It's time for tech investors to get their heads in a cloud.
Cloud computing is one of those tech buzzwords that surface, usually in Silicon Valley, and float around the periphery — until suddenly becoming a solid piece of the technology lexicon. Think virtualization, Web 2.0 or cleantech, among recent examples.
Yes, the verbiage is part of the hype machine. But in all these cases, the buzzwords speak about tech fields that could produce future corporate winners.
This time, the buzz is about cloud computing. The idea is for computer users to tap resources via the Web, rather than your own computer hard drive.
Cloud computing companies say the process is like pulling down applications and data from an amorphous cloud, says Dennis Quan, the chief technology officer for the IBM (IBM) high performance on-demand solutions group.
"This involves universal access to get information and services from anywhere," Quan said.
