CLOUD — THE NEXT MAJOR DEVELOPMENT IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Cloud Computing is the latest major evolution in computing. An important stage in the development of IT systems, it is comparable with the emergence of the mainframe, the minicomputer, the microprocessor, the PC, the Internet, and the World-Wide Web.

 Cloud Computing is made possible by the convergence of a number of new and existing technologies, most notably virtualization and the Internet.

 Enterprises are adopting Cloud Computing because it can deliver agility, productivity, quality of service, lower cost, and the ability to take advantage of new business opportunities. What makes Cloud Computing really exciting is that its potential effect on business is not just incremental improvement but disruptive transformation, which it enables through new operating models.

 The Open Group Cloud Computing Work Group is working with other industry bodies to facilitate the growth of Cloud Computing and its deployment in enterprises. As you would expect from The Open Group, its focus is on secure architecture enabled by open systems. Its output is available from The Open Group Bookstore and on the Web .

 Recognizing that cloud computing brings both potential benefits and concerns to businesses, The Open Group Jericho Forum® has provided guidance on cloud computing usage. Jericho's Cloud Cube Model: Selecting Cloud Formations for Secure Collaboration publication delivers important recommendations for cloud usage. The paper describes various aspects of cloud computing, including open/proprietary, perimeterized/de-peremiterized, insourced/outsourced, and internal/external dimensions.

 In addition to the Cloud Cube model, the forum continues to work on identity management challenges relating to cloud computing and collaboration. For more information on the work of the Jericho Forum, please refer to the primary Jericho Forum site.

 To help educate the IT community on cloud computing, The Open Group also features cloud computing tracks and plenary sessions at our quarterly conferences. These include periodic CloudCamp unconferences. For more information on upcoming Open Group cloud events, please refer to our events.

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