Seattle businesses jump into the cloud

Cloud computingthe hosting of applications in highly
efficient remote data centers rather than in-house server roomsis inarguably
coming into vogue, and with good reason: It can save money, allow geographic
flexibility and even cut down on companies energy use. The Seattle startup scene has not only been a
pioneer in cloud computing, but is now responsibly leading the charge to make
it work for everyone.

While the cloud is efficient and even
environmentally friendly, its danger is accessibility. A global transition to
the cloud runs the risk of putting a wedge between large, tech-savvy companies
with the means and know-how to switch smoothly and everyone else who still has
to Wikipedia the cloud to remember what it is. Seattle startups have already begun to jump
on board to market their skills as middlemen for companies switching to cloud
computing.

Several small companies not only host data in their own
clouds, but offer services to help customers transition into the cloud. Seattles SkyTap is one
little guy trying to make cloud computing easier. The company offers its own
cloud hosting, and also allows users to create hybrid clouds hosted in
SkyTaps cloud but with each customers security specifications. Symform, also
Seattle based, reinvents the cloud by pricing its storage by user rather than
by data size. Seattles
OpsCode lets users write recipes to design what they want their cloud storage
to look like. OpsCode then stores the customer-specified product on existing
cloud platforms, such as Amazons.

OpsCode also offers regular training classes in its
products, though it is not alone in educating cloud consumers. The University of Washington recently announced that it
will be offering a cloud certification course starting in the fall. This course,
offered both online and in person in downtown Seattle, offers hands-on practice at
building applications and processing data in the cloud. It also lets
participants understand the platforms of key cloud vendors as well as the
decision-making process for adopting a cloud migration strategy, according to
the course website.

The small hand-holders are not alone: Some of the big local
players in cloud computing, who are responsible for its increased visibility, have
made recent renewed efforts to incentivize and facilitate the switch. Microsoft announced this week that it will offer bonuses to customers who switch to its Dynamics CRM Online cloud service. And Amazon AWS, trying to shed security
concerns about the cloud, launched GovCloud. in early August. GovCloud is
designed for use by state and federal agencies.