual software licenses. Instead, software will be offered by the cloud computing service.
Future developments
Cloud Computing Journal asked several experts in computer configurations to describe the future of cloud computing as they see it. Important points (those mentioned by several experts) include:
- Companies that are not able to work within the cloud paradigm will quickly lose market share and begin to fail.
- Middleware such as Java will be reworked completely to function with virtual machines.
- SaaS and PaaS will allow “on-demand” computing, resulting in increasingly customer-centered results.
In five years, computers, particularly those used in business, may function in a completely different fashion from the way they function today. The impact is likely to be felt throughout the industry.
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