Half a dozen big names have long dominated the American technology sphere, but the rise of web-based companies threatens to recast the pecking order and is forcing the old guard to rethink their business models.The widespread use of web-based applications such as Yahoo!’s e-mail and Google’s search engine has forced the likes of IBM, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard to wonder how they can profit from the new era of computing through remote data centres.Google has led the charge of internet companies promoting consumer services that operate remotely – so-called cloud computing. Now IBM and others have started to offer computer services for business on huge data centres not owned or operated by the customers themselves.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article6074181.ece