Overcast: Conversations on Cloud Computing

I'm happy to announce that Geva Perry and I have started a new podcast, titled "Overcast: Conversations on Cloud Computing". The show covers cloud computing, virtualization, application infrastructures and related topics, and we will be inviting a number of prominent guests in coming weeks to inform us and our listeners about both the truly revolutionary and the simply evolutionary aspects of the cloud. We are also both skeptical enough to ask some tough questions about the reality of the cloud from time to time. We hope you'll enjoy the discussion, and provide plenty of feedback.

Geva has some additional details and insights on his blog. Visit the podcast blog at http://overcast.typepad.com, which provides a synopsis of the discussion, and links to relative sites, etc. Subscribe, either via RSS or in iTunes, and if you want to participate in a future show, contact me at james dot urquhart at yahoo dot com.

Here is the summary of Show #1:

We discuss recent news in cloud computing including:

• New features from Amazon Web Services, such as auto-scaling and load-balancing, and how it affects Amazon's eco-system of partners such as RightScale, GigaSpaces and others; as well as AWS coming out of beta and offering SLAs
• Microsoft Azure and whether or not it will help Microsoft attract non .Net developers to it
• CohesiveFT's new VPN-Cubed product
• IBM's announcement that they are offering Lotus Notes as software-as-a-service

We also discuss:

• The potential roles of IBM, HP and Sun in cloud computing
• The recent debate between Tim O'Reilly and Nick Carr on the Network Effect in cloud computing
• The notion of vendor "vision lock-in" -- announcements aimed at making potential customers take pause before selecting a cloud vendor
• and much more...