Have you heard of the Intercloud? It’s a new term being tossed around in the technology industry today. It became the focus of a recent conference of technology experts put on by Cisco in Las Vegas. Today, everything is on the Internet and Cisco recently announced plans to provide software that would allow organizations (and individuals) to move their data and software from one place to the next.
Essentially, it could commoditize the power of the Internet. With Cisco’s new technology, it would be as easy to switch from Google to Amazon or a smaller regional data center like Marco as it is switching phone companies or Internet providers. That’s significant. Very significant. This is an extension of what’s being called the “Internet of Everything” or the “Internet of Things.”
We’ve talked a lot about clouds over the past decade. The Intercloud aims to bring them all together. It’s possible because everything on the Internet is linked. There really are three clouds within the network:
- Public: Google, Amazon, Windows Azure, etc.
- Private Enterprise: Commonly created by health care organizations and large enterprises to allow more control and access speed.
- Hybrid: Offered by Cisco and partners like Marco for organizations of all sizes and in all industries.
The size of the organization and its specific applications most often dictate the cloud today and using varying clouds requires technical expertise to ensure functionality. But in the near future, with new software like Cisco is developing, it may not matter which cloud an organization chooses.
Cisco expects to invest over $1 billion to build what’s being called the world’s largest global Intercloud to network them all together. What will this mean for organizations? Here are three key results:
- Easy to move.
Storing and moving data as a company grows or needs change will become easier in this Intercloud system. This gives organizations more flexibility.
- Reduced costs.
The ability to easily move data will create a more competitive environment and turn Internet resources into a commodity. That means lower prices overall.
- End user experience.
While it will be easy to move data or lower costs for the organizations, the interface and processes will change for the people who use it – employees. The end-user experience is most often overlooked and can be significantly affected by change – not always for the better. It will be important for organizations to recognize the ripple effect of a decision to move and the impact on employees. It could cost the organization more in the end in lost productivity if not thoughtfully implemented.
This is really the next step in utility-based computing. Cisco CEO John Chambers coined the “Intercloud” term. We’ll see if it takes hold. I bet it will. It stands to change business as we know it.
