Personally, I don't much care for this cloud computing; I like to handle my own data. Store it where I want to store it. Delete it when I want to delete it, and not trust it to others. When I am using a program, I want it to be my program. Not somebody else's. If I want to use an old version of the program, that should be okay; I don't want to have to ask permission. And hard drives are so big these days, there is no trouble finding a place for the data.

I know that is not the way things are going. If you utilize cloud computing somebody else has the program, and you are simply using it. If it crashes, somebody else fixes it. And if your computer crashes, all is not lost. Furthermore, somebody else takes care of viruses and updates.

These days when people mention cloud computing, and someone asks "Where's this cloud?" we simply make reference to the Internet, and move on with the conversation.

So, where is this cloud? What does it look like? Who owns it? Why should I trust it?

First, some definition. Cloud computing essentially lets companies outsource information technology services. The cloud provider has the programs you need, when you need them. Programs are kept up to date, and are serviced as required. That provider also stores your data and provides appropriate security.

Who are these providers? Do they really believe that the future lies in cloud computing? Look at some of the acquisitions that have taken place in the past several years:

• HP purchased data storage company 3Par Inc for $2.4 billion.
• HP bought Ospware, a data center automation startup for $1.6 billion.
• HP bought ArcSight, a security software company, for $1.5 billion in cash.
• Dell acquired EqualLogic Inc. for $1.4 billion.
• Dell bought storage company Ocarina Networks.
• Dell bought server-computer maker Scalent Systems.
• VMware bought Integrien, a provider of network analysis, and TriCipher, a security software developer.
• Verizon is paying $1.4 billion to acquire Terremark Worldwide, an operator of data centers. (Its customers include the FCC and the Library of Congress)

The list goes on. Unknown companies, each with some specialty, and supposedly with a leg-up, are being gobbled up by companies rushing to get into the business. This leads to the problem of facilities. Clearly, in order to provide cloud computing, and all it entails, the provider must have some pretty extensive facilities. In simple terms, data centers.

Microsoft has it's own date centers; so does Google. Verizon already operates more than 220 data centers in 23 countries.

Many of the companies gearing up to get in this business have their own data centers, but some contract with other companies -- for example, with Akamai Technologies, or Limelight Networks, and or Amazon. Akamai is known for its placement of data centers; they are placed so that the data they deliver (and make no mistake: delivering data is the prime use of these centers) can be handled efficiently on the Internet.

The latest and greatest move in the field of cloud computing and data centers comes to us from Apple. The company is building a giant server farm in Maiden, North Carolina. The facility, about to come online, is claimed to be 505,000 square fet. Its construction and its planned use are being kept secret, although aerial photographs provide some clues. Almost certainly it will be used to deliver music, apps, and video from the iTunes Store. The iTunes Store alone sells about 10 million music downloads per day. The App store, which services iPods, iPads, and iPhones, sells another 10 million downloads per day.

If this isn't enough, Apple filed for permits to construct another facility on the same site in Maiden.

Is cloud computing here to stay? You betcha!

What’s your take on this subject? Leave a comment and get the conversation going.