PAUL MCFEDRIES

We are used to seeing fads come and go, particularly in the fickle realm of popular culture: hula hoops, Pet Rocks, CB radio, the Atkins Diet, and Crocs, to name but a very few. You would think that technology would not be buffeted by such changeable winds, but a quick look at some technologies in even recent history belies that hope: PointCast, flash mobs, Tamagotchis, Second Life, Friendster, and LOLcats, to name a few. So the to-thepoint question is this: "Is cloud computing just another technological fad?" If you talk to people in IT or read the business press, you'd be forgiven for thinking the answer is a resounding "Yes!" After all, the word cloud seems to be on every speaker's lips and every writer's fingertips.

Welcome, then, to Cloud Computing: Beyond the Hype, the first book in HP Press' new HP Technology Series. One of this book's goals is to convince you that cloud computing resolutely is not a fad. It may be overhyped at the moment, but it is definitely not some passing technical fancy that you can turn a blind eye to and move on with your business life. Why am I so sure that cloud computing won't end up in the dustbin of technological history, alongside virtual reality and (soon) MySpace? Because, as this book explains, at its heart cloud computing is not based on the appeal of whimsy or the pull of marketing. Instead, it is a reaction to a world that is undergoing drastic changes economically, culturally, and socially.

Please use links below to learn more about the book. (For some of the links you'll need a program that can open PDF files, such as Adobe Reader.)

• Table of Contents (72 KB PDF)
• Introduction (521 KB PDF)
• Index (79 KB PDF)