Google and IBM have a cloud deal

IBM and Google are teaming up to create what they hope will be the primary IT delivery model of the future--cloud computing. In the next year, the two companies intend to make available a network of servers for consumers and businesses to tap everything from online soccer schedules to advanced engineering applications.

The IBM-Google cloud runs on Linux-based machines using Xen virtualization and Apache Hadoop, an open source implementation of the Google File System. The companies see high business value, and their efforts are bound to be attractive to many CIOs. IBM is focusing on small and midsize companies around the world, which it says represent a $500 billion IT market.

Google and IBM could potentially supply business computer users with hosted offerings ranging from word processing software to management and security tools.

To read more about the future:
- see this InformationWeek article