Recently in March, Netflix announced a competition offering $100,000 prize money to whoever could best improve their cloud computing technology. The contest continues to run until September and is open to anyone with a Github account who wishes to enter. Netflix is using this contest to find an innovative developer who can improve the features, usability, quality, reliability and security of the company’s cloud computing services.
The company has been delivering its services through the cloud to over 33 million members and has already made an impact on cloud computing through its popularity. The contest could further develop the company’s cloud computing services to bring this type of technology to a new and greater level for users to enjoy.
The Term Cloud Computing
While the average person may not be very familiar with the term “cloud computing”, they have probably experienced it through using their Netflix account on a regular basis. Everything that happens on a person’s Netflix account is a part of the cloud whether they are aware of it or not. With the company opening up possibilities of innovation through the economics of a contest, it means that users will soon be taking advantage of even more effective kinds of cloud computing technology.
Netflix has used the contest as a means of employing the minds of more than just their own research and development department. With potentially millions of participants, the company is likely to see some breakthrough ideas that could change cloud computing not only for them but for everyone that uses it. It will no longer be a matter of the best cloud services that Netflix can create but the best that anyone can create.
The Cloud Contest
The cloud contest that Netflix has set up is similar to one that they implemented in the past to improve their movie recommendations algorithm. The success of this contest led them to create a broader concept of improving their cloud services. As with the previous contest, Netflix will openly share the results of the Cloud Prize. The open source approach means that the results will benefit not only this company but will also provide improvements for the cloud system overall.
By publishing the solutions that are created in the contest, the impact on cloud computing will be much greater than if it were for the benefit of Netflix alone. The company seems to be looking not only for a better system to implement for themselves but for general improvements and more innovative ways to use the cloud.
Popularity Of Netflix
With the popularity of Netflix and its strategic ways of improving their services, we are likely to see some big changes in cloud computing in the near future. The company has provided some incentive for the best technological minds to come up with solutions that will be available for anyone to use.
Once the results are announced in November and made available to the public, cloud computing could significantly change and become greater quality for users of Netflix and other types of cloud services.
Leo Hart is a cloud computing expert from his time spent with Custom Cloud providers of physical and vps servers learn more here: http://www.customcloudhost.com/
Leave a Comment