Cloud Computing Is Computers Sharing Networking Services!

No doubt you'd seen the phrase "cloud computing" appear somewhere in your reading material. Some say its a buzzword. Others say its a concept. I say its from too many marketing types using Twitter smoking crack. Let me explain.

Take a moment and go to your Twitter profile. Look at what is trending worldwide. Notice something? Every now and then you'll see nonsense hash tags being used. Somewhere, an Internet marketer started that movement.

Now entertain yourself by typing in the phrase "cloud computing" into the Twitter search box. Notice how it's become a marketers spamfest.

Ahhhh, the power of digital social communication.

So what is Cloud Computing, really?

Cloud computing is a bunch of computers connected to a network providing computing services.

Oh wow. That didn't sound too prominent or cool Let's knock this down to less than 140 characters so I can promote this article as a Twitter message:

"Cloud Computing Is Computers Sharing Networking Services!"

There. Makes me look really smart and leads people to believe I just realized what it's all about. But think different.

Hey techno boy. There's nothing new about this nor its approach as companies make you want to believe. It's been available since the dawn of network computing. Ever heard of eMail? Amazon? YouTube? Last I looked those were networking services that shared stuff.

Now whoa there pal. Don't get all warm, fuzzy, and hippie deep on me. I know there are some cloud computing zealots out there that won't let the sentence end until they get their 1 cent in. This is where they fly off the handle and try to dazzle you with their new found techno speak and add spin to make it sound really important and hip (likely because their jobs and stock options depend on it).

It goes something like this:

"Cloud computing is a new innovative technological approach to leveraging network computing devices in a virtual connection pool making efficient, self-managed services highly available as a service."

Bleh. Hand me a airplane barf bag.

Close your eyes and imagine a bunch of hippie marketing people holding hands and singing kumbaya trying to spin the phrase "dog doo" in all directions. You know like "dog doo is organic, dog doo is the new donut without holes, dog doo is an integrated front-end technological innovation that exploits emerging architecture by monetizing synergistic proprietary methods to deliver services".

Sounds really deep and cool doesn't it! Cloud computing is just that. Really deep and getting thicker by the moment (if you know what I mean - me pointing two fingers at my eyes and then toward you).

The reality is, cloud computing is a catch phrase created to breathe life into the Internet and networking industry. Companies will try to define it the way they see fit and screw up the message because they want to own it. For every 10 companies involved in cloud computing, you're going to get 10 different definitions.

So keep smoking that Twitter crack. You'll never know. Someday cloud computing may become organic doggie doo computing. I'm ready. T-shirts printed and all. Are you?

About Kerry Kobashi

Kerry is the founder of KerryOnWorld. He lives in Silicon Valley and has worked as an engineer and project manager. He owns Kobashi Computing a consulting company.