Nick Carr’s 2008 book, The Big Switch, has been closely associated with the rise of Cloud Computing in the minds of many; especially in the wider business world where these ideas are yet to achieve the prevalence that we expect for them over the next few years.
With the paperback edition of Carr’s book just released, he accepted my recent invitation to discuss the issues it addresses, and the resulting conversation has just been released as a 45 minute podcast.
Sometimes portrayed as holding dystopian views with respect to technology in general, and Google in particular, Carr’s comments during the conversation actually provide a balanced and informed view of the prospects for Cloud Computing providers in serving both consumers and Enterprise customers.
Given the severity of the economic situation currently gripping large parts of the world, Carr also comments on the implications for the nascent Cloud Computing industry. Unlike some other areas of technology, Carr agrees that providers of Cloud Computing may well gain during this slowdown as CIOs seize upon the promised financial advantages of subscription software and on-demand computing.