The word “open” was in the 1980s used in much the same way that “cloud” is now an IT rallying cry – at that time, openness was a call for action to improve technology, it was a vision for a new generation of networks and systems, it was a set of requirements for interoperability and interworking, and more recently it was a symbol of non-proprietary software.  We’ve certainly come a long way from the days when everyone debated the number of OSI layers, or how the Internet TCP/IP was going to “defeat” IBM’s SNA.

So, is cloud computing the new kid on the block?  Or is it really just another approach to turning IT into a utility?  Has a paradigm shift for the 2010’s really emerged in the form of clouds?

I started to wonder…..are clouds going to become one of the many “tools of the IT trade” or are this just another over-hyped concept that will fade away?  To me, one measure of longevity is whether the industry is setting vendor-neutral standards.

And that brought me right back to the good old days of OSI (Open systems Interconnection).  Could we now have Open Cloud Interconnection (OCI) instead?  Google already has lots of references to Open Cloud Computing.  Or, what if we changed the OSI label to “Open Services Infrastructure” – does that sound like what clouds are?

You heard it here first (I think) – Open Services Infrastructure. 

Perhaps the new OSI might just provide a unifying theme for all of this year’s Blogging Idol topics!!! 

First, any cloud-based system is going to be network-based and distributed – and it would usually be a combination of public and private networks.  Networks such as X.25 were always drawn as clouds!  The Internet has also become intertwined with The Mobile Revolution – pretty much every mobile device uses the Internet – and the Internet is a without doubt critical to any attempt at Defining the Cloud. 

Open Data is a natural fit for OSI (at least in my opinion).  Opening data to the public requires an infrastructure, is clearly a service being provided and has to be “open,” by definition.  Based on this, you could certainly say that OSI is Technology as a Social Enabler.  You could also make the argument that social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are actually specialized clouds.

Could anyone argue that OSI isn’t a Green Technology?  It certainly serves as a way to share resources more efficiently (can you imagine each company and each telco setting up their own competing social networks?).  And who would say that clouds are not all about the money? 

Finally, all of this is clearly being driven by Cool Tech, and I believe we’re just at the beginning of coolness with OSI.  Look at the new iPAD – won’t these types of device create the need for a “book cloud” in much the same way there are now “music clouds”, “video clouds” and “photographic clouds”. 

I think the sky is the limit for the new generation of clouds !!  How cool can that be?