Technology Review. IBM Backs an OS for the 'Private Cloud' An open-source Web-based operating system called eyeOS is getting a big boost from IBM. The computer giant has begun selling high-end mainframe servers with eyeOS pre-installed, hoping the operating system will entice customers who are hesitant about using cloud computing. Managed by a small company based in Barcelona, eyeOS lets users access a virtual desktop through a Web browser. The user can treat that virtual desktop like the desktop of a regular PC, launching and running applications within it.
Though individuals can use the operating system over the Internet through a site hosted by eyeOS, IBM makes it possible for customers to host the service themselves. With the software installed on the mainframe server, a company could offer virtual desktops to its employees, who could then access their “work computers” from any device. Cloud computing most often means running data and applications on remote servers hosted by a company such as Amazon.com. Harvard Business Review. Fortune 500. What is a magazine app? Fortune brings a new perspective to the iPad. McKinsey Quarterly: Online Business Journal of McKin.