Scalability & why it matters

Missing from much of the Web 2.0 discussion is the real change that is happening behind the scenes. There is a race to see who is going to control the "computing on the cloud" experience. No duh? But wait, I am not talking about the latest social networking app du jour, but rather the race to build "the biggest, baddest data centers that the world has ever known."

Why? Because scalability matters for nearly ALL online businesses that want to grow (which don't?), and the best way to get it is to buy it from the grid. Information Technology, as in the "speeds and feeds," is no longer something any business should be managing in house. Bad things happen when you try to scale in house systems. The relationship to other pain points (e.g. staffing) is not linear and it is not long before the "wheels fall off of the wagon."  The marketplace is quickly waking up to this reality. Google and others want to be well positioned when the inflection point comes.

The inflection point is approaching at light speed. The future "ain't what is use to be." Change or die.