IBM launching "Blue Cloud"

IBM is planning to take a page from Google to bring better information and programming from remote locations to consumers. It's the latest chapter in Big Blue's efforts to capture more corporate clients. IBM is calling its initiative "Blue Cloud." It's a version of supercomputing known as cloud computing that can search and retrieve vast amounts of information from around-the-world. This Internet-based supercomputing is called cloud computing because vast stores of information and processing resources can be tapped from afar from virtually any kind of computer.

Experts say this is the next step in information strategy. IBM hopes to sell more IBM products and services for cloud computing. The company is expected to launch this initiative in the spring of 2008. And the cost will be low to users. Most of the basic software for cloud computing is open source. The hardware is typically industry-standard server computers. So what's the advantage for IBM? "Large financial services companies are going to be among the first to be interested," said William M. Zeitler, senior vice president in charge of IBM's systems and technology group. And that means banks and financial institutions with huge amounts of data will be looking for easier ways to deal with retrievable data. "In some ways, the cloud is a natural next step from the grid-utility model," said Frank Gens, an analyst at the research firm IDC. And it may mean that the world will one day become one small computer screen instead of many screens.

For more on IBM and "Blue Cloud:"
- See The New York Times article (sub. req.)