People hear the term “cloud computing” and conclude the underlying rationale is cost savings. I believe it is in fact security. While cost savings is no doubt a critical driver of adoption, I would ask a larger question: “What happens to the global economy and our national defense if the Internet cannot be secured?”
Think about it seriously. Cyber crime is the fastest growing business in history and its scale is off the charts. Today there are more than 5 million new variants of malware discovered every day, according to McAfee. What will happen when a $200 million international bank transfer simply disappears, or when credit cards or e-commerce transactions are no longer viable due to the cost of added security or insurance?