"Virtualization requires massive volume to be profitable. Cloud computing will enable that massive volume." With succinct sound bites like that, it is not surprising that Barry X Lynn, CEO of 3Tera (pictured below), is much in demand as a speaker at conferences devoted to Cloud & Virtualization.

In this brief interview with SYS-CON's Cloud Computing Journal, in the run-up to 3Tera's participation in the 4th International Cloud Computing Conference & Expo, Lynn discusses the current buoyant state of cloud computing, including the whys and the wherefores of its growing success and pervasiveness.

Before all else, Lynn is keen to "nail" the nitty-gritty question of what IS Cloud?

"Cloud computing." he notes, "is the encapsulation of applications with everything they need to run, and their abstraction from the physical resources they run on, so they can run anytime, anywhere. Don't let anyone sell you any less!"

Here are some of the other questions asked and answered during the interview:

Cloud Computing Journal: Where do you think Cloud Computing will make its impact most noticeably in 2010?

Barry X Lynn: More and more service providers will offer Cloud services. Enterprises will start implementing private and hybrid Clouds

Cloud Computing Journal: What is the biggest category of user is not using the Cloud right now, who ought to be?

Lynn: The biggest category of users not using Clouds are those that have not had a light bulb go off in their heads that tells them - Hey - I'm in the financial services business. Hey, I'm in the healthcare business. Hey, I'm in the manufacturing business. Why the heck am I managing servers???!!!

Cloud Computing Journal: How important is Virtualization to the Cloud, and vice versa?

Virtualization is as important to Cloud as a hammer is to a carpenter. Virtualization is a tool that is used in Cloud Computing. But virtualizations knows nothing about applications - only about the virtual machines that make up applications. Cloud encapsulates entire applications.

Virtualization has become commoditized. As such, virtualization requires massive volume to be profitable. Cloud computing will enable that massive volume.

Cloud Computing Journal: Who in your view are the Top Three Companies in the Cloud as at Fall 2009?

Lynn: 3Tera - a pioneer and the only turnkey platform that powers public, private and hybrid clouds; Amazon - also a pioneer and the clear market share leaders; and Google - because they are Google and there's a place for the Cloud as an advertisement media.

Cloud Computing Journal: Lastly, which Cloud Companies are the most likely to be bought up next by the giants?

Lynn: I think that Cloud Computing represents the future of IT and the next generation datacenter. Companies that enable management of this next generation will be gobbled up by giants as Cloud becomes pervasive - and it will!!!