It wasn't so long ago that being told you had "your head in a cloud" wasn't any kind of compliment. For computer and IT folks, it is now. As "cloud computing" becomes the Buzzword Of The Millennium (until the next one) it is going through the usual growing pains—defining itself, redefining how companies use applications, being misunderstood and, sometimes, being adopted too quickly.

New developments, in everything from computing to gardening, tend to be disruptive, especially to systems whose rationale has been reduced to "the way we do things." That's a dangerous attitude in any enterprise, but can be deadly in business. Cloud computing has already started to disrupt the way in which business users think, but the big question is, When do we jump on board? Fortunately, the benefits of running your web applications in a cloud are starting to come into focus.

Fast rising vapor?

The term for software or products that are talked up but don't show up, is "vaporware." In an interesting nexus, clouds are made up entirely of vapor. Let's hope the similarity ends there, since cloud computing is already starting to have effects, although small at present, on how people and companies consume (or don't consume) hardware and software. "Cloud computing" is not just the latest hip terminology, it is already part of the core IT thinking of tech pundits and corporate evangelists.

Naturally, as with anything new and different, cloud computing is causing a good deal of arguing and finger pointing. Bloggers, technoids, Twitter talkers, think tanks and programmers galore have already invested thousands of hours and spread billions of pixels in efforts to convince everyone (themselves, too, perhaps) that they have The Correct Take on Cloud Computing. Of course, almost as many other smart folks are taking pot shots at the whole idea. All this, of course, is a good thing.

Debate good, groupthink bad!

The debate(s) will spur a lot of good thinking and force proponents to turn their PR soundbites into real explanations and suggestions. Necessity is the mother of invention, while tension is the mother of refinement. Among the most important refinements to watch for, naturally, are those that will address the glaring security and privacy risks. Still, there is enough meat on the cloud computing bone right now to see at least half a dozen benefits that IT decision-makers should consider. Briefly, and in no particular order, they are as follows:

Reduced cost

Adoption of cloud technology is done incrementally, which means the costs are spread out over time, saving money.

Increased storage

Organizations will be able to store much more data in a cloud-computing model than on their in-house, private systems. Scalability and "JITS" (Just In Time Storage) are also efficiency enhancements, and can be money-savers, too, when done right.

Automated updates

In an echo of Scott McNealy's pitch for Sun's "the web is the computer" of some years ago cloud computing enthusiasts point out that IT personnel would no longer need to fret, bother or raise a finger to keep software updated.

Flexibility squared

Cloud computing will offer many more times the flexibility than existing computing models. IT managers will be able to manage dynamic, evolving networks and accessorize them however they deem necessary, for a minute or an hour or a month. This is an amazing benefit that could quickly turn into a liability with dithering, indecisive management. Cloud computing will require good planning, deft execution and quick thinking, but why should that scare anyone off?

Increased mobility

Individuals and corporate employees will be able to access their information from wherever they are, anywhere they can get Internet access, rather than remaining tethered to their desks. Again, this is a double-edged sword, since security and privacy issues magnify when access points multiply. In addition, project management can often suffer without "face time," and the notion that teamwork can proceed with tight controls as the team turns into telecommuters is as yet untested.

IT efforts can be (re)focused

If IT managers no longer need to bother with ongoing server and application updates, and a host of other computing issues that the cloud model is built to address, organizations can focus and refocus their efforts. In an ideal world, this leaves creative minds free to create, solve, innovate and improve. In a fallible one like we really live in, this may have unintended consequences, like complacency.

Summing up

Will there be benefits to cloud computing? Of course, and Amazon and others are already showing the way. Will it be a smooth ride from here to there (wherever "there" is)? Of course not. In human systems, which is where the non-human systems like cloud computing have to reside, there has been very little success with planning, managing or controlling the evolution of a new technology.

At this point, with massive interest in this new computing model, the best approach is the "multiple lab" method. That is, watch from the sidelines, while dipping your toe in the water if you want to, and see which of the myriad approaches works, or at least points in the right direction. There will be benefits, certainly, but they will come after the requisite number of mistakes and missteps. As long as you don't venture down the path ahead of the group learning curve, you will be walking with your head in the clouds along with a lot of other folks—and sooner rather than later.