Will Cloud Computing Make Everything (and Everyone) Work Harder?

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Virtualization of computer servers, a core element in the development of cloud computing, made it possible for a single PC that was used 20 percent of the time to be used 80 percent or more. Software monitored workloads, spotted when a machine was free, and assigned it a workload that would keep it busy without distracting it from the original function. Now, thanks to the cloud’s ability to cheaply connect a lot of people and information over a broad array of devices, a similar use of spare resources is going on elsewhere in the economy.

A company called Uber connects limousines that are between jobs with people who want a ride on the spur of the moment – after a boozy dinner, say, or a late night at work. The service Airbnbturns people’s spare rooms into a cheap alternative to hotels, sometimes with mixed results. It is possible to see this trend as a function of the cloud itself, since announcing, finding and occupying vacancies on the fly requires access from a lot of locations to common databases. It was always theoretically possible to rent out your room or pick up a fare in between jobs, but now it can be done cheaply and through a common system.


Will Cloud Computing Make Everything (and Everyone) Work Harder?