From Grid to Cloud ...

Setting course for the future ...

The Grid Computing Now! team is embarking on the next stage of their project, looking forwards to the next wave of innovation to hit the ICT streets. There are some obvious trends to track, in no special order:- Virtualisation; Multi-core; System Middleware; Service oriented Architectures and Web Services. All this against a background of increasingly pervasive networking and growing storage capacity. That much is pretty obvious, but where are the disruptors which enable new opportunities - such as wireless communications and mobility; or personal computing. What are the new frontiers of application which will change the world we live in for the better? How will we manage in a less secure world; with higher and higher yields of crops required to feed us despite a changing climate? How will we travel, will we need to, will we have to pay to do so on public roads? How will we improve the situation of the vulnerable and elderly in society, especially those without computer skills in a world where many transactions will be made on-line? Is there a dividend to be obtained from pervasive computing - if so what and where?

If you've any bright ideas about the next wave of innovation in computing, particularly in the application of computing to our societal needs, I would be interested to hear your thoughts. We have an event at the end of May which is aimed at exploring this whole area more systematically. But, your ideas would be equally of interest if you could post them against this blog.

Looking forwards to hearing from you!

posted by Ian Osborne, Grid Man Now! @ 5:57 AM