Guest Column: The Storage Outlook - Partly Cloudy

By Mike Workman, Chairman and CEO, Pillar Data Systems

What is cloud computing and how does it affect my business? The answer depends on to whom you are talking. Some people would argue that it is Web 2.0 reinvented. Others would say that it's a new way to deliver applications. However, one thing is for sure: it needs a common definition to determine its impact on business.

It's very unlikely that serious people write "cloud this" or "cloud that" into contracts or quotes for services. In fact, I doubt that language using the word "cloud" survives serious environments at all, so it probably isn't all that dangerous. People who use this term are those who want to appear to be "in the know." They are people who want to frame ideas as something new, rather than doing something old in a slightly newer way.