This Week in Cloud: Massive Cloud Investment by Intel; Welcoming a Post-Cloud World

As (almost) always, it was a busy week in the cloud. Here’s our take on some of the week’s biggest news.

SaaS: The Best Possible Model for SMBs & the Enterprise

SearchCloudComputing.com ran a story on cloud computing’s trajectory from an IT outsourcing strategy to the full-blown platform that it is today (“The Reinvention of SaaS”). We completely agree that SaaS provides the best economies of scale for IT --not only enterprise IT, but for SMB, as well. And while there are inherent security considerations associated with SaaS adoption, the benefits far outweigh the challenges.

Intel Invests $30M in Cloud

Last week, it was hardware giant IBM’s success in the cloud; this week it’s Intel’s turn. According to CNET’s Brooke Crothers, Intel invested $30M in its Intel Science and Technology Centers, located at Carnegie Mellon University. The investment will fund research to make the cloud “more distributed and localized.”

A Post-Cloud World

Bernard Golden, CEO of consulting firm HyperStratus and a cloud advocate, offered six predictions for how cloud computing will change IT in a recent byline on NetworkWorld. We talk a lot about “cloud first” IT, but the concept of post-cloud has a nice ring. It’s only a matter of time until the cloud is the accepted model in IT.

Amazon Web Services: Ease into the Public Cloud

Security is undoubtedly one of the primary concerns of IT departments looking to turn their enterprise to the cloud. Charlie Babcock’s recent write-up about Amazon Web Services in InformationWeek explains how AWS can help assuage enterprise fears about cloud security by offering an intermediary step between the public cloud and a business’ own private cloud