The Trends In Computing

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Information technology is continually evolving. New technology solutions appear while others mature and then decline in popularity. Some new technologies show early promise and are adopted quickly, whereas some move slowly into the mainstream. IT initiatives can come in and out of fashion with astonishing rapidity as vendors push the next big service or solution. Only with time, IT executives know which emerging IT strategies will have staying power and which will fall short of the hype.

This section will provide the IT organizations about different IT strategies and technologies. It also provide a glimpse into how quickly emerging technologies are being adopted, how deeply more-established technologies and strategies are penetrating the market and how positive the economic experience of early adopters are with each of these initiatives. By understanding the adoption trends and economic experience, executives are in a better position to assess the potential risks of investing in each of the initiatives.

4.1.1 IT Maturity Analysis

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Fig. 6: IT Maturity Analysis

Figure 6 compares the technologies along two parameters, i) the current investment rate and ii) the current adoption rate. This provides an assessment of how widely each technology is deployed, along with an assessment of how many organizations are currently investing in the technology. Taken together, these factors provide insight into how mature a technology is relative to other technologies in our study and into how quickly adoption is expanding.

The horizontal axis labeled "Percentage with Technology in Place" represents the current adoption rate. The higher the adoption rate, further the technology moves to the right in the chart. The vertical axis is labeled "Percentage Currently Investing" represents the current investment rate. The greater the percentage of organizations currently investing in a technology, the higher it rises on the chart.

In this analysis, the words "low" and "high" are relative to the technologies, which are in study. As it is evident from examining Figure 7, the technologies fall roughly along the diagonal line from the low-investment, low-adoption sector to the high-investment, high-adoption sector. We deem initiatives closest to the upper right-hand corner as more "mature" than technology initiatives further away.

The chart is divided into nine sectors, representing low, moderate and high current investment rates and low, moderate and high current adoption rates. Each of the initiatives falls into one of the nine sectors as follows:

High Investment/High Adoption: Four technologies fall into the high-investment, high-adoption sector

ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems (1) are not only the most widely deployed technology initiative in the study but organizations are investing in ERP at a higher rate than any other technology in the study. While somewhat less widely deployed than ERP, business intelligence systems (2), CRM systems (3) and enterprise collaboration (4) round out the most mature technology initiatives. They all have high adoption and high investment rates relative to the other initiatives in the study.

Moderate Investment/High Adoption

Human resource management systems (HRMS) rank No. 5 in maturity. A common companion to ERP applications, these systems have a high adoption rate but the current investment rate is only moderate.

High Investment/Moderate Adoption

When the investment rate outpaces the adoption rate, a technology is growing quickly. The one technology in this sector, Windows 7 (6), has that distinction as it continues its rollout. It is on a trajectory to reach a high adoption level but is not quite there yet.

Moderate Investment/Moderate Adoption

Technologies in this category are progressing at a slow and steady pace. This sector includes three technology initiatives: legacy system renewal (7), software as a service (SaaS) (9) and unified communications (10). In the current environment, modest investment activity is still slow but that does not mean these initiatives are on the same course and the renewal of legacy systems is a technology initiative that has been ongoing for some time and will likely remain in the moderate-adoption category, given that not all organizations have legacy systems. SaaS and unified communications, on the other hand, could enjoy universal adoption at some point in the future.

High Investment/Low Adoption

Only one technology initiative has the unique attribute of growing, so quickly that it ranks high in investment despite having a still-low low adoption rate. Mobile applications (8) for enterprise systems has become a high priority for many organizations, enabled at least in part by the success of smart phones and tablets in the consumer market.

Low Investment/Moderate Adoption

No technologies fall into the low-investment, high-adoption category, largely because we have chosen not to assess any technologies that are in saturated mode. Investment in supply chain management (11) systems has to some degree stalled but that does not mean it is in decline. The integration of various elements of the supply chain is an ambitious undertaking that requires further development. As technologies such as RFID improve, supply chains will become even more integrated. Moreover, the moderate adoption rate reflects that the fact not all industry sectors are strong markets for supply chain management, which is most heavily deployed in manufacturing, distribution and retail sectors.

Low Investment/Low Adoption

While an emerging technology may show promise, high costs and a limited track record cause organizations to shy away from implementation until the technology matures. In this study, five technologies fall into the low-low category: desktop virtualization (12), tablet computers (13), infrastructure as a service (IaaS) (14), environmental management solutions (15) and platform as a service (Paas) (16). These technology initiatives are under developed but they have potential to handle wide range of users.

As cloud computing continues its swift transition from slightly industry based to real-world business-critical solution, we are getting a clearer picture about the cloud customers and driving force, which brings them into the cloud. Here are five major trends in today’s emerging cloud landscape.

Trend 1: SMBs and micro-businesses as major adopters of cloud computing technology

  The basic value proposition of the cloud means that the SMB and micro-business will continue to be at the forefront of cloud adoption. Cloud computing offers cost savings and an attractive pay-as-you-go model that allows SMBs and micro-businesses to establish an affordable and competitive IT infrastructure. Scalability, of course, is another chief benefit, allowing SMB and micro-business to remain responsive and viable in a soft economy.

Trend 2: Customers dealing with complex supply chains, reorganization, rich digital content, or no legacy systems will emerge as major cloud adopters.  

The first wave of cloud computing customers will include organizations with complex supply-chain management systems, who stand to benefit from the reduced costs and improved efficiencies of cloud computing. Businesses seeking to reorganize or optimize their business operations in order to become more efficient and stay competitive will also move towards the cloud. Cloud computing is also expected to draw more firms dealing digital imaging which are seeking efficient and scalable means for storing and delivering rich digital content.

Trend 3: Demand for on-the-go access will continue to drive cloud adoption.  

The depend for on-the-go accessibility will be a major force in shaping cloud computing. The ubiquity of powerful mobile devices and cheap bandwidth, coupled with today’s dynamic business environment, means that the demand for accessibility will continue to drive cloud adoption.

Trend 4: The rise of the hybrid cloud model

As customers continue to debate the security risks of cloud computing, new cloud models will emerge to address these concerns and adapt to customer needs. Hybrid models will allow organizations to move part of their data into the public cloud, while keeping other IT-resources on-site or in a private cloud. New hybrid offerings will allow customers to combine dedicated hosting, public cloud and private cloud to realize new and customized solutions. An example of the hybrid cloud model is Amazon’s Virtual Private Cloud, which allows organizations to connect their IT infrastructure to the Amazon Web Services cloud via a private network channel.  

Trend 5: Growth of the "stack-as-a-service" delivery mode

Cloud computing currently offers three basic delivery models: Iaas, PaaS and Saas. Experts expect to see greater consolidation of cloud delivery models, especially as providers fill critical gaps in today’s cloud offerings. The demand for unified "stack-as-a-service" delivery models is expected to grow as more customers seek to build and deploy applications. This also means greater consolidation of cloud providers to achieve economies of scale in centralized data and services.

4.1.2 Ten Technology Trends to Watch

1. Virtualization.

Virtualization encompasses infrastructure, applications, server, desktop, storage, network and hardware. Virtualization can provide additional muscle on demand and is compatible with today’s Green IT measures. For Small, Medium business (SMBs), moreover, virtualization affords incredible ease of migration.

Organizations need to review consolidation plans and check whether all virtualization bases are covered without delay. New client-side virtualization is also pressing IT to evaluate multiple options and deliver systems that can convey and store portable media. Based on hosted virtual desktops that create a "thick client" image via a "thin client" delivery model, New client virtualization is posed to create a long-term, flexible workforce that reduces operating complexity and streamlines standards in alignment, audit and control. 

2. Data Growth

According to Gartner, enterprise data growth is expected to grow more in the next five years and 80% will be unstructured. Due to this in IT the complexity will grow, despite continued budget constraints. More access will create more data, resulting in a growth of data that will require increased compliance, backup, audit and security. To stem the tide, organizations must virtualize storage quickly, prepare for reduplication, evaluate all data inputs, keep only what is essential, segment and prioritize data. Key technologies to manage the data growth will include thin provisioning, data reduplication, automated tiering, HSM (Heterogeneous Storage Management) principles and virtual tape.

3. Energy and Green IT

Power to Performance Effectiveness (PPE) will become a focal point, forcing a review of IT efficiency at the intersection between facilities and IT. As the power issue moves up the food chain, corporate social responsibility will also become a central concern.

 4. Complex Resource Tracking

This includes monitoring energy consumption, visualizing the power consumption of resources, automating energy usage to optimal levels and learning how dynamically to move workloads. Organizations will have to manage new KPI (Knowledge Power Infrastructures) based on power and a growing demand for new vendors and skills. According to Gartner, the critical timeframe for complex resource tracking will come in the next two years and will demand that organizations get to know their facilities team, begin market research and monitor.

5. Consumerization and Social Software

Social collaboration (wikis, blogs, Facebook, Twitter), social media (content sharing and aggregation) and social validation (social ratings, rankings and commentary) will continue to be a major force in shaping consumerisation and social software, compelling organizations to focus on early pattern detection and the "collective." In the next two years, organizations will need to respond to the distributed social web by establishing rules of engagement, monitoring and looking for signals, becoming active participants in the social web and adding a social dimension to internal and external websites. 

4.2 Cloud Service Models

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Fig. 7: Cloud Service Models

Figure 7 shows that the various cloud service models such as i) software, ii) platform and iii) infrastructure. Cloud Service Models simply mean, what type of services can be provided to customers. Different models cater to different kinds of requirements and can achieve different business objectives. A simple search and may find internet hits with dozens of Cloud * as a Service, which can be replaced by any one of the following:

"Desktop, Security, Data, Software, Platform, Infrastructure, IT, Testing, Hardware, Computing, Database, Storage etc"

All of this are bit confusing. As cloud computing is still evolving, the providers are free to innovate and offer various services and there are no hard and fast rules governing these service offerings.

4.2.1 Service Models

SaaS (Software as a Service)

PaaS (Platform as a Service)

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)

4.2.1.1 SaaS

In this service the consumer is free from worries and hassles related to the service. The Service Provider has very high administrative control on the application and is responsible for update, deployment, maintenance and security. The provider exercises final authority over the application. For example, Gmail is a SaaS, where Google is the provider and we are the consumers. We have very limited administrative and user level control over it, although there is a limited range of actions, such as enabling priority inbox, signatures, undo sent mail, etc., that the consumer can initiate through settings.

The figure 8 illustrates the relative levels of control between the Provider and the Subscriber i.e. SaaS Component Stack and Scope of Control. From the below figure, cloud provider has the total control over the hardware, middleware and operating system. Also has the admin control over the application residing in the server. Cloud subscriber, subscribes the service and has limited admin, user level control. Cloud users don’t have control over the OS or the hardware.  

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Fig. 8: SaaS Component Stack and Scope of Control

Who are SaaS Subscribers?

SaaS subscribers can be i) ordinary users such as individuals, ii) users from organizations and iii) users from enterprises. In most of the cases the usage fee is calculated based on the number of users. For example, Google Apps is free up to 10 email accounts but it charges $5 per user per month for using Google Apps for Business (more than 10 users)

When should opt for a SaaS?

When we want to focus and improve our business.

Why should opt for a SaaS?

By opting SaaS, wasting of time in replacing broken pieces of hardware, managing IT infrastructure and the most critical of them all i.e. hiring and retaining IT staff are avoided.

Which SaaS should you opt for?

Application which supports productivity and collaboration are best to opt, example is Google Apps. Other examples are

Online Project Management apps like DeskAway, Zoho Mail, Chat, Docs, Project, Sheet, Writer etc.,

CRM apps – Impel CRM, Salesforce.com, Microsoft Dynamics.

Cloud based Storage and Sharing services like Dropbox, Skydrive (windows live), Amazon S3, Google Docs, Box.net, Mozy.

Small, Medium Enterprises (SMEs) / Small, Medium Business (SMBs) can opt for EazeWork (for HR, PayRoll and Sales) are recommended.

4.2.1.2 PaaS

In plain English, PaaS is a platform where software can be developed, tested and deployed in the entire life cycle of software and can operated on a PaaS. This service model is dedicated to application developers, testers, deployers and administrators. This service provides everything to you to develop a cloud SaaS application.

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Fig. 9: PaaS Component Stack and Scope of Control

The figure 9 illustrates that the relative levels of control between the Provider and the Subscriber i.e. PaaS Component Stack and Scope of Control. From the figure, cloud provider has the total control over the Hardware and Operating System. He has the admin control over middleware and no control over the application. Cloud subscriber, subscribes the service and has full admin rights over the application deployed and minimal rights over the middleware. Cloud users don’t have control over the OS or the hardware.  

A PaaS typically includes the development environment, programming languages, compilers, testing tools and deployment mechanism. In some cases, like Google Apps Engine (GAE), the developers may download development environment and use them locally in the developer’s infrastructure, or the developer may access tools in the Provider’s infrastructure through a browser.

Who are PaaS Subscribers?

ISV (Independent Software Vendors), IT Service Providers or even individual developers who want to develop SaaS.

When should you opt for a PaaS?

User can opt for PaaS, when he wants to focus only on application development and to finish it before the deadline.

Why should you opt for a PaaS?

By opting PaaS, everything else (i.e. other than the application development) will be taken care of by the platform.

Which PaaS should you opt for?

Users should choose the PaaS based on the platforms they work. Examples include:

GAE is more popular with individual Java, Python developers.

Microsoft Windows Azure is targeting its pool of enterprise class users. ASP.Net (C#, VB.Net) developers will find easy to adopt it. Amazon has also moved one stack up to offer its PaaS – Beanstalk (one more option for Java developers)

A few of the Indian based PaaS providers are OrangeScape and Wolf frameworks. OrangeScape apps can run on all the major cloud platforms i.e. Google App Engine, Microsoft Azure, IBM SmartCloud, Amazon EC2 or data center- without having to rewrite applications. Engine Yard and Heroku are leading cloud PaaS for Ruby on Rails (RoR). Heroku (acquired by saleforce.com) is also a preferred PaaS for Facebook apps creation.

PHP developers can choose between PHP Fog and CloudControl. For a multi-language application platform explore DotCloud. India based Ozonetel Systems offers KooKoo PaaS for cloud telephony service.

4.2.1.3 IaaS

Do you require virtual computers, cloud storage, network infrastructure components such as firewalls and configuration services? IaaS is what you should opt for. The System Administrators are the subscriber of this service. The usage fee is calculated per CPU hour, GB of data stored per hour, network bandwidth consumed, network infrastructure used per hour, value added services used, e.g., monitoring, auto-scaling etc. The following figure shows IaaS Component Stack and Scope of Control

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Fig. 10: IaaS Component Stack and Scope of Control

The figure 10 illustrates the relative levels of control between the Provider and the Subscriber i.e. IaaS Component Stack and Scope of Control. From the figure, Cloud Provider has the total control only over the hardware and has admin rights for virtualization part i.e. Hypervisor. He has no control over Application, Middleware and Guest Operating System. Cloud Subscriber, subscribes the service and has full admin rights for the Application deployed, Middleware and OS. Cloud user can make requests to Hypervisor. Cloud users don’t have control over the hardware.  

Who are IaaS Subscribers?

Enterprises comprising of many servers can act as a IaaS providers such as Facebook, Orkut and Twitter.

When/Why should you opt for an IaaS?

Very useful for startup companies who don’t know how successful their newly launched application/website will be. Users may have a choice of multiple Operating System, Platforms, Databases and Content Delivery Network (CDN) – all in one place.

Which IaaS should you opt for?

Amzon is the pioneer of IaaS. Other leading providers are Rackspace, GoGrid, Joyent, Rightscale and Terremark (bought by Verizon). India based IaaS providers are NetMagic Solutions and InstaCompute (from Tata Communications)

4.2.2 Cloud Service Models

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Fig. 11: Cloud Service Models Comparison

The figure 11 gives us a visual representation of the levels of service provided by each service model.  Service models are categorized into 5 types, i) business as a service, ii) software as a service, iii) platform as a service, iv) infrastructure as a service and v) management as a service. There are a few things that could be pointed out in cloud service models they are:

Management is a part of the service provided by the Cloud Service Provider. In larger organizations, you will still require management functions to manage multiple services, service models and on-premise applications and systems.

If you purchase an infrastructure service from a cloud service provider, then you would build on top of your applications and services and if you require a development platform, you would build this on the infrastructure service as well.

If you purchase a platform service, then it includes the required infrastructure service to support this platform.

If you purchase an application (software) service, then the service includes all of the infrastructure and platform services to support your application.

Business process systems facilitate the development of business processes, including business process inventory, definition, development, deployment, management and measurement. 

Probably the most interesting part is the Service layers.  Services (Web Services or Business Services) are reusable technical components made available internally and/or externally to be consumed or to create new business process and its application.  Creating these reusable functions enables the business to be less reliant upon IT to modify existing systems in order to provide new functionality.  A new application can be created, using a service, which utilizes the existing applications to provide this new business functionality in the SaaS and/or BaaS layer.  This is the meaning of the Services layer represented in the figure 11, it is Web or Business Service which is reusable technical components.

4.3 Cloud Deployment Models

The term cloud is a metaphor for the Internet and is a simplified representation of the complex, internetworked devices and connections that form the Internet. Private and public clouds are subsets of the Internet and are defined based on their relationship to the enterprise. Private and public clouds may also be referred to as internal or external clouds the differentiation is based on the relationship of the cloud to the enterprise.

The public and private cloud concepts are important because they support cloud computing, which enables the provisioning of dynamic, scalable, virtualized resources over Internet connections by a vendor or an enterprise IT organization to customers for a fee. The end users, who use the services offered via cloud computing may not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure that supports them.

4.3.1 Cloud Computing Deployment Models

There are several types of cloud computing deployment scenarios. Figure 12 depicts a sample cloud deployment model comprising of private, public and hybrid cloud. Private cloud is a on-premises or internal cloud setup, whereas public cloud is off-premises or external one. Both private and public cloud setup may provide the three different services, i.e. SaaS, PaaS and IaaS. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is emerging as the preferred provider of the de facto definition of cloud computing and the distribution models. Many organizations, concerned about security, may opt for a private cloud or a hybrid deployment model.

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Fig. 12: Cloud Deployment Models

The public cloud is the most commonly referenced regarding the topic of cloud computing, where the infrastructure and applications are owned by the organization selling cloud services. However, since many traditional vendors and users are not quite ready to jump into public cloud computing or are restricted from doing so, the cloud service tiers are replicated within a private cloud environment, behind the firewall and maintained within the parameters of the host organization. Many believes that the sweet spot for cost optimization in an organization will rely on a delicate balance of public, or community and private clouds. However, since this hybrid cloud solution is commonly bound together by proprietary technology, it will only be embraced by enterprise computing once the standards are developed in future.

4.4 Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing

4.4.1 Risks in the Cloud

Despite cloud computing many benefits, it's important to be aware of the risks and concerns, when doing business in cloud architecture.

Security and privacy are two of IT professionals' top concerns, when considering moving to the cloud, either as a vendor, broker, or consumer. There have been instances of security breaches with Salesforce.com, epic.org and Google Docs, to name a few and should serve as reminders to be vigilant and cautious in the on-demand marketplace. Typical security and privacy examples include data storage and data transfer protection, vulnerability management and remediation, personnel and physical security, application security, data privacy and identity management.

Depending on your industry, customer base, or public or private organization, compliance requirements exist that must be met and secured. Some compliance concerns include business continuity and disaster recovery, security standards (ISO 27001), logs and audit trails (eDiscovery).

There are specific legal concerns when providing cloud services and, subsequently, consuming them. These revolve around liability and recourse, intellectual property issues and terms, as well as vendor transparency regarding location of recovery data centers. When relying on an Internet service, there is always a question of availability and the peak-load capacity that the vendor can carry. For example, current and prospective customers can scrutinize the uptime (and downtime) of Amazon Web Services and Google App Engine through CloudStatus.com to determine how healthy the services have been, monitoring their track record of service failures, latency and throughput.

As of now, there are no standards to ensure interoperability or free movement between cloud providers. As such, cloud consumers should also be aware of vendor lock in when moving forward in the cloud ecosystem.

When consuming cloud services, clearly, it's important to recognize the potential hazards and risks ahead, as with any new or existing IT investment. Concerns about security, inquiries around the provider's maturation in an incubating industry, reliability and regulatory issues are all topics for discussion and clarification in a service-level agreement (SLA). Although not a guarantee, to better ensures delivery of best practices in the cloud, SLAs with the cloud vendor are recommended, when consuming cloud services. Realistically, these concerns are not too different from those that one would have choosing any third-party provider or service. As barriers to entry into cloud computing continue to fall away, confidence in cloud vendors will be established through repeated successful experiences, testimonials and proven reliability with respect to operating procedures and performance.

4.4.2 Pros and Cons of Using Cloud Storage as Service

There are many benefits to cloud computing storage as service, whereas few demerits also occurred. It is important to know what cloud computing is including the pros and cons associated with it.

Cloud-based storage services can save money but bandwidth limitation remains to be one of the biggest concerns.

A Statistical forum says that while cloud services "offer a low-cost tier of storage," they offer some cautionary advice to these drawbacks, such as long latencies and limited bandwidth.

Stanley Zaffos from Gartner forum speaks during the Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations and Management Summit and explained that "Bandwidth charges can exceed the monthly storage cost." He said that there are public cloud storage services available from Amazon S3, AT&T, Nirvanix, Zetta and newer entries Dell and HP. Still, there are vendors such as Iron Mountain, EMC, VaultScape, Cirtas, ParaScale and Seanodes, that have exited the cloud-related business. He added that "it’s a difficult market to make money."

Cloud services run as low as 3 cents per gigabyte per month, whereas cloud-based storage offers a low-cost metered storage method. Potential customers tend to compare this with the costs they incur with storing on their own corporate premises and estimates that on premises storage it runs about 75 cents to $1 per gigabyte per month. In deciding to make use of the cloud, take note of the risk that comes together with its benefits and then find the best solution that suits your needs.

4.4.3 The Pros and Cons of Cloud Music Services

Google Music is only one of the latest in a series of new cloud-based music services from major companies, including Amazon. These services, sometimes referred to as "music lockers", allow web users to keep copies of their MP3 music files that they can access from anywhere and from any device, giving them the ability to play them at any time.

For music lovers, these services, especially the free ones, are enticing but they also have their limitations. Rather than review a particular cloud music service, we thought it might be helpful for you to get an overview of the concept and examine some of the benefits and drawbacks of the services in general.

4.4.3.1 Pros

1. Portability – One can access the music anywhere using the services, which includes computers, laptops, tablets, smart phones and any other web-connected devices. If the user is moving frequently and has many devices, this feature saves time and memory space to download the music.

2. Purchase and immediate storage – Services like Amazon allows purchasing of music and can be transferred directly to the cloud storage without having to download it to a computer first.

3. Stay in Sync – Rather than constantly uploading and transferring files, many cloud music services keep users devices in sync so that the same MP3’s always exist on everything.

4. Mobile Apps – If the deployed music services offers a mobile app for the phone, users can play the songs anywhere and use a familiar interface on his phone.

5. Online backup – One of the disadvantages of digital media in general is that it is only stored electronically. If hard drive crashes or the MP3 player or phone gets stolen, the music is gone. Using cloud services for online backup, user will have to store the music in one additional place.

4.4.3.2 Cons

1. Connectivity required – Cloud music needs well-connected and reliable internet connectivity. If there is lots of music, more bandwidth is needed for smooth and faster download.

2. Trust – As with any cloud service, user has to put trust on them. At some point in the future, the company may go out of business, leaving the user either without the music or having to perform an emergency backup.

3. Device access limitations – Depending on the service chosen by the user, there may be device access limitations. Some music files require the Adobe FlashPlayer plug-in. Others only have apps provided by the manufacturing company. With these limitations, there is a risk of vendor lock-in and the possibility of a time-consuming download and transfer to another service.

4. The legal struggle – Consumer may think that downloading music from a web site is not a affect him but it affects him when the music company logs complaint again him. Music record companies want these services to pay licenses to store and stream the music, even for private use. Some companies have been reluctant to give in to outlandish demands and that means the future and profitability of these services is questionable.

Cloud music storage has been around for quite a while. Some online companies do nothing else and have provided the service for years as their sole form of business. It has only recently received attention because of the large companies that have taken an interest in it, namely Google, Amazon, Apple and , most recently, Best Buy.

For those who are already heavy users of digital media, a service for online backup, syncing and streaming makes sense. The trick for users will be finding services that work well for them and their devices with as few disadvantages as possible.

4.5 Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing and Services

Cloud computing which started with a big buzz word is slowly turning into a reality now. This is also evident as big companies like Google has already started gearing up for this upcoming boom and have launched their first cloud based device named Google Chrome book. However, as the cloud computing and cloud devices are becoming a common terminology in the web world, people have already started exploring, what is in it for them. They are more keen to understand this new technology from all the possible pros and cons perspective. Like any other technique, even cloud computing has its own advantages and some big risks. As and when cloud computing and cloud based devices start penetrating into common household, the real picture will emerge. Till then, it is more or less based on the anticipations and speculations. Let us try to understand the top 5 most important pros and cons of cloud computing and cloud based devices.

4.5.1 Centralized Data Storage in Cloud Computing

Pros: All of your data, applications and software reside on centralized big servers, which can be accessed from anywhere, any time and from any device.

Cons: Everyone may not be comfortable to give all their confidential data and applications on some third party server. Moreover, one cannot access the data if the internet connection is not working. They just don’t have an option to work offline in case of unavailability of connectivity. Also, there could be limits to the amount of data a customer can store on these servers specially for majority ones who may be using shared servers. The speed and bandwidth usage will also adds to the existing issues for these shared server users.

4.5.2 Cloud Servers Maintenance and Security

Pros: If one can be an end user don’t have to maintain the hardware, software and all the security and antivirus software updates. This is totally the responsibility of your service provider.

Cons: The fact the whole loads of data, applications of such a huge customer base lies on just at one place, makes it more prone to cyber attacks, hackers who only have to figure out way to enter just once and have access to everything at one place.

4.5.3 Data Access and Network Connectivity

Pros: It will enable the end users to enjoy the utmost mobility without bothering about carrying their loads of data from one place to another using any hardware. You can leave your document editing half way in your office and then resume from the same place from your home or even while traveling in car or any other vehicle.

Cons: The unavailability of connectivity may make users jobless with nothing to do as they will lose access to all the latest data and applications for the time the connection remains down.

4.5.4 Cost Factor

Pros: Thinking in terms of big companies and corporate, it will benefit them more than any one else as they can save substantial on their operation costs, which they spend on buying, maintaining and upgrading newer hardware and software. Similarly, they get to save a lot on hiring huge manpower and technical experts, who provides the hardware and software supports.

Cons: It may requires a detailed analysis to understand the real cost saving, if any. This is because of the fact, the big corporate and companies have all the more concern about the speed to access the data, security and availability. This would mean that they will have to look for dedicated servers kind of options rather than shared servers which will only add to the cost rather than cutting it down. Hence, it may be too premature to conclude that it would be a cost saving option even for big companies. It may be even otherwise.

4.5.5 Cloud Servers Data Backup and Availability

Pros: Backing up the data is also your service provider’s responsibility which means you only have to bother about working on your data and applications without ever bothering about losing anything due to missed routine backups.

Cons: Centralized backups again add to the complexity of the issues. The obvious risks could be the backup schedule will vary as per customer’s plan which means there will be chances of losing the data updated during the period of taking two consecutive backups. Furthermore, since the same operator has the backup responsibility, what if there have been hiccups in their backup process as such which can prove quite fatal to their customer who would be relying only on their service operators for availability of data.

Summary

An emerging technology, cloud computing, has shown up demanding attention and is quickly changing the direction of the technology landscape. Cloud computing promises to increase the velocity with which applications are deployed, increase innovation and lower cost, all while increasing business agility. Cloud computing is not a revolution. It is an evolution that has been ongoing for well over a decade. Cloud computing offers a variety of ways for businesses to increase their IT capacity or functionality without having to add infrastructure, personnel and software. We lay the foundation needed to understand what Cloud Computing is and introduced a set of fundamental concepts related to cloud computing, such as basics in cloud computing, moving to cloud, types of cloud and working in the cloud. The material in Chapter 1 discusses about Cloud Computing Basics, History, its importance and characteristics. Chapter 2 to 4 spans a wide cross-section of topics that are in the mainstream of cloud computing. However, although the topics covered are varied, the discussion in those chapters follows the same basic theme of how to use cloud computing, types and working on it.