IT Green With Cloud Computing : Facts Every CEO/CFO Should Know

How To Turn Your IT Green With Cloud Computing: Facts Every CEO/CFO Should Know

By Nick Graham

"Going Green" in your company means making a reduction in the overall environmental impact of your business. Typically there are a number of areas that you will be looking at: energy inefficiency and consumption, materials (stopping waste and using sustainable/renewable materials), and finally making sure you use "Green" products, equipment and services. Some of the things you do will save you money; other things may cost you more.

             Green With Cloud Computing : Facts Every CEO/CFO Should Know

Luckily there is one aspect of your business that you can change that will have the benefit of being "Green" and will also save you money: moving your IT to The Cloud. IT is frequently not focused on when thinking "Green" because companies may not appreciate the very large impact that their data processing is having on their carbon footprint - and their bottom line.

Did you know, for example:

•  A medium-sized server has the same carbon footprint as an SUV achieving 15 miles to the gallon (Gartner Analyst Sept 2006)


•  100 PCs left on without power save settings will consume up to $11,000 of electricity per year (Global Action Plan 2007) and for every unit of electricity consumed around another half a unit is required to dissipate the heat generated.


•  Servers typically require as much energy to cool them as they directly consume.


•  A typical PC has a carbon footprint of around 620 lbs of CO2/yr, which is the same as driving 611 miles ( HP Website).

So what is Cloud Computing? How can The Cloud help you make your company greener and at the same time save you money?

Cloud Computing is computing which is delivered over the internet rather like a utility service that delivers water or electricity. It can be accessed by pretty much any device that has an internet connection. The computing horsepower is located and occurs outside the business on external servers, so no computing hardware needs to be owned and operated by the business.

Moving your IT to the cloud is less difficult that most CEOs/CFOs imagine. It involves a relatively straightforward migration of vital enterprise applications, desktop systems and any custom server environments onto new servers set up and run from a secure datacenter. Employees will access all their computing over a safe encrypted Internet connection.Ideally a company will replace PCs with virtual Microsoft Windows desktop environments, complete with Microsoft Office software. Each user will be able to access their own desktop using a PC, tablet, laptop, Thin Client, or virtually any Smart Device with a network connection. People will enjoy a truly mobile work environment and can access their desktop directly at any time and from anywhere!

Once the transition is made, all your servers are gone, you don't need a server room. Because you no longer need to power and cool these servers, big savings are made and you have lowered your carbon footprint. And as the new servers created for the business at the secure data center are virtualized, this allows for great energy and computing efficiencies which in turn translates to savings that are passed on to you, the company.

Once you have moved your IT to The Cloud, the next greenest thing to do is to replace all PCs with Thin Clients. A Thin Client is small, has no moving parts, no hard drives, or noisy fans. Compared to the typical office PC is uses 1/10th of the energy or less and has three times the life expectancy. It is simply a local terminal for plugging in the keyboard, mouse, monitor and network connection. Users have a normal desktop experience when connecting with their Thin Client with none of the reliability headaches. By using Thin Clients, a company with 100 PCs can save energy costs of up to $5,000 a year directly without counting the HVAC savings made from not having to deal with the heat emissions from the PCs.

Now your company's IT infrastructure is in The Cloud, it is easier for your employees to work in a flexible way. Anyone with an internet connection and the correct secure link will be able to access their desktop exactly as if they were in their office. CEOs could take the decision to allow workers more flexible work schedules, for example allowing them to work from home, telecommuting. They could allow employees to stagger travel time to miss inefficient and tiring peak time commutes, knowing that the employees can start work efficiently at home on their desktops. These options are Green options and help reduce the company's CO2 footprint.

The move to Cloud Computing is underway. The Green and cost saving benefits of moving your IT infrastructure to The Cloud are too substantial to ignore. By the end of 2012, Gartner project that "20% of all companies will own no IT assets". CEOs and CFOs would be wise to look at the option for their companies.

Nick Graham is VP at Consilien LLC, a company that has been delivering Information Technology Services since 2001, in the LA, Riverside and Orange County area. Nick invites you to take a closer look at how easy it is to divest your company's IT infrastructure and move it to a private managed cloud. http://www.consilien.com

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The Right Way For CIOs To Think About The Cloud

What's The Right Way For CIOs To Think About The Cloud?

By Dr. Jim Anderson

As the person with the CIO job, you now live in a world that is filled with lots and lots of real-time data. It comes from your customers, your manufacturing, your partners, and, of course, your company's web site. Having access to this much data via the arrival of cloud computing is great news. However, now it's going to be your responsibility, because of the importance of information technology, to determine what to do with it and how to gain knowledge from all of it.

The Right Way For CIOs To Think About The Cloud

What Big Data Will Teach Us

It's just a little bit too easy to get caught up in the "newness" of big data. However, as CIO what we need to understand is that the data is just not all that valuable to us. It's the knowledge that we can derive from that data that will be valuable to the company.

One of the things that we need to realize is that since the era of big data has arrived, many of the things that we used to believe just based on gut feel may be wrong. A case in point is the value of running an efficient business and offering our customers the lowest price. Yes, these things are important, but they may not be as important as we used to think that they were.

What big data can teach us is that having a responsive company - one that can change and adapt to changing market conditions is actually more valuable than being able to become even more efficient. The market is littered with companies that won awards and did a great job in becoming more efficient only to end up going out of business. Having the ability to adapt to changes in your market is more profitable and more valuable.

It's All About The Little Things

So what is the real value of the cloud and the big data that lives there? I must confess that when I first encounter big data, I thought that it was going to hold the answers to all of my "big" questions. Should we be making this product? Should we move into that new market? However, the reality is that outside of some magazine articles, big data generally does not provide answers to questions like this.

Instead, what big data can do is provide answers to a lot of much smaller questions. You can use all of that data that you've collected to identify ways to make your company even more valuable to its customers. This will include such things as making your products and services easier to order, easier to pay for, and perhaps even easier to both budget and plan for.

Ultimately what the arrival of cloud computing and big data can do is to finally provide you with a way to transform the company from a vendor into a true partner for your customers. The way that this will happen will be when you take the time to analyze the data that you have and you discover how you can start to offer your customers what they really want. Your company's secret to long term financial success will be the ability to customize your offering to meet each customer's needs.

What All Of This Means For You

The era of big data has arrived. Those of us in the CIO position now need to come to grips with what the rest of the company is going to be expecting us to do with all of this data. What they need us to do is to turn it into knowledge.

As we start to process the various data streams that we now have available to us, we're going to make some important breakthroughs. What we're going to discover is that what used to work for the company, being more efficient and offering products at lower prices, may no longer be what our customers want from us. Likewise, our analysis of the data that we have available to us needs to reveal the collection of specific things that we can do to become our customer's most valuable supplier.

No, collecting, processing, and analyzing all of the various data streams that are now available to us is not going to be an easy task. However, it does hold the promise of great rewards. What we need to do is to pick though this data and locate those nuggets of information that can help the company become more competitive in a changing world. Big data is here, let's meet it head on!

Dr. Jim Anderson

"America's #1 Unforgettable Business Communication Skills Coach"

http://www.blueelephantconsulting.com/

Your Source For Real World IT Department Leadership Skills™

Dr. Jim Anderson has spent over 20 years consulting with a wide variety of IT firms from the very big to the very small. He provides you with his insights into the leadership needed to combine the separate worlds of business and IT strategy. His guidance offers hope to firms everywhere who are struggling with this challenge.

Subscribe to the FREE Accidental Successful CIO newsletter to learn what you need to know to do the job and have a successful career. Go here to to get your free subscription: http://www.theaccidentalsuccessfulcio.com/newsletter-2

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5 Ways Cloud Computing Will Disrupt Your Job

5 Ways Cloud Computing Will Disrupt Your Job5 Ways Cloud Computing Will Disrupt Your Job

By Harish Desai

A recent research by IDC, predicted that cloud computing would create about 14 million jobs worldwide. These will all be direct jobs like those of developers. There will be an equal number of indirect jobs which will be affected by this concept. This means cloud computing will start pervading each and every job in every organization. Every job will either be enhanced or diminished with the introduction of the cloud. The effect of the cloud will be so intense that with time to come; many job descriptions will integrate the cloud in their profile. There are five ways in which this concept will reshape the way business is conducted.

[caption id="attachment_1264" align="aligncenter" width="500"] 5 Ways Cloud Computing Will Disrupt Your Job[/caption]

Information technology is going to become a shared responsibility which will not be confined to a particular department but will include all the departments in the organization. Executives, managers, and professionals will have an increasing access to new and improved computing resources which can be easily procured using the humble credit card. Simultaneously, the continuous evolution in IT, IT professionals will start being embedded within the core lines of businesses, vis-a-vis their roles in separate IT departments. Also IT budgets of businesses will shoot up even more than that of standalone IT departments.

More and more innovation is possible on the job, with failure becoming just an option. With cloud computing having laboratories for its research and testing, continuous improvements will result in the concept. As it is, this concept has lowered the entry barriers for start-ups for exploiting computing resources, with a reduction in the cost of cloud computing infrastructure brought down as a result of the continuous research and development. With new ideas being incubated and tested and new initiatives being introduced, it will not be long before businesses disentangle themselves from the corporate budget cycles.

End-users are designing their own applications. Using the cloud computing platform, even non-tech professionals would quickly and easily be able to construct interfaces using Google Maps to plot the data points. "Self-service business intelligence" is a capability that each business dreams of. But, IT departments who are overworked often take weeks or even months to deliver interfaces to solve urgent business problems. But, now with cloud computing, even non-tech people are designing their own applications using designated templates and application programs. For example, a sales manager needing a portal to access the regional sales data from a newly acquired subsidiary can easily do it from an internal or public cloud system.

Cloud computing has given rise to a DIY economy in which outsourcing is becoming passe. With the advent of cloud computing, services like outsourcing are now rendered redundant. This is because, it is omnipresent. Organizations now rely on an increasingly diverse bouquet of services provided in-house and from outside service providers. There will be more stress on service brokerages who can leverage the capabilities of the cloud to deliver services tailored to client requirements. They are not owners of any methods or services of production, but are merely service providers.

The final disruption that cloud computing will cause will be in the fact that everyone will become a technology company, regardless of their core business. Whatever your business model or product or service, embracing cloud computing will give you tech capability which in turn will prove advantageous for your business. Many vendors will use the cloud to provide cutting edge services and products to their customers, not to mention that some of them may even let out their own cloud computing capabilities to third-party vendors for a decent amount in the process, making the cloud a profitable asset.

The writer of this article is a graduate civil engineer and a freelance writer. After working for 15 years in the construction industry, he took up content writing in order to showcase case his experience. He started writing so much that he took up writing on other niches too. He can be contacted on hary12121973@gmail.com

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Two Key International Standards for Cloud Computing

JTC 1 Announces Two Key International Standards for Cloud Computing

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and theInternational Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) will release two new International Standards for cloud computing in the coming weeks:

[caption id="attachment_1232" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Two Key International Standards for Cloud Computing[/caption]

• ISO/IEC 17788, Cloud Computing - Overview and Vocabulary


• ISO/IEC 17789, Cloud Computing - Reference Architecture

These standards were developed as a collaborative project between JTC 1 – ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1, Information Technology – and ITU-T – the International Telecommunication Union's Telecommunication Standardization Sector.

Cloud computing is recognized by governments and private-sector organizations as major, game-changing technology. Over 30 countries participated in JTC 1 Subcommittee (SC) 38 to develop these two cloud computing standards. The Overview and Vocabulary standard provides definitions of common cloud computing terms including those for cloud service categories such as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), as well as for cloud deployment models such as public cloud, and private cloud. The Reference Architecture standard includes diagrams and descriptions of how the various aspects of cloud computing relate to one another.

"Cloud computing is a shift in the paradigm for providing IT capabilities to users that may impact a great deal of future IT products, systems, and services," said Dr. Donald Deutsch, chair of ISO/IEC JTC 1 SC 38. "These first international cloud computing standards provide a sound foundation for follow-on standards as needs become more clear in this area."

According to Karen Higginbottom, JTC 1 chair, "These International Standards for cloud computing will enable better communication between vendors and customers and will provide a basis for emerging and future cloud computing standards."

These two cloud computing International Standards will serve as the basis for three new projects in JTC 1 SC 38:

• Cloud Computing - Service Level Agreements


• Cloud Computing - Interoperability and Portability


• Cloud Computing - Data and their Flow across Devices and Cloud Services 

JTC 1 SC 27, which focuses on security, also has several projects that build upon the fundamentals laid by the two new standards.

The U.S. plays a leading role in JTC 1, with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) holding the secretariat and Karen Higginbottom, director of standards initiatives at Hewlett-Packard, serving as JTC 1's chair. Dr. Donald Deutsch, vice president, standards strategy and architecture for Oracle, chairs JTC 1 SC 38, the subcommittee responsible for the development of these two new International Standards. The ANSI-Accredited U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to JTC 1 SC 38 is administered by INCITS, the InterNational

Committee for Information Technology Standards, with Steve Holbrook of IBM serving as chair of the U.S. TAG.

About JTC 1
The Joint Technical Committee (JTC) 1, Information technology, of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), is a consensus-based, globally relevant, voluntary international standards group. More than 2,000 experts from 163 countries come together to develop mutually beneficial guidelines that enhance global trade while protecting intellectual property.

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is made up of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

SOURCE American National Standards Institute

RELATED LINKS
http://www.ansi.org/

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Top 5 Cloud Testing and Performance Monitoring Tools

Top 5 Cloud Testing and Performance Monitoring Tools

By Kevin Darwin

Cloud computing is still an evolving paradigm. Its definitions, use cases, underlying Technologies, issues, risks, and benefits will be refined in a spirited debate by the public and private sectors. These attributes,and characteristics will evolve and change over time.

Various cloud based technologies and tools are available in the market facilitating the different facets of IT development. The rapid pace of advancement has also made way for tools catering to varied aspects of testing involving both performance and load management. The benefits of integrating the cloud testing based tools are many like flexibility of use and cost reduction (usage charges, licensing infrastructure). It also helps you choose the right kind of tool required for the job and start working immediately.

[caption id="attachment_1158" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Top 5 Cloud Testing and Performance Monitoring Tools[/caption]

Here is a top 5 companies and the cloud based testing tools and solutions released by them, which help in cloud performance monitoring and testing:

1. SOASTA: The CloudTest from SOASTA leverages the cloud resources for facilitating performance monitoring and load testing. Additionally, it also replicates traffic that hits an application or a website from inside or outside the firewall.

2. Keynote: is the global leader in cloud testing & monitoring cloud application, cloud testing service provider, Test Perspective of Keynote provides comprehensive solutions geared towards the enhancement of online experience. It helps companies analyze the performance of their websites, applications, and content on a diverse set of browsers, mobile devices, and networks. The exclusive business model of Keynote allows you to improve productivity while, controlling costs with the reliable and striking performance of its on-demand measurement and test services and products.

3. BrowserMob: The monitoring service of this particular provider makes use of real web browsers to replicate the interaction of a user with your website. Irrespective of being equally priced to the monitoring service style of simplistic ping that only goes through individual URLs, this takes a step ahead in the service approach. The usage of real browsers enables you to have a check on the response of the individual objects alongside verifying the functionality of your website in its entirety. This particular approach also involves ensuring that third-party components like gadgets, content delivery networks, advertisement, and analytics does not affect your website negatively.

4. GFI: The MAX RemoteManagement of GFI enables easy monitoring of different aspects of your clients like remote offices, bandwidth usage, servers, ISP connection, raid arrays, and the website. In simple words, this particular service allows monitoring the principle parts of the infrastructure of your network and takes care of the clients proactively maintaining a minimum cost of the hardware avoiding costly downtime.

5. CloudHarmony: This particular testing solution is still in beta. However, you may make use of the continuously updated extensive list of benchmarks for viewing and comparing the performance metrics from different cloud services and providers.

The above-mentioned cloud monitoring solutions and cloud testing services allow a better analysis of the IT infrastructure maintaining a smooth and swift approach.

Kevin is the Senior Editor, whose expertise spans in Cloud, Mobile and Web privacy.

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The Need for Standardisation in Cloud Computing

The Need for Standardisation in Cloud Computing - Introduction

By Stuart P Mitchell

To many observers, cloud computing may appear to be spreading like wildfire with both enterprise and personal users jumping at the chance to take advantage of the cost effectiveness, scalability and flexibility that it offers. However, there is a strong debate amongst industry experts, and beyond, as to whether this uptake, however rapid, has been severely tempered by a lack of trust and understanding around cloud services from prospective clients.

[caption id="attachment_1098" align="aligncenter" width="450"] The Need for Standardisation in Cloud Computing[/caption]

The debate stems from the thought that there is a perceived lack of transparency caused by the multi-server approach to the creation of cloud platforms and the differing propositions put forward by individual cloud providers; and that this in turn is obscuring client understanding of what it is exactly that they are choosing to sign up to.

Moreover, it is argued that some of the markets that would benefit most from cloud adoption are made up of the same clients that are more predisposed to be reluctant to take on the perceived risk of signing up to cloud services. As a generalisation, large scale enterprises are perhaps more likely to possess the budgets to either host private cloud services internally or engage with third party providers to define exactly what they getting from their service, whilst private users perhaps only engage with the cloud at a lower level where they don't have the inclination to analyse the performance and security issues at play. However, in between, SMEs (small to medium sized enterprises) are likely to be better informed as to both the benefits and risks of cloud computing platforms, but won't necessarily have the budgets to bring IT functions in-house or employ dedicated professionals with the expertise themselves to procure the most suitable services. In other words, the likelihood is that SMEs are more reliant on third party suppliers, aware of the non-specific risks of each proposition but unable to control the specific vulnerabilities of the cloud.

Standardisation

Many propose that, as has been the case in many markets that have preceded cloud computing, the answer to client wariness is standardisation with the aim of delivering transparencies. In other words, create a market where a client can shop between multiple providers and judge their security levels, data handling, performance and service stability on comparable metrics.

One of the main driving forces behind standardisation in the European cloud computing market is the European Commission (the executive arm of the European Union) who are keen to implement a new set of standards across the 27 constituent members of the EU. The intention of these standards, alongside updated data protection rules, is to allow the consistent delivery of cloud services spanning national borders within the union - much like the commission has delivered with economic migration. Together they aim to build client trust that their data is handled and stored within the same legal frameworks whether it is physically hosted in Holland or the UK, for example. The policies would see the introduction of a certification scheme whereby cloud providers across the EU would be certified if they were shown to conform to the commission's standards on data handling, interoperability and security.

Perhaps at the crux of what the commission's policy would seek to clean up, however, is the topic of SLAs or Service Level Agreements. These are the documents that outline what it is exactly that the client is signing up for and what services they can expect from their cloud provider when they hand over their money. Standardising SLAs is key to building trust in the cloud computing market because it introduces the transparency for cloud clients when they are analysing their options. The subjects covered by SLAs are explored further in the second part of the article.

© Stuart Mitchell 2013

To find out more about accessing secure and transparent cloud based sevices across the EU you can check out this pan-European virtual data centre provider.

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7 Misconceptions About Cloud Computing

7 Misconceptions About Cloud Computing

By Dan Barrowclough

Cloud computing is a term that is thrown around fairly freely; however, the subject remains shrouded in an air of confusion. Many people have a limited understanding of the subject, which in turn has led to many common misconceptions. The following article will debunk seven of the most common cloud computing misconceptions in a bid to reduce confusion.

[caption id="attachment_1072" align="aligncenter" width="464"] 7 Misconceptions About Cloud Computing[/caption]

The cloud solves everything

Cloud-computing (or whatever else you want to call it) doesn't solve everything.

As I mentioned above, cloud computing has received a lot of attention in recent years. While browsing through the masses of information on the Internet, one thing became clear - people are expecting too much. This is partly down to the hype, publicity and hyperbole surrounding the subject. Although some cloud solutions have the potential to benefit budgetary, management and IT resources, it is unlikely to be the holy messiah that solves all business issues. When considering a particular service for your business, it is important to understand what it does and how it will benefit your business; but expect nothing more.

The cloud is a single entity

The cloud is spoken about as though it is a single entity, this has led to many people believing that cloud computing is a one size fits all solution to business and IT issues. In reality, this isn't the case.

The great thing is that it is tailored to each individual client and is a very adaptable solution.

The Cloud is a Fad

The term may be a relatively new introduction, but the technology behind it has been around for many years. Although adoption has not been as speedy as some expected, growth has been steady and industry forecasts predict that steady growth will continue. Cloud computing (the term and the technology) isn't going anywhere.

Cloud computing is unreliable

The cloud will not have 100% uptime, but neither will any other system. However, the uptime to costs ratio shows that cloud is likely to give a far higher level of reliability when compared with similarly priced in-house systems.

Another myth is the 100% uptime that some vendors promise. As I mentioned above, that is just not realistic. This is just a tactic to make clients feel more at ease than they should and is damaging to the industry's reputation

Cloud computing is only for SME's

It is undeniable that SME's are usually quicker to adopt new technology than large-scale enterprises, but the notion that a company can be too big to make use of the cloud is laughable. Larger businesses usually have far larger IT budgets compared to SME's, so it is arguable that enterprises can make more use of it

By hosting data in the cloud, I relinquish sole ownership

This point is partly dependent on the provider in question, however, any reputable provider will have a clause written into the contract which explicitly states that the client retains sole ownership of any data stored. Although, it is still worth reading the fine print of the contract before signing it, the last thing you'd want to do is sign ownership of your data over to somebody else.

Stormy weather affects cloud computing

It doesn't.

For more information about cloud services or cloud computing in general, visit the Interoute website.

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IT Considerations in 2013: Cloud Computing Tops the List

IT Considerations in 2013: Cloud Computing Tops the List

IT Considerations in 2013: Cloud Computing Tops the List

By Jasmine E Brown

The year 2012 has seen a lot of changes in the IT arena and Cloud Computing has been one of the major contributors to it. Both the ICT suppliers and users have been affected by the advent of cloud computing and its increased use in many areas that touch our lives on a frequent basis. Despite the number of changes and developments that the cloud has been through it is still budding and needs lot of polishing before it can shine like a diamond.

[caption id="attachment_958" align="aligncenter" width="450"] IT Considerations in 2013: Cloud Computing Tops the List[/caption]

Cloud Computing has been a major decision for business that were faced with the urge to restructure their IT departments and budgets to align their processes with the ongoing economic conditions and uncertain business environment. Even though businesses face certain glitches with the cloud they have started to come to terms with it and more businesses are looking forward to migrate their operations into the cloud for better business agility. With the companies moving to the cloud now even governments of many countries have started to consider cloud as a way to turn around their economy by reducing overall IT budgets and provide the much needed boost to their economies.

From having a good understanding the focus in cloud computing has now shifted to what it can do for businesses and in what ways it can deliver benefits in the long term. Even though only a little amount of companies have made the move to the cloud there are many that are considering the switch and are in phase of getting on board quite soon. And companies that are not currently in the mood to switch to cloud computing as a viable option are also not denying the possibilities of considering it in the near future.

With more businesses and users contemplating the shift to the cloud many ICT providers are also chalking out strategies to cater to the billion dollar cloud computing market. With big companies joining hands to provide cloud based services it can be said that Cloud Computing is going to gain more and more attraction from businesses and service providers alike.

As businesses continue to face difficulties in coping with the economic crisis and think of ways to innovate and make their businesses more contemporary, the need to switch to more flexible IT solutions is going to get strong.

And as Cloud Computing has been a major consideration for IT departments in this year and will continue to be one in the year 2013 as well.

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Is Cloud Computing Different From Virtualization Solutions?

Is Cloud Computing Different From Virtualization Solutions?

Author:Vipin Chauhan

Cloud computing and virtualization technologies impact almost everyone in the industry of today's IT business environment. Many of us have the confusion between cloud computing and virtualization solutions, the technologies which are used from decades in most of the organizations and some of us thinks by using virtualization solutions they automatically use cloud computing. But I think here we need to clarify one thing that both the technologies are very different from each other and offer different approaches to managing an organization's database infrastructure and also reduce the cost of computing resources.

[caption id="attachment_943" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Is Cloud Computing Different From Virtualization Solutions?[/caption]

The confusion also arises here because both these technologies are developed to maximize the use of computing resources and increase the efficiency by reducing the cost of the ownership. Sometimes cloud computing and virtualization solutions, these two words are used interchangeably but they are truly very different approaches to solving the same problem of maximizing the available resources. Now let's discuss both the technologies separately to clarify the difference between them.

Cloud computing in simpler terms we can say that it is a third party service which was born from the concept of Utility Computing. It is the delivery of computing services rather than the product and lets an organization runs multiple applications without purchasing more hardware. Cloud computing is access through the internet to business applications running in a local environment, it shares the resources, software and information provided to the computer over a network i.e. the internet.

On the other hand, Virtualization solutions are those solutions which allow an organization to run multiple servers (virtual server) on the same hardware. It is a technique that allows enterprise to use a single piece of hardware to perform the work of various servers. In virtualization solution one server controls access to the physical server's computing resources. We can say that it is simply a presentation for the delivery of IT in a powerful way in an organization.The major difference between cloud computing and virtualization is not so difficult to understand as it is very clear that cloud computing can be better described as a service whereas virtualization is a part of physical infrastructure. It is a fact that both the technologies may look like same because cloud computing may appear that your application is running on virtual servers separate from any other host.

In order to select one from these technologies we first need to know what is the business problem of our customer and for what they want to use these technologies. Only then we can decide which is better or sufficient for the organization. In addition both the technologies save money and time up to some extent but each of them accomplish in different ways.At last we can say that both the technologies are very different from each other and offers various benefits in an organization.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/cell-phones-articles/is-cloud-computing-different-from-virtualization-solutions-6398156.html

About the Author

InterraIT's Cloud Computing Solutions companies is an integrated end-to-end Virtualisation Solutions. It streamlines and mobilizes manual business processes making real time information available at the click of a button.

Rural Banking in India using Cloud Computing

Rural Banking in India using Cloud Computing

Author:neerajswt

India has become a major center in the world known for its expertise in the IT field due to it's intellectual prowess in this field. But, there is also a part of India that is very far away from technology and its advantages that is the rural side of India. The farmers mostly comprise of the rural population and need credit for agricultural activities which has the following problems related to banks. Usually, the scenario is, either there is an ATM machine of a particular bank or there is no ATM machine. In the first case, if there is an ATM machine, people using it will have to pay the ATM usage charges if they are non-members of the bank and in the second case they will have to travel long distances and then the scenario might be same as the first. So, the majority of funding is provided by private money lenders that exploit the farmers. Recent, attempts by government to help the farmers by letting off their loans taken from banks was a failure as most of the poor farmers didn't even have their bank account and rich farmers got benefit from it.

[caption id="attachment_909" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Rural Banking in India using Cloud Computing[/caption]

Let us first examine the current system before providing the solution:

The existing model uses the client–server model of computing. It is a distributed application structure that partitions tasks or workloads between the providers of a resource or service, called servers, and service requesters, called clients. Often clients and servers communicate over a computer network on separate hardware, but both client and server may reside in the same system. A server machine is a host that is running one or more server programs which share their resources with clients. A client does not share any of its resources, but requests a server's content or service function. Clients therefore initiate communication sessions with servers which await incoming requests. An Automatic Teller Machine is essentially a client-server system. The bank's central computer is the server, and maintains information about the accounts of all the customers. The ATM is the client. You may assume the bank has only one customer - your server needs to keep track of only one balance. You should assume all amounts are in whole rupees (don't bother with decimal points) and that can be positive or negative. The server must handle three commands withdrawal: subtract an amount from the account (and return the new balance) query: return the account balance to the client be a simple iterative server that is it handles only one connected client at a time. The client must connect to the server when it is started allow the user to perform any of these functions and consequently disconnect from the server.

Now, let us study the proposed model that can use Cloud Computing Services:

What is Cloud Computing?

'Cloud Computing,' to put it simply, means 'Internet Computing.' The Internet is commonly visualized as clouds; hence the term 'cloud computing' for computation done through the Internet. Cloud Computing refers to both the applications delivered as services over the Internet and the hardware and systems software in the data centers that provide those services. The services themselves have long been referred to as Software as a Service (SAAS). The data centre hardware and software is what we will call a Cloud. In other words, Cloud Computing is integration of hardware and software to provide companies complete solution for their IT needs.

With Cloud Computing users can access database resources via the Internet from anywhere, for as long as they need, without worrying about any maintenance or management of actual resources. Besides, databases in cloud are very dynamic and scalable. In its broadest form, we can define ‘cloud' is an elastic execution environment of resources involving multiple stakeholders and providing a metered service at multiple granularities for a specified level of quality (of service).To be more specific, a cloud is a platform or infrastructure that enables execution of code (services, applications etc.), in a managed and elastic fashion, where 'managed' means that reliability according to pre-defined quality parameters is automatically ensured and 'elastic' implies that the resources are put to use according to actual current requirements observing overarching requirement definitions implicitly, elasticity includes both upward and downward scalability of resources and data, but also load-balancing of data throughput.

One of the main advantages is its cost-effectiveness. Here, cost is greatly reduced as initial expense and recurring expenses are much lower than traditional computing. Maintenance cost is reduced as a third party maintains everything from running the cloud to storing data.
Cloud computing has particular characteristics that distinguish it from classical resource and service provisioning environments:

1. It is (more-or-less) infinitely scalable.


2. It provides one or more of an infrastructure for platforms, a platform for applications or applications (via services) themselves.


3. Thus clouds can be used for every purpose from disaster recovery/business continuity through to a fully outsourced ICT service for an organization.


4. Clouds shift the costs for a business opportunity from CAPEX to OPEX which allows finer control of expenditure and avoids costly asset acquisition and maintenance reducing the entry threshold barrier.


5. Currently the major cloud providers had already invested in large scale infrastructure and now offer a cloud service to exploit it.


6. Cloud providers essentially provide datacenters for outsourcing.

Proposed Solution:

To overcome the disadvantages of client-server systems in Rural Banking, we can use the concept of cloud computing which is extremely cost-effective. Today, in remote villages people have to travel miles so as to have access to an ATM machine (may or may not be the one where he/she holds an account), rural banking. So to overcome this, a single ATM machine can be installed which allows members of different banks to use it without being levied the ATM usage charges. A common interface (a cloud of the different bank ATMs) can be developed to deal with the problem.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/databases-articles/rural-banking-in-india-using-cloud-computing-6289425.html

About the Author

Neeraj Sawant,

For more on cloud computing or other projects for students, please visit NevonProjects.com

Advancements Of PHP In Cloud Computing

Advancements Of PHP In Cloud Computing

Author:Opensource Development

PHP in Cloud:

Many PHP programmer have shown their concern in cloud computing, as it slackens the web development process. PHP on Cloud is one of the best solutions to take care of all the PHP related applications to migrate on the cloud server. As managed cloud services focus on the key fact that IT world should go virtual, the cloud providers make it a point to offer their services in all the segments related to IT. In addition to all this, PHP applications are known to run software tasks in a much simpler and faster manner and if they are deployed on cloud server, not only the problem of storage will be deciphered but also make PHP based applications run smoothly and conveniently. If the PHP based apps are hosted on internal servers, cloud hosting can be a much cheaper and an efficient option.

[caption id="attachment_887" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Advancements Of PHP In Cloud Computing[/caption]

Some of the general benefits of cloud computing are listed as follows:

•    High-performance desktops are not needed for all users, as the main software and hardware is stored in the ‘skydrive'.
•    Computers deliver top-notch performance in a cloud computing environment, as there are no barriers in the process.
•    An efficient cloud computing platform will considerably reduce the overall cost; the maintenance cost will not be a barrier.
•    Software upgrades are cheaper as most of them are available licenses.
•    Unlimited data storage capacity is the biggest advantage of cloud computing.
•    Rarest cases of information data loss and improved security of data.
•    Ease of document collaboration.

Benefits of Cloud Computing for PHP developers:

A PHP developer knows the best practices followed during PHP application development. Initially, a local development environment using XAMPP/ WAMP/ MAMP is set up, or a shared or dedicated hosting facility is bought to conduct the development process. A locally installed XAMPP may be used, but at the same time we can also work with multiple servers in the cloud. All the development-related and other important resources will remain backed up and will be having 100control over the development setup. It is also easy to work on multiple PHP projects simultaneously keeping the development and testing environment separate from each other.

Working with PHP 5.3 or any other latest technology, a cloud server must be created for a specific time-frame, for a few days or weeks. This is very affordable, easy to configure and most prominently there is no data obstruction detected in it. Well, the benefits of cloud hosting don't end here.

Cloud Computing – Get an edge over Rivals!

Before the advent of this defiant cloud computing technology, the IT investment cost was a big challenge for small and medium scale companies. However, with the commencement of cloud technology, the companies have found their way out. They can make offshore set-up for development process and access their resources from anywhere across the globe. Moreover, the cost of IT infrastructure is soaring high as the day passes, which again steers the demand of cloud computing web application development companies.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/programming-articles/advancements-of-php-in-cloud-computing-6267933.html

About the Author

We provides the best PHP Web Application Development with Specialized team of PHP Developers and PHP Programmers. And also provides quality Zend framework developer and PHP Zend web application programmer to develope applications. Advance art of PHP framework development, Zend framework MVC applications, frame work application development.

Cloud Computing: Industry Growth and Changing Business Needs

Cloud Computing: Industry Growth and Changing Business Needs

Author:T&TIT; Solutions

The past 20-years have seen technological advancements in cloud computing technology. The way in which businesses are being run has changed. Full network support, now enhances individual business productivity, and saves valuable time and money. Solutions are adapted and modified as business requirements shift. Modern entrepreneurs act as brokers between cloud providers and companies requiring IT services.

[caption id="attachment_863" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Cloud Computing: Industry Growth and Changing Business Needs[/caption]

Recent advancements in information technology, within the space of the last 20-years have revolutionised the way in which businesses across the world are being run. Cloud computing provides IT support solutions via network mechanisms. This is known to be of benefit to businesses, by enhancing overall productivity.  Entrepreneurs have not only been instrumental in starting new businesses, but have also become brokers of cloud technology. They are the intermediaries between the platform providers and individual small businesses.

Adaptive and Agile IT Solutions

IT resources are allocated on the basis of need. As every day requirements shift, more features can be added or removed, as and when required. Small businesses can now access all the benefits of cloud technologies without the need to own their own cloud. Entry costs are now more affordable than they have ever been before, for smaller business enterprises.Today\'s technology reaches more workplaces than the cloud computing industry was able to service in the past. Network support in Melbourne is available from several local providers. The industry continues to grow, and pricing here remains competitive.Changing and Evolving Business Needs: IT Support Melbourne

The business needs which have driven growth within the industry are as follows:

•    The IT which is available to the business is found to be lacking in some way, either it is too costly or is considered inefficient compared to modern standards.

•    The existing technologies are too slow, costing valuable company time.

•    Innovations are required by the business to enable expansion into new areas.

•    A small business, starting up cannot afford the costs associated with setting up an internal IT department.

•    The demands placed on an individual small business, tend to fluctuate.

•    Economic uncertainty has led to cost effective strategies, such as outsourcing.

•    Training new staff and creating new jobs is unfavourable, due to financial instability and/or lack of funding.

The Entrepreneur and the Cloud

Modern innovation is enabling modern entrepreneurs to achieve their objectives by transforming the way in which smaller companies allocate their resources. Cloud services are accessed by start-ups with minimal infrastructure and low budgets. Entrepreneurs in the Melbourne area have faced serious financial constraints, during this time of economic global depression.An entrepreneur can now become a broker of cloud computing technologies. As such, they manage the: use, performance, maintenance, and delivery of the latest network systems. They also act as ambassadors, building and strengthening the relationships between cloud providers and businesses.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/information-technology-articles/cloud-computing-industry-growth-and-changing-business-needs-6216028.html

About the Author

Andrew is a professional IT technician who writes on various IT topics. For more information regarding Business IT Support visit http://www.tandlit.com.au/

The Rise Of Cloud Computing Bandwidth Providers And The Virtual Internet

The Rise Of Cloud Computing Bandwidth Providers And The Virtual Internet

By Jacob Richard

Over the years, there have been many methods for accessing the internet ever since its initial inception. One particular area that has seen a sharp increase during recent years have been the cloud computing bandwidth providers who have brought about the virtual internet. With a fast-paced modern environment, the methods for getting online need to progress as well so you can keep up-to-date with your internet access.

The original methods for connecting to the internet consisted of dial-up initially, followed by the faster alternative of broadband, as well as connecting to the private wireless networks of others. These have progressed over the years though as times change and the technology improves to include faster and more convenient access methods. The next question is what do you do when you are away from home, this is something that is gradually being catered to more and more.

This form of virtual internet provision has seen a steady increase over the years as companies seek to offer you with the chance to access the internet more freely. Wherever there is signal you should be able to access through your own personal details as you seek to get online. The reasoning behind this is that it is far more convenient for you to use at any given time that you require internet access.

What the companies managed to do here was to find a niche within the online marketplace so they can offer you faster and more convenient internet access. Much of the space was previously left unclaimed so they came to create a more profitable and efficient system which you can work from. They can also provide you with a greater level of security now as well when gaining access.

The benefits of internet access like this is the ability to be able to manage it from a variety of different public places. For example, you could be in a restaurant or in the pub and you want to get online quickly. It could even be that you want to send an important business email before flying in which case you can do it from the airport prior to your flight.

Working on a virtual network and interface offers you the potential to work closer with company staff that you may need to keep in contact with. It also allows you to have the chance to create an artistic project of a more collaborative nature. The ability to share files relating to everything involved is now far easier with the use of a virtual internet.

While you are online, you will want to make sure that your security is up to a satisfactory standard to ensure that you are using it safely. Keeping your log-in details is an important factor for example, as you need to be able to enter all of your details easily. As you go onto the social-media space you also need to ensure your security.

Finding Cloud Computing Bandwidth providers are not hard when you know where to look for the reliable one. If you are looking for Cloud Bandwidth, review the information available here to find out more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jacob_Richard
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Rise-Of-Cloud-Computing-Bandwidth-Providers-And-The-Virtual-Internet&id=7267216

Getting Cloud Computing Ethernet Providers To Give You Faster Bandwidth Connection

Getting Cloud Computing Ethernet Providers To Give You Faster Bandwidth Connection

By Jacob Richard

Internet connectivity with a super speed has become a necessity for government and multinational companies. In a business environment that is increasingly competitive, there is need for data to be relayed across the world without undue delays. Entrepreneurs who operate across borders are interested in a line of communication that does not experience hitches so as to remain ahead of the competition. For organizations that would like to get past normal IP routers that often slow down the pace at which data is sent, identifying cloud computing Ethernet providers is very important.

By partnering with cloud computing Ethernet providers, you get your own direct line between servers and the data centers that located all over the globe. The result of the highly technological facilitation is a better experience when you wish to upload or download large amounts of information. In ordinary internet communication procedures, the transmission of big files is quite frustrating.

There is now an exciting way for people to avoid having to deal with routers when they want to load data on the World Wide Web. Those who are familiar with the manner in which the internet works have realized that the main reason for slow connections is the numerous switches that have to be made from one server to another. This is also referred to as rerouting. The process may take a couple of minutes in some world regions.

To get past the hindrance that routers will impact on your communication channels, cloud computing Ethernet providers have the ability to upgrade an existing network and make it independent. The installed structures will give you the freedom from the services of satellite search engines companies. The hardware used to run the new system will be wireless hence it is not reliant on a physical outpost.

The issue of your network performance is something you can discus with cloud computing Ethernet providers before the infrastructure suitable to your institution is set up. The consulting firm must be in a position to guarantee awesome video conferencing, unlimited data storage and a super integration with the office telephone lines. Among other things, the new technology is ensured to give a faultless run of internet wavelengths.

Already, the installations set up by cloud computing services are doing wonders in metropolitan areas. Due to the high number of people who reside in major cities, any attempt by residents to log into websites is ineffective. The shared facilities can make the capacity to give the millions of citizens proper services difficult.

Governments have turned to cloud computing providers as a means to optimize the services sought by tax payers. The work of civil servants is spread across the state and there is a large number of people seeking the attention of public officers on any given hour. Were the state machinery to continue depending on a rerouting firm, it would invite the uproar of the ordinary masses at a time almost everybody is conversant with modern technology.

Finding Cloud Computing Ethernet providers are not hard when you know where to look for the reliable one. If you are looking for Ethernet as a Service, review the information available here to find out more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jacob_Richard
http://EzineArticles.com/?Getting-Cloud-Computing-Ethernet-Providers-To-Give-You-Faster-Bandwidth-Connection&id=7267246

Cloud Computing Internet Providers Reviews

Cloud Computing Internet Providers Reviews

By Jacob Richard

Many agencies have realized the potential of Cloud Computing Internet providers as they make flexible Information Communication Technology resources readily available to them for use. This involves the delivery of storage capacity and storage as a service to a larger society of end-recipients. The service providers exempt organizations from having to cater for the expenses of laying down infrastructures typically related to ICT resources.

What makes this interesting and ideal for any company is that all their files have third party storage. Using software as a service, as user will only rent a database and application package of their choice. The work of managing the infrastructure and the platforms wholly belongs to the Cloud Computing Internet providers.

With quality management and little maintenance requirements, this system enable Information and Communication Technology to change rapidly, thus adjusting resources in a manner that meets the unknown and fluctuating business demands. The provider allows easy sharing of resources in order to achieve equal economies of scale. The amount of space provided for the service is limitless but can be quite expensive.

This service helps a great deal in organizations, universities and other dynamic entities. Since there are immense services available on demand, it offers one a chance to ensure that the cost of running their activities is as low as possible and still, the services offered remain on demand. The cost of administration and time to access data significantly reduces as one can easily retrieve data without the need of the assistance of another individual or group of persons.

However, one must first ensure they have a network access from any place, no matter where they are. This means that as a user, you must have internet access to be able to access your Cloud Computing network without which it is practically impossible.

Cloud providers also ensure that there is effective resource pulling, which assist in keeping the cost to run the systems low while at the same time, providing the required resources to the users. This act enables different users to tap resources in a disk space at a particular time. In case there is an inactive use on the disk space, the professional can free up the resources from the inactive user and allow the active user to make use of them.

This mechanism is beneficial to any business, whether it is a small business, an upcoming business or an enterprise that has been in the market for a long time. It assists these businesses to store data and host their personal software instead of using their own servers, which are expensive to buy and maintain. With this, it is easy to allocate more resources to hinder downtime.

Finding Cloud Computing Internet providers are not hard when you know where to look for the reliable one. If you are looking for Cloud Bandwidth, review the information available here to find out more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jacob_Richard

http://EzineArticles.com/?Cloud-Computing-Internet-Providers-Reviews&id=7267237

Can Cloud Computing Take On The Healthcare Industry?

Can Cloud Computing Take On The Healthcare Industry?

By Mary T Ross

How Cloud Computing Will Help Healthcare Industry

Implementing and utilizing technology will offer healthcare practices significant benefits, with Cloud computing offering better access to healthcare services and information that would subsequently result in improved outcomes and increased cost savings. Other advantage is that healthcare data has specific requirements such as security, confidentiality, availability to authorized users, traceability of access, reversibility of data, and long-term preservation.

A recent Healthcare IT News survey found 48 percent of respondents planning to incorporate cloud computing into their health IT endeavours; 33 percent had already taken the plunge. But 19 percent answered with a "no".

Cloud technology in healthcare market has different models; applications, deployment models, service models, pricing models, and components. Applications in healthcare are of two main types, namely,

• Clinical Information Systems (CIS)


• Non Clinical Information Systems (NCIS)

CIS includes EMR, CPOE, PACS, RIS, LIS, PIS, and others while NCIS includes revenue cycle management, Automatic Patient Billing, cost accounting, payroll management, and claims management.

The healthcare industry is slowly adopting public clouds due to its highly regulated nature whereas the private and hybrid cloud models have a higher affinity.

Cloud computing is a utility based or pay-per-use type of a service and the market can be categorized by two types of pricing models offered by the service vendors, the pay-as-you-go model and the subscription-based or spot pricing model, while keeping operating costs to a minimum, covering only the essentials. Additionally patient data stored in the Cloud, health professionals and hospitals will no longer need to invest in storage systems.

Today, many pharmacology vendors including Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer have started embracing cloud computing and major cloud vendors like Amazon, Oracle and IBM have developed pharma-specific clinical research cloud offerings with a goal of lowering the cost and development of new drug.

Cloud based solutions have their own pros and cons. A solution should be selected based on the features and needs of the organization; not based on whether it is cloud based or on-premise. Most of the cloud vendors like Microsoft, Amazon, Dell, etc provide Healthcare Cloud with custom settings and user specified options, which help increase productivity.

Ultimately, Cloud computing helps physicians to provide better patient care at a lower cost without sacrificing their quality of work and productivity.

Following are the Top Cloud Computing Providers which helps your business needs and to reduce your company costing.

• Amazon Web Services


• Rackspace


• CenturyLink/Savvis


• Salesforce.com


• Verizon


• Joyent


• Citrix


• Vmware


• Microsoft


• Bluelock

Mary is an experienced writer and covers topics related to Mobile Solutions and Cloud Computing. She is specialized in writing articles on Mobile Device Management, Mobile CRM, Mobile BI, Cloud Solutions.

http://www.zslinc.com/SmartPrise-Cloud-Manager.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_T_Ross
http://EzineArticles.com/?Can-Cloud-Computing-Take-On-The-Healthcare-Industry?&id=7245660

 

 

The Biggest Challenge For Cloud Computing In 2012

The Biggest Challenge For Cloud Computing In 2012

By Michael Lemm

Cloud computing has become quite the buzzword in the IT world. Whether you prefer to use the term cloud services, cloud hosting, cloud computing, or whatever... you need to be aware of the challenges and what you're getting into before you jump right into it.

Security always appears top of the list, coupled with what I interpret as confusion over how and what is needed to make best use of the cloud. So in short, for me, a lack of understanding remains the challenge. Whilst security is critical, I feel the need to provide some counter points.

Any computer connected to the Internet is at risk from hackers, whether it is in the cloud or in a private data centre. Would it be true to say that an SME, with necessarily limited resources, is able to better secure its data than say, Amazon? In addition, who says everything needs to be in the cloud? Adopting a cloud computing strategy isn't an 'all or nothing' decision. Data can remain within a data centre or on premise, whilst applications that need to access such data can be based in the cloud. That's the whole principle behind the different cloud types - private, public or hybrid.

I think that anyone considering a move to the cloud needs to carefully consider their motivations and objectives for doing so, and to question what data and workflows they and their customers will feel happy placing in the cloud. Most importantly, select a vendor that can accommodate your cloud migration strategy, now and in the future. The challenge in 2012 isn't that of cloud computing, the challenge for cloud vendors or providers of Cloud 'services' is that they need to not only advocate the benefits of their particular offering, but also educate the market on the benefits of cloud, full stop.

Another major challenge will be Bandwidth. It's probably the case that the majority of SME/Bs have 'plenty' of local network bandwidth with which to conduct their in-house operations/business, however, it's also probably the case that they don't have the same bandwidth in their pipe(s) into the 'Cloud' and that could be an awkward bottleneck if you swallowed the cloud philosophy without adequate preparation - which, of course, you'd never do.

For the pessimists amongst you, despite Moore's Law and Nielson's Law, there's always Parkinson's Law, which prevails: "Usage expands so as to fill all available bandwidth."

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications... including Business VoIP Solution. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Lemm
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Biggest-Challenge-For-Cloud-Computing-In-2012&id=7240088

 

 

Like It or Not, Cloud Computing Is Here to Stay

Like It or Not, Cloud Computing Is Here to Stay

By Katharine Davis

Can you believe the iPhone was introduced in 2007 a mere 5 years ago and now it is so ingrained in our culture that our children appear as though they were born with advanced degrees in "I" skills. Technology changes rapidly and the producers name the tune while we, as the consumers, must dance to their song. We are the recipients of an overload of electronics and choices. Frequently accompanying those is sheer confusion deciding over which platform or device is best. But this is true; the Internet provides a platform for us all to communicate, regardless of what we use to access the Information Highway.

Three points were being made above. First, we are the consumers; how we compute is driven by what innovations and options are offered to us by the producers. Second, businesses hoping to prosper cannot ignore change, but must embrace it. Mobile device sales are surpassing traditional computer sales. Last, the Internet is indeed the infrastructure by which we are all connected. It only makes sense in this mobile society that we find the quickest, most efficient way to access our daily digital needs. Pursuant to that, the producer's philosophy has done a complete 180 in how they see infrastructure. Here we go again. It's like the mainframe revolution all over again, where things are centrally located and shared.

The thinking is that centralized storage and applications are most cost-effectively accessed by folks all going to the Internet (a central point), as opposed to using the Internet to get to their private domains in their office. When you take that in conjunction with the speed in which most people can connect to the Internet along with the universal tools available for accessing the internet, there is a natural convergence towards placing our computing resources there - at one central access point. It makes some sense and there is a strong argument that there is a high ROI for companies that abandon the idea that they need everything in-house. We can all understand it is cheaper to have one big server than lots of little ones. I am not here to make the ROI argument. I have one of those CPA degrees so my answer is "What do you want the number to be?" The truth is that the producers are developing more and more applications built on this cloud concept and an increasing number of consumers need get access to corporate and personal information on-the-go. Seems like a win-win to me, but many folks out there are uncertain if the time is right to make a leap into cyberspace with what was traditionally locked up in the computer room.

Clearly the answer is not the same for everyone and each company should evaluate their workflow, their workforce, and the costs of the various components. There is a lot of due diligence to be done in regard to providers and the language of their contracts, not to mention the security of your data. I and others have offered volumes of information and experience on the critical questions in considering such a leap... but the point today is that if you think change is bad, obsolescence is deadly. Software as a service, and cloud/mobile computing are here to stay and it behooves an organization to start including discussions of how to adapt and transition from the pervasive server/client "wintel" world. Act now because applications from backup to proprietary products are being run from external computer centers across the globe, and the Internet has become the destination, not the highway.

Cloud technology is becoming more prevalent, and a significant means of running a successful business in the construction industry. For more information on these services, call CPA Technology at 610-862-0039.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katharine_Davis

http://EzineArticles.com/?Like-It-or-Not,-Cloud-Computing-Is-Here-to-Stay&id=7235475

What, When and How Cloud Computing?

What, When and How Cloud Computing?

Author:James Watson

Cloud Computing is more than technology. It is changing the way we do business. It is boosting the capability of small organizations. It's this, It's that.

After all what is cloud computing? Why is it gaining huge popularity? Is it really beneficial? Is it harmful? How can it help you? Do you even need it? To know all about Cloud Computing read on…

Cloud computing is not just an application hosted. It is not only a platform. It is not just a technology. It is a combo pack of technology, platform and hosted application along with immense capacity to store data.

All right! It is all of the above mentioned things. So what? Do you need it?

You need it if:-

• You want to compete with other growing organizations.

• You want to utilize all the available resources most effectively.

• You want to work without geographical obstruction.

• You do not want any time restriction.

• You need to work with your team mates even when you are not with them.

• You don't want any IT burden on your shoulders.

• You want to keep your data secure with redundant data backup.

You do not need Cloud Computing if you don't need anything from above mentioned list. Now those who find the requirements mentioned on the above list matching to yours must be willing to know that how can they get all of it.

So I will explain it one by one:-

Competing with large enterprises and Utilizing Resources Effectively

Big MNCs are have their own established local IT network and team of IT experts who are taking care of their IT requirements and help them to stay where they are. They have it because they can afford it. Now with Cloud hosting or cloud computing you can do the same without crossing your company's budget. A Cloud hosting Service Provider eliminates the requirement of local IT network and complete IT department. These Cloud Hosts takes care of your software and keeps it up to date without pulling you in to any kind of trouble. In this way you can utilize similar technology without spending in a similar way.

Working without any geographical or time restriction

Cloud Computing services allows its users to work from any location without any restriction. All you need is an internet connected device. You can be travelling in the train, enjoying your vacation on beach, attending meeting in another country or office and still manage and control your work with cloud computing services.

Be it a bright day or dark night. Your office may be open or it may be close. These things won't hinder your work if you are using cloud hosting services.

Work with your team mates even when you are not with them

Services on cloud come with secure multiuser data accessibility. Authenticated multiple users can access data simultaneously without any trouble. To keep data secure you can restrict access with log in ID and password. This access facility can be customized according to designation basis as well.

Data Security and backup

Cloud Computing or Application Hosting Service Provider keeps the data secure. These hosting vendors utilize latest security tools and technologies to keep the data secure.

All these features offered by Cloud Computing Services answers all your questions like What, Why and how Cloud Computing?

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/software-articles/what-when-and-how-cloud-computing-6128485.html

About the Author

James Watson is an IT analyst at Real Time Data Services which is a leading Cloud computing and Application Hosting  company. The company specializes in hosting many software including accounting software (QuickBooks, Peachtree), QuickBooks add-ons (eBridge, SourceLink, Fishbowl Inventory Hosting), Windows Server, MS SQL Server, Lacerte Tax software, CRM software (ACT!), MS Project, MS office, MS office servers, and also hosts many other software.

Five ways that Cloud Computing will Change IT roles

Five ways that Cloud Computing will Change IT roles

Author:Mary Ros

When cloud computing was instigated in the market there were very mixed views as to how it will help the future of the IT industry. There were proponents of the positive and negative outcomes of cloud computing in the industry. In hind sight this reaction is almost similar to when open source was introduced.

[caption id="attachment_812" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Five ways that Cloud Computing will Change IT roles[/caption]

Cloud Computing is rapidly rolling as a standard in business organizations. The technology is revolutionizing the way organizations manage infrastructure and business processes. As we see cloud computing is growing and admired as the solution for organizations seeking to save time and money on IT costs and leverage their business processes to increase profits.
Let's see how the cloud computing will change business and the tech industry.

Easy Accessibility of Data through Cloud The accessibility of cloud computing is a major incentive for business owners, which allows its employees to access the data from anywhere at any time, instead of carrying the data on a memory card or emails or coming into the office. If entrepreneurs are on a business trip or any employee on a vacation, it provides easy access to the data through cloud computing, making many of the inconveniences void.

Saving your IT Costs Most of the organizations use cloud computing as pay-as-you-go aspect. This means organizations pay only for the service and storage that are currently being used by them. This automatically cuts down the IT costs leading to an increase in the revenue. With the expansion of the company or a growth in the storage requirements storage needs can be scaled up or in the case of software, more payment can be made for increase in the usage for the same.
Small companies, start-ups can break-even faster as Cloud computing rapidly improves the standing of the company against the competition by bringing in more revenue quicker and scope for grabbing important market share.

Boost for the Architects Massive growth is lined up in days ahead. It will be inevitable that all manual activities/services will be replaced by automation. Such a scene provides a huge scope for enterprise architects who will play major roles in IT. Skilled architects whose roles include development, implementation and enforcement of automated systems in every IT organization for uncountable services such that it makes the tasks simpler, easier to perform.

Utilizing cloud computing services help organization through cloud based software in sending invoices to clients, organizing and synchronizing employee payroll, to name a few.

Storage Everyone with a computer spends a lot of time acquiring data and then trying to find a way to store it. For some computer owners, finding enough storage space to hold all the data they've acquired is a real challenge. Investing in larger hard drives and other external storage devices like thumb drives or compact discs are expensive. Desperate computer users might delete entire folders worth of old files in order to make space for new information. But some are choosing to rely on a growing trend: cloud storage. Cloud storage is an area which is the latest burst. For individual computer owners it is the safest and most economical. Enterprise Storage such as Backup, Disaster Recovery in cloud are still pondered over by bigger organizations but are getting easy acceptance by small industries to use cloud for their storage purposes.

Process Improvement Today even though most of the business has been digitized there still remains some documentation like hardcopy memos and handouts to employees and customers. Cloud computing has changed that as more and more businesses are giving up on documentation by utilizing emails to circulate important documents. Even we can store documents at one centralized location and grant access to employees. Through on demand solutions and shared services, which can be hosted on cloud, organizations can capitalize on the development of new skills and solutions. This leads to better business processes which in turn ensure that the organization is lean enough to adapt to market changes and even see them as new opportunities for growth.

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About the Author

Mary is an experienced writer and covers topics related to Mobile Solutions and Cloud Computing. She is specialized in writing articles on Mobile Device Management, Mobile CRM, Mobile BI, Cloud Solutions.