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Reuters has recently reported that the information technology industry’s hopes are pinned on cloud based technology.

“Always in search of the next big idea, the technology industry has latched onto the cloud as its big new organizing principle, once more normal corporate spending patterns return,” said Eric Auchard, author of the report titled, “Computer Industry Hopes Lie In The Clouds”.

The report cites examples of companies investing in directly linked server technologies as clear pointers to support the hypothesis. Cisco has ramped up its server production and International Business Machines (IBM) proposes to buy out Sun Microsystems for allegedly $ 8 billion, despite the worsening economic climate.

"Compelling economics will ultimately force you to move to clouds," Erich Clementi, General Manager of cloud computing, IBM (News - Alert).

Cloud technology leverages of the computing prowess of tens of thousands of servers and millions of computers all across the globe to deliver solutions and data that need not reside in the end users own desktop computer or mobile computing device. It can handle rapidly increasing simultaneous data inputs and queries without any perceptible alteration in performance, gives the impression that the most of the applications reside in the end users’ systems when these actually reside elsewhere and function over the the Internet, and is available as a service. Some agencies offer free unlimited usage and others charge as per consumption. Eitherway, the cost of buying, learning and maintaining software and data storage is completely neutralized.

A few illustrative futuristic examples demonstrate this concept clearly. One, a salesman delivers a major sales pitch in a client’s meeting room by accessing media rich content from a remote location via the internet and displaying it on the client’s choice of visual display such as laptop screens, stand alone monitors, projector screens, or connected high definition TV’s. Two, teachers in third world countries could possibly access UNICEF hosted class-room lectures without having to carry heavy text-books and notes, or storing info on the schools’ server and network. In fact why have computing infrastructure of any sort? Stand alone trolley mounted computer systems with low cost projectors that can access Interet connections in each class room should suffice.

A few contemporary examples of cloud computing are: Users of Facebook share mega bytes of personal information such as photos, poems, stories and personal details via remote and connected Facebook servers spread worldwide; People store data in XLS, DOC, PPT and PDF compatible formats on Google (News - Alert) Documents and not on their own systems. In all four cases the end user requires only internet connectivity and comparatively low grade compatible systems that can access, edit if required, and display the information.

Given that Internet broadband related technologies are constantly increasing in demand, as reported by TMC, the cloud technology has a tailor made launching pad to be well and truly adopted.