Page 215 - How Cloud Computing Is Transforming Business and Why You Cant Afford to Be Left Behind

C A L C ULATING THE FUTURE

Meanwhile, those people who are left running computers and
manning consoles at many companies have little time for ex-
perimenting or considering the implications of the cloud. For
many, its impact won’t be realized until long after its early
adopters have had a long head start.
Consider the following possible example of the type of dis-

ruptive change that will be flowing through the economy soon.
You first noticed a change when a large home builder in
your community went out of business. He hadn’t noticed the
start-up firms that based their business on allowing prospective
owners to design their own homes. Prospects were given a sys-
tem on which they built a design, with the price required to
produce the design guaranteed by the builder. The large home

builder had a few floor plans that had proved popular over the
years. The little firms offered an architect on a USB device,
with thousands of features and floor plans. The system on its
own constantly consulted materials pricing and expertise on
the Internet, then assimilated new options into the design
choices. One person designed a house with energy-saving ap-
pliance management features and a solar panel roof. Another
installed a space where an older relative could have some pri-
vacy. Another, a gardener, installed gray-water diversion plumb-

ing for watering plants without violating his household’s water
quota. Some wanted a wine cellar; others, a continuous wireless
network. The skilled but traditional builder had heard of such
things but had rejected them as too expensive and requiring
expertise beyond the limits of his firm. And as these wacky
designs came off the printer, the houses were being built with
only the design firm serving as the general contractor. Each

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