Cloud Cover

I meant to blog an item I saw earlier this week about Dell seeking to trademark the term Cloud Computing. According to an excerpt from the filing quoted at the above link, Dell wants this filing to cover not just a proprietary cloud computing platform but general use of the term cloud computing, which it defines as

IC 040. US 100 103 106. G & S: Custom manufacture of computer hardware for use in data centers and mega-scale computing environments for others

IC 042. US 100 101. G & S: Design of computer hardware for use in data centers and mega-scale computing environments for others; customization of computer hardware for use in data centers and mega-scale computing environments for others; design and development of networks for use in data centers and mega-scale computing environments for others; Consulting services for data centers and mega-scale computing environments in the fields of design, selection, implementation, customization and use of computer hardware and software systems for others; Consulting services for data centers and mega-scale computing environments in the fields of design, selection, implementation, customization and use of computer hardware and software systems for others

What initially raised my hackles is that Dell’s definition of cloud computing is a bit too focused on hardware for our taste. Although appropriate hardware design for cloud computing datacenters is important, it is only one of the many technologies, including virtualization, that enable cloud computing. We would add in the economic model of cloud computing, pay-as-you-go only for what you use–as another key characteristic. What damns Dell’s definition, in my mind, is the inclusion of consulting services for datacenter design and customization. One of the big promises of cloud computing is low barriers to entry and the relative absence of high-touch engagements such as consulting contracts. As my esteemed colleague James Governor of Redmonk puts it, “If there is a consultant in the room… its not a cloud.”

To be sure, cloud computing as a general organizational principle for computing is enabled by a well-defined set of enabling technologies and economic models. But one thing I particularly like about cloud computing is its vagueness-by-design, which enables us to think big about the possibilities enabled by this new model of computing without necessarily getting trapped in semantic rabbit holes. There is speculation that Dell’s attempt to trademark this term is a defensive move related to its ownership of cloudcomputing.com. Regardless, trying to put too fine a point on the general definition of cloud computing via a trademark may be a futile exercise that doesn’t necessarily advance the dialogue on this promising new model of computing and may even serve to hold it back.

Have you ever noticed that you can see many more stars in the night sky through your peripheral vision rather than by focusing directly on patches of the sky? Likewise, if we keep cloud computing in your peripheral vision but not in your direct sight, we may be better able to understand what we can accomplish with it.