We've spoken at some length in the past about Cloud Computing. About how the technology is improving, and how the concept is being embraced by users and suppliers alike. We know that with Cloud Computing the actual computing is done "out there." In the cloud. And that's a pretty good analogy – when we, physically, are in a fog bank we know we are in a cloud. But it's a rather amorphous thing. We have a bit of trouble reaching out and touching it. So it is with Cloud Computing.

But the concept certainly has advantages. Personal computers, and office computers, can be simpler. A user doesn't have to buy, and install, individual programs (spread sheet, word processing, financial, etc.) because that particular application is handled elsewhere. And updating a program doesn't have to be done for each and every computer.

But back to that amorphous thing called a "cloud." Where is it? What is it? To keep it simple (much too simple) it is a whole bunch of data centers, each with thousands of servers.

Here is a partial list of companies in the business, along with the number of servers they operate:

Intel................................100,000 servers
OVH.................................80,000   
SoftLayer.........................78,000   
Akamai Technologies......73,000
1&1Internet.....................70,000
Facebook.........................60,000
Rackspace.......................63,996
iWeb................................35,000
Verizon............................25,000
Time Warner Cable.........25,000
AT&T..............................20,000

These numbers are by no means up to date, and you'll note that some of the biggest users aren't even listed. Google, for instance. (rumor has it that Google has 1,000,000 servers). And the U.S. Government, which maintains more than 11,000 data centers, each with thousands of servers. And Apple, which even now is cutting over a 505,000-square-foot center in Maiden, North Carolina.

Just what does it take to set up and maintain a data center?
1. Physical Layout
2. Access to both front and rear of 19" frames
3. Overhead racks or raised floor

Electrical Power
Power consumption has always been a problem with electronic equipment. With portable equipment (e.g., cellphones, laptops, smart phones) it boils down to the current drain of the equipment and the capability of the battery. With stationary equipment it boils down to the cost of the electricity, and the heat constantly being generated. Chips are being designed that are smaller, faster, and use less electricity -- but the job is never done.

Providing power to a data farm, where thousands of computers are in operation, is no small chore. Drawing from the telephone industry, we know that there should be dual power feeds, and certainly a backup generator. It has been found that for large data centers the power requirement is more than 100 times that of a typical office building. Clearly, then, electricity costs are a major operating expense; in some cases they account for over 10% of the total cost of ownership of a data center.

Cooling
Just as data centers require a lot of electricity, they produce a lot of heat. By some estimates, for every 100 watts spent on running the servers, 50 watts are needed to cool them.

Location
Where, then, does one go to find cheap electricity and modest need for cooling? Two such places are Iceland, and Finland. In both cases centers are being set up. Iceland has and abundance of electricity (generated with geo-thermal systems) and certainly is not lacking in cold weather. Finland is known as the land of a thousand lakes, and has no shortage of cooling water.

This leaves the problem of communications, and in the case of Iceland fiber optic cables are being laid to both Europe and the United States.

There is, of course, more to it than that. There has to be a decent labor source.

And I suppose you'd want to avoid hurricane-prone areas.

And security is a consideration.

Fire Protection
Many methods are used to insure protection from fire. Smoke detectors, hand held extinguishers, sprinklers, and special gaseous systems all play a role. And certainly fire walls (real fire walls) are used to segregate sections of the facility.

Are you ready for Cloud Computing? There are millions of servers out there, just waiting for you.