From Anne Clelland:

Enough already.  Time to descend through the clouds and get grounded about The Cloud.

I've read the Wikipedia entries on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), cloud computing, and The Cloud.

I've read Davey Shafik's Explaining the Cloud, Mary Hayes Weier's Research Identifies Misconceptions about Cloud Computing (I could relate to checking the "don't know" box), and this tasty tidbit, 10 Cloud Computing Companies to Watch, which mentions a company with a division in my own town.

And then there's this Building43 thing hosted on cloud sites and Robert Scoble mentioning London and "here" - Blacksburg, Virginia - in the same sentence.

Enough already.

Tell me what I need to know about The Cloud in terms I can understand and that I can do something about - or not - for my business, for my customers, and for the greater good.

That about covers it.

And Handshake 2.0 is going to cover it.  We're doing a series on The Cloud, starting Monday, June 15, 2009.  We've asked the experts and they've offered us rich insights about what we need to know.

But we'll begin with a story.

***

Our series on cloud computing began June 12, 2009.  We've compiled links to the series here:

Handshake 2.0 Takes on The Cloud - Introduction
Welcome to The Cloud - The Cloud Computing Story
The Cloud I Want
Cloud Computing for Small Businesses: More With Less
The Benefit of The Cloud for Businesses: Pay-for-Use