The Cloud is …

Earlier this week the UN Broadband Commission labelled the cloud as being green, stating that the use of cloud computing reduces the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Indirectly, we’ve always told customers this, as using a cloud server can reduce the amount of wasted CPU cycles; the report however also states that the cloud is green, as it can cut back on pollutants expelled from transportation.

With the UN Broadband Commission joining the party, adding their own definitions of what the cloud is, I thought I’d gather some friends and go on a trek to figure out what the cloud means to each of you! (The picture is actually me in Hocking Hills, Ohio, coincidently, staring at the clouds)
They say family comes before everything, so the first man I sought out, was cousin, and AppleTell editor, Kirk Hiner on what the cloud means to him. Kirk, in his own unique style, described how the cloud makes his documents fireproof: “Okay…the cloud is a bank of computers somewhere in the ether that store the files I send their way. This way, when my house burns down (which I assume it will because of my hard way of living), my documents will live to see another day.”
Not satisfied with just Kirk’s answer, I asked a few members of the extended VPS.NET family, through our Twitter and Facebook presence. We received an overwhelming amount of responses, however, after seeking clarification, my favorite definitely came from @badgerbalti, who remarkably threw in a Will Ferrell joke. I’m impressed! I didn’t know anyone actually watched AND memorized lines from Blades of Glory.
@badgerbalti – The Cloud is … figure skating Boom!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWi0Owg4ZbM[/youtube]
Other members of the VPS.NET extended family, including managing director, @RusFoster and @UnitedHosting, could only think happy thoughts about the cloud, describing it as “Fluffy.”
Geoff Woollams shares a more dystopian thought on Facebook, fearing that it may be the beginning of Skynet. Meanwhile, OnApp founder, Ditlev Bredahl, could only muster up that the cloud is OnApp. We feel slightly differently about that at VPS.NET, Ditlev!
What have learned here from our unscientific study? I don’t have a clue. Only that the cloud takes a different meaning to each person. Whether that means it’s flexible, or simply remains undefined, I don’t know. With some analysts expecting the cloud to replace the PC by 2014, I just know that those entrepreneurs and small businesses who have already adopted the cloud are sitting in quite the enviable position.
For those of you who weren’t able to participate in our impromptu study, what does the cloud mean to you, and where do you see it being used in the future?