A head in the clouds

Purpose – There is a quiet change going on in computing that can alter the landscape of the software and information industries. Cloud computing promises to provide various information services at a lower cost and change the model of capitalizing IT investment for software entrepreneurs and businesses. What are the implications of this trend? Design/methodology/approach – As a viewpoint this article is based on personal reflection and analysis of trends in computing. Findings – This article outlines the key advantages of cloud computing and its likely implications on corporate IT strategy, software innovation and pricing. Increasingly IT will migrate to clouds, software innovation will burgeon as new vendors find less barriers to enter software businesses and pricing will be by use of applications. Originality/value – This reflective viewpoint provides pragmatic critical thinking on a key business and technology transformation.