"Web 2.0" and "cloud computing" are revolutionizing the way IT infrastructure is accessed and managed. Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, wikis and social networking platforms provide Internet users with easier mechanisms to produce Web content and to interact with each other. Cloud computing technologies are aimed at running applications as services over the Internet on a scalable infrastructure. They enable businesses that do not have the capital or technical expertise to support their own infrastructure to get access to computing on demand. They could also be used by large businesses to more efficiently manage their own infrastructure as an "internal cloud". In this paper we explore the advantages of using Web 2.0 and cloud computing technologies in an enterprise setting to provide employees with a comprehensive and transparent environment for utilizing applications. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach we have developed an environment that uses Facebook (a social networking platform) to provide access to the Fire Dynamics Simulator (a legacy application). The application is supported using Virtual Appliances that are hosted in an internal cloud computing infrastructure that adapts dynamically to user demands. Initial feedback suggests this approach provides a much better user experience than the traditional standalone use of the application. It also simplifies the management and increases the effective utilization of the underlying IT resources. 10 PagesAdditional Publication Information: To be published in the 12th IEEE International EDOC Conference, Munchen, Germany, September 15-19, 2008External Posting Date: July 6, 2008 [Fulltext].Approved for External PublicationInternal Posting Date: July 6, 2008 [Fulltext]
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