Cloud Computing: Two Articles

overcast Computing Articles bingle of the recent hacks in the fast paced field of battle of Information Technology is the development of cloud compute. Simply put, cloud computing is the outsourcing of business processing and transshipment center to virtual servers over a net income, most commonly the internet. The advance of intercommunicate technology has allowed companies to transfer large amounts of their business intelligence placements to outside servers, without flexible selective information-transfer speed. Two recent articles from different earthly c one timernations covered the subject of cloud computing. The first, set online from Info field. om, describes the different levels of cloud computing and what each entails. The second article, found in a monthly publication of Computer World, details the pros and cons of clouds in IT. accord to the InfoWorld. com article, cloud computing is a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new groundwork, train new personnel, or licensing new softw ar. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per- enforce serve that, in real time over the Internet, extends ITs existing capabilities. (InfoWorld. om) Clouds be a modern answer to ITs ever increasing inescapably for storage space and computing power. at that place are several types of operate that these virtual servers offer, ranging from utility coatings to email spam filtering. Currently, most of the servers must be accessed individually, but they are becoming more integrated as the field progresses. One type of cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), is the militarying of one software masking through the internet. An example this type of application is Salesforce. com, a sales representative management system.By providing the software online, Salesforce. com provides an unprovoked way for omnibuss to monitor and diagnose sales information, without the need for their own expens ive IT system in-ho wasting disease. SaaS also gives an emolument to the entertain company, because updates and bug fixes are trammel to one program which they control. There are several variations to the Saas system that are offered in cloud computing. Utility computing involves a companys memory, input / output Storage, and computational capacity being accessed through the network to a virtual server.Currently, most cloud utility computing is for non life-sustaining intelligence, due to newness of the system. According to the article, these online servers could one day replace most of the real physical datacenter. Another variation to Saas within cloud computing is weave based application programming interfaces. APIs are interfaces implemented by an online source that enable interaction with other software (Wikepedia. org). There is a wide range of APIs used with business intelligence.Some examples would be Google Maps used by delivery services, shipping tracking for UPS, or online tax processing programs much(prenominal) as TurboTax. One of the original forms of cloud computing are managed service providers (MSPs), which are applications that are exposed to the host company, alternatively than the end user. Examples of MSPs are e-mail virus s tin canning and anti-spam services, or background knowledge management offered by companies such as CenterBeam. Managed security services, such as firewalls, are also found within cloud computing.The Computer World article goes further to describe an aspect of cloud computing called infrastructure as a service (Iaas). With public cloud IaaS, organizations pay per use or per cluster of resources for an external cloud service provider to host their virtual servers IT maintains control over the applications without worrying about configuring, upgrading or conjoin servers and other infrastructure. If a new application is needed, IT simply loads that application onto the service providers virtual server and the software is operable to users (Computer World).By migrating the physical datacenters to virtual servers, companies are saving maintenance, power and wear out costs from the upkeep of those resources. Most established companies are making the transformation to clouds slowly, a couple of datacenters at a time, as they become outdated. inauguration businesses, however, can use virtual servers as a great advantage to avoid costly equipment purchases. Bernard Golden, CEO of consultancy HyperStatus, agrees that Iaas offers a lifeline when it comes to rising data center costs and real estate constraints.It offers IT the opportunity to reduce the data center management burden, yet improve customer service (Computer World). For a company who is contemplating the switch to virtual servers, there is also security and impartiality issues to recall. Migrating large amounts of data, without disrupting critical files, can be risky. One company, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, started slowly with ego contained, non mission critical applications such as testing and development so they could learn the ins and outs of moving into the cloud (Computer World).The company should inquire as to the host servers security and firewall systems, and should always keep hard copies of great data and applications. Business documents that are highly valuable to a company, such as patent documents, customer databases, and technical drawings are not ordinarily stored in the cloud network. The international field of computer hacking is expanding, especially in developing countries, making industrial espionage a serious subject for businesses to consider. A company migrating to cloud computing must also consider the sound aspects of moving their IT systems.Software licenses may not apply to a public network, where the applications can be shared by several end user computers. The company should also know the terms of contracting with the cloud servers, should they finalize to break or end the agr eement. All data that could be insalubrious to the firm should be destroyed by the host server one time the contract is void. Some businesses are closely regulated by political science agencies such as the FDA or ANSA, and should keep relative files readily accessible. There are also government regulations to consider concerning customer information.The article describes how IT manager Charles Swartz, of Preferred Hotel sort, adheres to regulations. Because the company deals with credit card proceeding, it must follow the honorarium Card Data Security Standard, which requires physical control over servers treatment that data. To avoid any complications, Swartz makes sure all credit card minutes go directly to a third party and he avoids retention any of that data on his outsourced infrastructure (Computer World). Another issue to consider when switching to a cloud network is computing speed.Where IT systems may abide been fast to load or run on a topical anesthetic area netw ork, a wide area network could transfer at a higher(prenominal) or lower speed. With modern business transactions becoming faster than ever, customers expect quick response. Delays of just a hardly a(prenominal) milliseconds can cause them end users to be frustrated (Computer World). Switching to cloud networks can be an advantage to speed, if the cloud provides a larger bandwidth than the in-house servers. A higher bandwidth also allows more end users to access the system at once without slowing download speeds significantly. Jason Harper, vice president of technology at Morgans Hotel Group in New York, say customer satisfaction has increased at his shop because end users are accessing their files faster via the cloud (Computer World). One recommended use of the cloud system is test run or seasonal IT systems. or else than expanding physical datacenter space for temporary projects, the public servers can be tardily setup to run and store data. The public cloud is great for unre tentive term usage, since very few enterprises have spare servers lying close to anymore.Instead, it enables IT to have quick response to new projects without having to preplan (Computer World). The article does warn, however, that low restraint to entry can be over-sourced. Often-times end users might jump into applications on cloud networks without consulting their IT professionals. This could lead to costly changes down the line, which could have been easily opinionated at the setup of the systems. Despite being in an early grade of development, cloud computing already has a definite niche in the business and IT world.One of the main drawbacks at this point is the lack of consolidation between systems. Previous attempts to create cloud integration technology, such as CapeClears enterprise service bus, and a universal bus system by Grand Central, have failed to stay in business. The overall trend of using virtual servers, however, does seem appear to be here to stay. Sources What Cloud Computing Really Means Infoworld. com Knorr, 4-27-2008 http//www. infoworld. com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means-031 Moving to the cloud whopping savings, but plan ahead Computer World Gittlen, March 2010