The world on a cloud

Clearing the fog over cloud computing,the technology of the future

Clearing the fog over cloud computing,the technology of the future
The day hard drives,the mainstay of any computing device,will finally be rendered obsolete may not be very far away. And cloud computing is only bringing that day closer. With Google,Yahoo,Microsoft and IBM heavily investing in it,cloud computing is not just another IT buzzword,but a revolution waiting to happen.
So what is cloud computing? This new technology uses the Internet and remote servers located around the world to store and maintain all data,allowing users to access it anytime,from anyplace without installing applications or software on their own computers. In other words,every user will have a small personal vault,or virtual server,in Internet real estate.
The concept has been floating around for a while now and most of us have used it without really acknowledging it as cloud computing. How many times have we uploaded photographs and data into our email accounts to keep a copy online and access it from anywhere? In fact,every time you use Facebook or Twitter,you are applying cloud computing. For example,the applications you use on Facebook are written for and distributed only on that website.

The Google Chrome operating system OS due next year will put all your computer requirements on the Internet. The Chrome OS will utilise a barebones computer with enough flash memory to connect to the Internet,where users will store all their data and also be able to use applications within the browser without installing anything. However,an obvious drawback is that the user may not be able to install or use personal software. Not yet,at least.
But more than the consumer,cloud computing is possibly on the verge of revolutionising the tradition methods of IT. While companies now have to spend a significant amount of finances,time and effort on the implementation,upkeep,maintenance and upgrading of software,cloud computing will put an end to all this. Owning data centres,power and office space for servers,cooling devices,network hubs,storage and complex company-specific software will also become things of the past.
In cloud computing,software and services are delivered to users through the Internet getting rid of the need to buy and maintain servers,technicians and expansions. The centralised storage,memory,processing and bandwidth will usher in efficient computing. And since everything is controlled virtually,it will become cheaper. Companies will no longer need to purchase space or software; they will just need to pay subscription for services and usage.

Cloud computing can broadly be categorised into three segments:
Applications
or Software-as-a-service SaaS
Since an application uses cloud computing in its software design and architecture,it nullifies the need to install and run applications on individual computers,making software upgrades,maintenance and support obsolete. In a typical example,SaaS vendors will host all data and programs on the Internet for users to utilise for free or a line of business services will upload software on the Internet allowing the consumer the use of the same as long as the subscription is valid. The vendor could also download the required software application to a set of users for a pre determined price. Examples: Youtube,Facebook.

Platforms
or Platform-as-a-service PaaS
PaaS include development tools themselves that are hosted on the Internet or cloud and accessed through a browser. Utilising PaaS for a company would mean the ability to distribute software applications without having to purchase underlying hardware and software to support the application. The process of making available the entire process from designing a software application,to testing it and finally delivering a product is all done through services available on the Internet without programmers having to download or install anything on their machines. PaaS is also referred to as cloudware. The advantages include lower costs,efficient distribution of work and the ability to incorporate web services. Examples: Paypal,Google custom search.

Infrastructure
or Infrastructure-as-a-service IaaS
The easiest way to describe IaaS would be to refer to it as everything as a service. Everything is online and a paid service including servers,network equipment,data storage,memory and even hardware. The service vendor owns all the equipment and is responsible for housing,running and maintaining it,while the user pays on a per-use basis. Examples: Amazon Web Services,GoGrid.
However,as with everything that goes digital or online,security is a matter of concern. Despite reduced cost,increased efficiency and scalability,security remains that one,albeit powerful,element that will keep single users asking How safe is my data? The businessmen on the other hand would want to know How risky is it to depend on it for an entire business infrastructure?

A recently released report by the European Network and Information Security Agency ENISA attempts to provide answers. According to the report,The Clouds economies of scale and flexibility are both a friend and a foe from a security point of view. The massive concentrations of resources and data present a more attractive target to attackers,but cloud-based defences can be more robust,scalable and cost-effective. The report also stated that a major concern for business contemplating a shift to cloud computing is the confidentiality of their information and the liability for incidents involving their infrastructure.

Meanwhile,proponents of free software remain sceptical of cloud computing since it means users will not be in control of their own information since it is all hosted by a third-party. Experts believe that a small breakdown on the service providers side would lock the user out of his/her own data for unknown amounts of time. Others have even argued that cloud computing would be a trap for users and that service providers would eventually be able to scale their charges higher and higher over time.