Cloud Computing: The Evolution of Software-as-a-Service

When you plug in a toaster, you're probably not thinking about who generated the electrons that power it. It's also unlikely that you'll wonder how far those electrons traveled to reach you and what source -- coal, nuclear energy, hydro, solar or other -- gave up BTUs to send that energy down a wire into your kitchen.

You don't really need to know the details behind provision of electricity services. After all, electric power has been around for more than 100 years, traveling over grids that have changed little over that time. With the exception of rare outages, you can pretty much trust that whatever electricity you need will be there when you need it.

Today, high tech players are hoping you'll develop a similar relationship with computing capacity.

Like electricity, the next big upgrade to your corporate systems department may be something you will use but never see. It could be "cloud computing," the next step in the evolution of software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology.
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