IBM’s “Air Traffic Controllers” Ensures Cloud Efficiency
It’s no secret that IBM is always looking for ways to innovate the cloud. IBM research recently submitted U.S. Patent #8645745 in which IBM’s insiders nicknamed the cloud’s “Air Traffic Controller.” When you begin using large, complex cloud systems, bottlenecks can occur and specific nodes aren’t always performing their best. Software exists for you to monitor these bottlenecks and performance gaps but up until now, being able to proactively re-route CPU and data loads to the best possible node to ensure user satisfaction was pure fantasy; until now.
Eric Barsness is an inventor at IBM. In regards to IBM’s newest invention, he was quoted as saying, “Try to imagine the tens of thousands of aeroplanes that fly across the United States each day being managed by a single air traffic controller, who must keep track of each one and determine what runways, gates, maintenance facilities, etc., are available at every airport across the country.” Barsness went on to mention, “The best way to complete that task efficiently and effectively is to break it up to thousands of air traffic controllers, each of which has a view of all resources available and can prioritize and direct traffic accordingly. That’s effectively what this invention can do within a cloud computing environment.”
While this invention will probably need time to mature in order for it to make it into IBM’s cloud production environments, patents such as IBM’s Air Traffic Controller are essential for large scale clouds to function with the customer’s best interest and bottom line in mind. IBM’s cloud Air Traffic Controller will benefit large banks and brokerage houses the most. These types of cloud systems often carry intensive, unpredictable loads. In the investment banking world, gaining milliseconds on a transaction can mean a significant advantage. In some instances, milliseconds can mean millions of dollars. With IBM’s cloud Air Traffic Controller, these financial institutions can rest assured that their cloud systems are performing in the most efficient manner possible.
