Cloud Computing: Two Articles

sully Computing Articles One of the recent trends in the fast paced field of Information Technology is the culture of haze over calculation. Simply put, cloud cipher is the outsourcing of business processing and storage to practical(prenominal) servers over a network, most commonly the internet. The advance of network engineering science has allowed companies to agitate large amounts of their business intelligence systems to outside servers, without compromising information-transfer speed. Two recent denominations from different globeations covered the subject of cloud computing. The first, found online from InfoWorld. 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. According to the InfoWorld. com article, cloud computing is a expressive style to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructur e, training new personnel, or licensing new softw be. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends ITs existing capabilities. (InfoWorld. om) Clouds are a modern answer to ITs forever increasing needs for storage space and computing power. There are several types of services that these virtual servers offer, ranging from utility coats to email spam filtering. Currently, most of the servers mustiness 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 hosting of one software application through the internet. An example this type of application is Salesforce. com, a sales representative heed system.By providing the software online, Salesforce. com provides an easy way for managers to monitor and diagnose sales data, without the need for their own costly IT system in-house. SaaS likewise gives an advanta ge to the host lodge, because updates and bug fixes are limited to one weapons platform 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 vital intelligence, due to newness of the system. According to the article, these online servers could one twenty-four hour period replace most of the current physical datacenter. Another variation to Saas within cloud computing is web 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. whatever examples would be Google Maps used by delivery services, shipping tracking for UPS, or online tax processing programs such as TurboTa x. One of the original forms of cloud computing are managed service providers (MSPs), which are applications that are exposed to the host company, rather than the end user. Examples of MSPs are e-mail virus scanning and anti-spam services, or desktop management offered by companies such as CenterBeam. Managed certification services, such as firewalls, are too found within cloud computing.The Computer World article goes boost 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 away cloud service provider to host their virtual servers IT maintains control over the applications without worrying about configuring, upgrading or patching 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 available to users (Computer World).By migrating the physical datacenters t o virtual servers, companies are relieve maintenance, power and labor costs from the upkeep of those resources. Most established companies are making the transition to clouds slowly, a couple of datacenters at a time, as they get under ones skin outdated. Startup 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 legality issues to consider. Migrating large amounts of data, without disrupting critical files, can be risky. One company, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, started slowly with self contained, non mission critical applications such as assaying and development so they c ould 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 important data and applications. Business documents that are highly valuable to a company, such as patent documents, customer databases, and practiced drawings are not usually stored in the cloud network. The international field of computer hacking is expanding, especially in developing countries, making industrial espionage a grave subject for businesses to consider. A company migrating to cloud computing must also consider the legal 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 iron outing with the cloud servers, should they limit to break or end the agreement. All data that could be detrimental to the firm should be destroyed by the host ser ver once the contract is void. Some businesses are closely regulated by government 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 Group, adheres to regulations. Because the company deals with credit card transactions, it must follow the Payment Card Data pledge Standard, which requires physical control over servers handling that data. To avoid any complications, Swartz makes sure all credit card transactions go directly to a ordinal party and he avoids keeping 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 have been fast to load or run on a local area network, a wide area network could transfer at a higher or lower speed. With modern business transactions becoming faster th an ever, customers expect quick response. Delays of just a a few(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 crude 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. Rather than expanding physical datacenter space for temporary projects, the public servers can be advantageously setup to run and store data. The public cloud is great for short term usage, since very few enterprises have spare servers lying around anymore.Instead, it enables IT to have quick response t o new projects without having to preplan (Computer World). The article does warn, however, that low barrier 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 fixed at the setup of the systems. Despite being in an early stage 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 integration 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 Mov ing to the cloud Big savings, but plan forwards Computer World Gittlen, March 2010