12. Outlook

Cloud Computing isn't just a fad. It's a revolution in the way IT resources are organized, managed and distributed. A revolution in IT is a new technology that makes it possible to do much better for much less. In Cloud Computing, "much better" means on-demand user access to services, a pool of non-localized resources and rapid resizing (elasticity). Much cheaper" is the combination of pay-per-use billing and the economies of scale generated by the resource pool. The Cloud Computing model is therefore set to gain widespread acceptance and inspire the organization of all data centers over the next twenty years. However, this model is still in its infancy, and still evolving rapidly. Widespread standards are still lacking to ensure the necessary interoperability between the offerings of different suppliers. We also need to give companies confidence in the security models and management tools...