The next day, I came across another blog post written by an enterprise IT professional. In it, he pooh-poohed the advantage and serviceability of automated IT tools. He posited that, for most organizations, a solution of human computing (meaning smart, experienced, people) is the right way to achieve a consistent, efficient infrastructure.

I often come across people who denigrate cloud computing. They point out systems that require careful hand tuning to achieve acceptable performance.

Database configuration in production ERP environments is commonly cited as an example of why cloud computing automation isn't sufficient. The suggested conclusion is that IT organizations should continue existing practices because they ensure that finicky applications requiring trial-and-error optimization by experienced professionals can be managed properly.

A third event illustrating the existential threat that cloud computing poses to IT came about as a result of Apple's release of the new iPhone 4S and the accompanying iCloud. Apple includes 5 GB of free storage to let customers manage photos, videos, etc. Seeing an opportunity to piggyback on this high profile event, box.net that it would make available to any iPhone or iPad user 50 GB of free storage.

What struck me about box.net's announcement is the contrast between this distribution of free resources with the typical stringent rationing of computing resources within most companies (which, of course, is driven by the restricted budgets doled out to IT organizations).