Is cloud computing more than just a new piece of marketing campaign?

You know cloud computing has hit the big time, or more to the point at least the vocabulary has, when the more mainstream press starts writing about it. Today's Wall Street Journal has a wonderfully titled article, "The Internet Industry Is on a Cloud - Whatever That May Mean."

The article does a great job giving a state of the state on clouds and aptly points out how overused the term already is and the fact that frankly, the concepts behind cloud computing have been around for a while. So what's new and different this time other than we haven't invented a new buzzword this month so we are behind quota?

You could argue that if not for Google pushing the cloud agenda in 2006, we may still be talking about the ability to parse our technology resources under the realm of utility computing. Yawn, pillow druel etc.

While cloud computing still lacks an agreed upon definition, please don't let that get in the way of our marketing speak.

The WSJ article quotes Salesforce.com's Mark Benioff stating that since the company started using the term cloud computing, it's revenue grew 44 percent. That's more than impressive and I'm sure the company's cloud computing event --- complete with staffers wearing white puffy jackets and holding oversized cloud balloons while the Rolling Stones' "Get off My Cloud" blared in the background -- made for a fun day at the office.

For those who have been in tech marketing for a while, I suspect they've been itching for something cool to wrap their campaigns around. Let's face it, trying to be creative when you're pushing a technology called application servers, multiprocessors or high performance computing pales in comparison to all the fun you can have when you're working on something called the cloud.

C'mon, the puns and headlines practically write themselves. Not a cloud in the sky, not nebulous like SOA, storm clouds, cloudy forecast, etc. While there's certainly a valid business argument to be made with regard to the value of the cloud, I just have to wonder if it would have this much steam if we stuck with calling it utility computing, client server, or the now dated 'on demand' catchphrase.

Do you think cloud computing is catching on for its business and technology benefits or it's all just puffery driven by marketing speak? Drop me a line and tell me what you think.