So how does Cloud Computing help?

Cloud computing benefits businesses and individuals in many different ways and every year more applications are being developed.  The use of clouds allows companies flexibility, there is a nearly unlimited amount of storage space available so they can use as much as they want and they don’t have to upgrade or purchase new servers.  If they decided to use less, they aren’t stuck with unused servers and because the client or user doesn’t own the servers they aren’t responsible for upgrading and adding addition space.  This also means that cloud computing is usually very cost efficient

There is also a nearly endless list of applications for cloud computing that can save most medium and large business time and money.  One of the most common uses for the cloud is to backup data.  Duplicate data is stored at several locals in the cloud and because the cloud uses servers in many different geographical locations, it is very unlikely that a single event or catastrophe could disable or destroy the servers causing data loss. Because the cloud can be integrated with most devices, if a loss does occur, it can usually be recovered quickly and made available anywhere in the world on a compatible device. 

Source: dvicenews.com

 An example of this would be a lost or damaged phone that was integrated into a cloud. A new phone could quickly replace the old phone, because the data is stored outside of the phone on a remote server in the cloud.  So you have all the same contacts, pictures, apps, music, and everything back, as soon as you get a new phone.  

Source:  Schouten, Edwin. "5 Cloud Business Benefits." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 14 Oct. 0012. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. http://www.wired.com/insights/2012/10/5-cloud-business-benefits/

Cloud Security

What does security mean to you?   Is it knowing that you are safe were you are? Well there are many threats and issues that concern the cloud.  Is it really better to have your data stored with a cloud computing provider than with your company?  Is it better to trust other IT people rather than your own?  There is no arguing that having data in the cloud frees up space and reduces cost. 

Issues with the cloud

Ø  Data could be compromised by the Cloud Computing Provider

Ø  The connection between the Cloud Computing Provider and the customer is not always sufficiently protected.  

Ø Security risks that threaten the transfer line include eavesdropping, DNS spoofing, and Denial-of-Service attacks.  

Trend Micro is a leading innovator of cloud security.  It has been protecting businesses and consumers for over 20 years.   

Click on the video to learn more about Trend Micro and issues that come with cloud computing.

                    

“Cloud Security.” TrendMirco.com.  n.p. n.d. Web. 14 March 2013.

http://cloudsecurity.trendmicro.com/us/technology-innovation/cloud/index.html

Holbl, Marko.  “Cloud Computing Security and Privacy Issues.” CEPIS.org. Web. 14 March 2013.

http://www.cepis.org/media/CEPIS_Cloud_Computing_Security_v17.11.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI9-d-N5nA0

The forecast for cloud computing

What will the weather be like tomorrow?  Everyday meteorologists around the world try to answer that very same question, they use the tools and information available to try to predict where the clouds will end up.  The same is true for cloud computing, many businesses and investors around the world are trying to predict what the future holds for this technology that is still in it's infancy. 

The Gartner estimates for 2013 show a growth of 19.6% from 2012, continuing the rapid growth that has followed cloud computing since 2006.  These same estimates predict the by the year 2020, the cloud computing market could surpass $240 billion dollars annually!

What is bringing on all of this growth?  Well, the real answer is complex but the simple answer is everything, smart phones, cars, but the largest immediate growth is coming from healthcare.  As more medical records and other information are being collected and made available to doctors, clouds will be used to integrate this information into many aspects of your care, diagnosis and treatments. Soon you might see a tablet just as at home in a doctor's office as a stethoscope.

It's too early to tell exactly where the future will take cloud computing but if the "forecast" is right, the only direction is up, way up.





http://www.idgconnect.com/blog-abstract/720/paul-moxon-global-the-future-cloud-computing-how-do-you-prepare-2013

Computing is for the birds or at least the clouds....

Have you ever used facebook?  What about iTunes?  These are just a couple of things you deal with on a daily basis that utilize a form of cloud computing.  Facebook uses servers in data centers to process and store all of our data that we can access at anytime. iTunes uses another form of cloud computing in which you might be familiar with, or at least the name of its cloud network the iCloud.  The iCloud helps save storage on your personal devices by being able to access but not have to store all of the information on your devices. You can pull from iCloud to multiple devices. Cloud computing allows the user to not have to be concerned with having crazy amounts of storage space on their phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop.  So what is Cloud Computing?

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's definition of cloud computing is:
"Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources"

What does this mean you ask?
In the simplest form, cloud computing is a way to access, store, and process data and applications on a non local server over the internet.  Really we have the ability to access to all that you could ever want or need, and all you have to have is an internet connection.   

Why is cloud computing important?
For me it saves alot of  memory space on my personal devices and I dont have to worry about connecting each of them one at a time.  Moreover I am very busy so having access to music, email or facebook on the go is nice because I can access all of these from just my phone. 

Do you think its important in your daily life?
http://www.nist.gov/itl/cloud/index.cfm"

Cloud Computing? Who uses that?

Many of us use it.  We utilize it in most of our day to day activities.  Do you ever use web based email?  Do you check or update statuses on Facebook?  What about using iCloud for your music?  These are just a few examples but all of these use cloud computing.     

Not to long ago data for companies and businesses had to be stored in house on servers.  If the servers were acting up or went down then the business wouldn't have access or be able to retrieve the data.  Cloud computing changed and revolutionized that process.  Some companies are using private clouds and some are trusting in public clouds.  Cloud computing allows for companies to retrieve and process data at a much faster speed.  Moreover cloud computing is much more reliable.  If someone tries to access the information from a cloud network, they will have access to multiple servers because the companies data is duplicated across a group of servers.  This creates a more dependable process so business doesn't have to slow down. 

Cloud computing is changing technology and allowing our personal or business data storage systems to become smaller and smaller.  With the growing need for access to data and applications in business many companies are investing a third of their IT budget into cloud computing.  Many companies believe that everything will move to cloud computing over the next few years, because it can be utilized for conferencing, web based email, and data storage.

In essence our world will soon use cloud computing for everything.  What could be next?  Will we eventually not ever have to have a CPU at all?  Will we not have to come in contact with anyone?  Will we never have to have books again? 
 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2012/04/11/more-than-one-third-of-it-budgets-now-spent-on-cloud-survey/