So what is the "killer" cloud application going to be?

[Mark_Lenovo Administrator]

With many companies launching cloud offerings, I'm curious what you think might be the "killer" application in the cloud?

Is it  data storage? 

Is it identity management?

Is it data synchronization?

Is it the ability to access certain types of information in a standard, modularized form?  (Apps, music, movies are perhaps what we would think of, and ecosystems that allow companies and individuals to develop, share, distribute within this framework)  

What do you think would really stand out? 

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

How about using the computational resources within the cloud to process complex data sets?

Like doing complex CAD or Movie Editing on an ultrabook or entry level PC by utilizing computational resources that is available on the cloud?

For University researches, they sometimes need lot of CPU/GPU resources for complex scientific modelling. But supercomputers are expensive to purchase, house and maintain. Private or Public cloud can provide a cheaper alternative to having a supercomputer within the campus.

[Mark_Lenovo Administrator]

Lead_org,

Cool !  - hadn't thought about that, although "grid computing" has been around for a while.

I can see both free and fee services versions (with committed computational levels) of this idea...

So what else?

Mark

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

Grid computing has been around for a while, but they are time consuming to manage, and there are lot of compatibility issues. Current cloud technology can provide an easier way to do it. Something that would be usable to people whom have little IT skills.

Lot of the cloud techologies are built on existing technologies that may have existed in some ways and form for many years.

But it is how they are implementated and how they are integrated into a holistic package that would be the game changer.

[buddinggeek]

From a consumer point of view for me its Google docs.From a business perspective I cannot say - But I did have had a first hands experience as to how Pixar utilizes windows azure to port its rendering software to the cloud so there might be more interesting things coming up.

Cloud Computing should become more mainstream than where it is today- perhaps then we can get some killer apps something like how Microsoft office is a killer app on all the PC's 

[MrPeter1985 Guru]

Autodesk already is on it Lead_org and Mark.

They have a cross platform CAD that is cloud based. Share with other Co-workers and you can even work on them together.

http://www.autocadws.com/mobile