Could Cloud Computing be the demise of the IT department?

After doing a bit of research from some google searches, it seems that Cloud Computing will be the next big thing in the world of technology. Where you no longer need a big hard drive to store your information, because it will be in servers, most probably half-way across the world from where you are. Cloud Computing seems very nice, and actually, I agree that it'd be a very good advance in technology, but only for the consumers. From also what I've learned from brief research on Cloud Computing, it will cut the needs for IT's. Now, I plan on becoming an IT when I get older, but seeing employment of ITs being cut because of new technology which corrects itself if it finds errors, and less need for hardware and software installation since the server would do it for you... What would happen to all of the people taking training to become ITs like I plan to do? Also, the Autonomic Computing, which is a scary concept in itself for people seeking employment, it would manage itself! No need for ITs to manage and fix errors because it will do it itself. After seeing a few "Robot-dominates-mankind" based movies, I am also worried about an AI having complete control over majority of information in the world if Cloud Computing becomes very, very popular.Could Cloud Computing be the demise of the IT department?
Cloud Computing is a big marketing blitz championed by those who own huge server farms and very high speed connections to the Internet like Google and Amazon and those who sell the bandwidth like AT%26amp;T and Verizon.



If local servers become obsolete in favor of cloud servers you will still need IT people to set up the computers (no matter how "dumb" they become) and maintain their operating systems and their connections to the network. And don't forget all the routers and switches and WAN connections that aren't going away any time soon.



What Cloud Computing is taking away from are the NAS manufacturers (good riddance too -- I was never too fond of those devices) and to some degree people who make software used at corporations like word processors and spreadsheets. Other than that not much will change. You will still have a computer with a hard drive and some non-cloud software. Everyone who works in an office will continue doing their jobs the same way except maybe they won't be constrained to one place. Which means that office space will be less in demand. So those realtors may feel a pinch.Could Cloud Computing be the demise of the IT department?
No - if anything it will increase the need for qualified people.

And trust me - "Robot-dominates-mankind" is science fiction - not science fact.

It's not going to happen in your lifetime - thats for sureCould Cloud Computing be the demise of the IT department?
Cloud computing is a good idea if you don't want to control your data.
I'm sure it will, just like COBOL and 4GL, among many others, did. Oh, wait, they didn't, did they?