I keep reading this headline and metaphorically rubbing my eyes/scrubbing my ears.
Cloud Computing Gains Steam With New I.B.M. Gear
What’s up with that? “Cloud” meets “Gear” in a huge PR triumph. Cloud… Gear… geddit?
So Microsoft announces Mesh, and Amazon cloud growth is exploding. But not when we’re looking at the traditional hardware business.
What I hadn’t realised (the NY Times story has been an open tab all week) was this:
The I.B.M. systems will mostly be made to order for large customers. One offering involves putting 1,500 server computers into a 40-foot truck trailer, ready to plug in from a parking lot, Mr. Gargan said.
The corporate customers who have been trying out the I.B.M. systems include Yahoo and other Internet companies. But some large companies in finance and other traditional industries have been testing them as well.”
Sounds like Black Box to me.
As legacy boy I am also very pleased to hear that IBM using water cooling is now “innovative” – company used to get hammered for needing a water supply. Water-cooled mainframes. Remember? What’s old is new again.
The point of this post is not that IBM is doing anything wrong. On the contrary – what a roll its on. But – IBM is not leading in cloud computing, its redefining it.
dimitri says:
April 25, 2008 at 5:39 pm
What would be innovative is if the cooling was self-contained, as well as having it’s own self-sufficient power supply, making “hook-ups” obsolete.
Mark Cathcart says:
April 26, 2008 at 4:32 am
As I said before James, it’s not really about redefinig it, or following along the existing clouds, it’s about delivering in the short term the way F500 companies want it for their needs and existing applications.
Chris Mahan says:
April 28, 2008 at 11:38 pm
In response to dimitri:
What would be very cool (ahem) would be to use the heat generated to provide electricity for the data center… Failing that, to provide hot showers for the staff, or maybe to heat the local sheds, etc.
btw typo:
in “But – IBM is not leading in cloud computing, its redefining it.” its -> it’s.