The Big Switch...

(...the book on cloud computing- not the Bord Gáis campaign that runs in the cloud.)

I've finished reading The Big Switch. It's an interesting read. Carr doesn't get bogged down in the detail but rather provides the reader with a bird's eye view of the topic. This gives the book a pacy feel - so much so in fact that by the time you've finished the book, you might think the world has moved on and your competitors are already running their entire business in the cloud!

There's no doubt that cloud computing is having an impact and is here to stay, but there are a number of issues which are still being ironed out. Carr uses the ubiquitous analogy of electricity companies in his book. However, while you can plug an electric lamp into any socket in your home and buy your electricity from any one of a number of providers, you can't quite do the same with your IT application or infrastructure - yet.

Yes, there are barriers to be overcome e.g. data protection, technical limitations etc., but they will be overcome. (Microsoft are even alluding to Azure in a box to overcome some of the data protection issues.) Then you'll be able to move your infrastructure and/or application at the push of a button.

If you're not already thinking about cloud computing and what it means for your business - time to start.