More on Cloud Computing

Simon Wardley posted a blog explaining the difference between two words that are key to understanding cloud computing and the value it brings. The two words are Commodification and Commoditization.

The following is a quote from cnet explaining the difference.

• Commodification (mid to late 1970s, Word) is used to describe the process by which something which does not have an economic value is assigned a value and hence how market values can replace other social values. It describes a modification of relationships, formerly untainted by commerce, into commercial relationships.

• Commoditization (early to mid 1990s, Neologism) is the process by which goods that have economic value and are distinguishable in terms of attributes (uniqueness or brand) end up becoming simple commodities in the eyes of the market or consumers. It is the movement of a market from differentiated to undifferentiated price competition, from monopolistic to perfect competition.

These two concepts are at the root of many debates and theories about cloud computing. One of the theories is based around that cloud computing is the "end of infrastructure differentiation". Another theory states that the cloud will be at a more granular level. Others feels that the two theories can not exist side by side. The market has already spawned "Cloud Service Brokers" that offer a blend of services. The author, James Urquhart feels that in the end the market will decide.

There is so much more information on this post on cnet. Besides Simon Wardley's blog is a really cool blog spot. You should read it.

How close is the Death of the PC?

Since I was asked to look in to Dell's newest addition to the Optiplex line up, the Optiplex 160 for our corporate environment, I thought about an article I read recently. It was in Forbes magazine with the ominous title of "The Death of the PC." The idea of the PC being dead has been long debated and still is hot subject to this day. There is a bigger threat then cell phones and laptops to the PC in the corporate world.

There is one thing that I see happening not just at my work place but even here at school. It is desktop virtualization. This is where the user thinks he or she is sitting at a PC but is in fact working off of a server some where else. My workplace uses this type of set up for all of our collection analysts. This has the advantage of lower equipment costs and greater data security.

Some have argued that there is a higher initial cost as you have to replace all the PCs with thin clients like Dell's new Optiplex 160. While this is true at first until you start amortizing the capital cost out. PCs are only good for about 4 years then your helpdesk cost start rising due to increased repair calls from the users. Some of the thin clients we still have in our environment are going on 10 years old and we are having to replace just because the technology will not connect with our new Citrix servers.
A quote from Forbes explains the difference between cloud computing and virtualization:

"It used to be that something virtual wasn't real. And that clouds were just that--those puffy things in the sky. Today we have the tech industry terms "virtual computing" and "cloud computing," which often get mixed up. Fortunately, there's an easy way to tell them apart, and it involves hearkening back to the age-old distinction between hardware and software. When you're talking about virtual computing, you're invariably talking about hardware; specifically, making PC-style hardware available to users in a new way. A new layer of software, typically running in a far-off data center, tricks users into thinking they are using a desktop PC like before.

Cloud computing, by contrast, usually refers to the sorts of software that run once a computer gets turned on. The "cloud" indicates that the software is hosted in a data center, not sitting on your desktop. If you use Google Docs instead of Microsoft Office for your word processing or spreadsheets, that's cloud computing. You can mix and match these two approaches, undertaking cloud computing on a nonvirtual, traditional PC. And the opposite: You can use traditional, Office-style programs on a virtual PC."

With the ease of just remotely resetting a users session, added to the the decreased costs of ownership coupled with data security, the PC is in a run for its life in the corporate world.

Cloud Computing

In 2010, the new thing for companies to invest in is cloud computing. Cloud Computing is the use of Internet based development and the use of computer technology. This style of computing that uses IT-related capabilities provided "as a service". This allows users to access technology-enabled services "in the cloud" without knowledge or expertise with the technology infrastructure that supports them.

Big companies like Google, Apple and Verizon have already started to use this technology with their cell phones. Cloud Computing is often compared to grid, utility, and autonomic computing. Through the definitions of all of these cloud computing is a little bit of a combination. Users are basically accessing a network through a service that is software. The iPhone and Verizon's new Droid cell phones take advantage of this new technology as they compete for the cell phone lovers attention.

According to "Open Cloud Computing" a few key characteristics of cloud computing are:

• Scalability which meets changing user demands quickly. Massive scalability and large user bases are common but not an absolute requirement.
  
• Reliability by way of multiple redundant sites, which makes it suitable for disaster recovery
  
• Security which typically improves due to centralization of data, increased security focused resources, etc.

I'm not sure what I feel about cloud computing but I do like the name! :)

Cloud Computing Attack!!

It did not take long for the fears of many to come true. Since the launch of cloud services, people have been referring back to the issue of security and whether cloud computing can survive hackers' games. According to the article, one of the cloud based Amazon EC2 (elastic compute cloud) sites was compromised by hackers as the command and control (C&C) operation site. the hackers used the site to spread the Zeus banking Trojan (a password stealing email scam that aims not to only steal your password but also your financial data). In the following paragraphs, a clearer look at Amazon EC2 cloud based service's issues will take place.

The virus was first discovered when security researchers at CA were running a check up on spam; they then came across one with a URL for a malware called xmas2.exe. After examining the executed file, it became evident that the file contained Zeus Trojan which was hosted by Amazon web services housed by Amazon EC2. Once the virus was discovered, Amazon paused the activity o the files serving the botnet. Amazon representative mentioned that this kind of attacks hurt the reputation of cloud computing, however, it is always possible to have these attacks whether you have cloud computing or not.

Another issue occurred this passed Wednesday was the outage of one of Amazon's data centers. The outage lasted for several hours and made consumers unhappy. Furthermore, the whole backup component of a redundant supply had failed; this caused some of the facility's servers to fail to perform which ultimately means failure to retrieve information and instances needed by both the employees and their customers. In conclusion, I think that these issues are random and they could happen to any other type of infrastructure and not just cloud based services and data centers. Therefore, I think that people should not rush to conclude that cloud computing is totally insecure and is vital to attacks.

Cloud Computing

I know others have previously commented on cloud computing but I find it a very interesting topic and decided to blog on it also. Cloud computing is a topic that continues to surface throughout the worldwide web and conjures up images of a white fluffy cloud floating around somewhere in the sky. Well, that is not exactly what happens when you upload pictures to Flickr or Facebook, or save your e-mails. The fact is that many aspects of your life are being stored in massive data centers located in huge warehouses that are full of computers. Cloud computing in general involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. In fact, Amazon and Microsoft replicate data several times on servers around the world so that they do not chance losing your data. They continually move the data around within the cloud centers as well as from one data center to another. Here is a video that explains cloud computing in a simplistic format.




Some of the advantages to using cloud computing are reducing the amount of hardware expense companies incur running their own data centers, while also increasing efficiency and flexibility. Cloud computing allows consumers and businesses to use applications without installation and access their personal files at any computer with internet access. Here is an example: Recently, Wendy’s restaurants ran an auction that allowed consumers to bid on various items starting at 99 cents. Because the company had never done anything like this previously they couldn’t estimate how much traffic would be visiting the website. A marketing agency set up the web application with a database back end hosted by Rackspace US Inc. The website was established within just 24 hours, serviced over 40,000 customers within 10 days, and was able to conduct 400 database transactions per second. This is a perfect example of when a company may decide to use cloud computing. In this situation, it would not have been very cost effective for a business to invest money and resources to sustain a temporary web application with such erratic traffic patterns.

Conversely, a major issue of cloud computing is that it may result in either inaccessibility to the data for a brief period of time, or be subject to the possibility of a security breach. The company should ascertain that they would not experience disastrous consequences if either of these events were to occur. From many of the articles that have focused on this subject, the final recommendation is to tread lightly into the clouds while cautiously relocating sensitive data.

Follow up- Azure Cloud Computing

I have been posting about cloud computing in some of my recent blogs. I have talked about the MySQL new feature that allows the database users to use a more dynamic language that is transferable among the in-cloud database and so on. I have then come across the introduction of Azure in which i mentioned it would be soon. Well, it's official now; Microsoft Azure will launch on January first of the coming year 2010. Furthermore, I continued to talk about one of the largest database centers which is located in Chicago. We have come across the brilliant mechanism behind storing the data in servers which then are kept in containers/trailers; this helps cut operating, overhead, space, and time costs. At a very recent live blog in California , LA particularly, Microsoft chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie talked about a number of plans that have come into live this year and ones that are going to be launched next year. In the following paragraphs, I'm going to sum up the main points mentioned in the conference about Microsoft Azure and its updates/features.

The first thing to mention is the location of the cloud servers/databases; According to Ozzie, the plan is to run azure in two centers in each region. For example, in the US, Azure is going to run in facilities located in Chicago and San Antonio. In Europe, Azure is going to run in facilities located in Dublin and Amesterdam. In Asia, the system will run in facilities located in Singapore and Hong Kong. Coming back again to the new approach Microsoft is taking with regards to housing its server/data. It is moving servers from rack into containers. For further information on this housing mechanism, click here. Second, Ozzie has mentioned an Azure subsystem called Dallas. It is an open data marketplace that is both public and commercial. The idea behind this system is the mixing of public and commercial data. Ozzie also highlighted the early partners/customers of the Azure cloud system. NASA was one of the customers who has already been using Azure and Dallas. The fact that NASA is using azure can help boost customer confidence and sales of this product.

After Ozzie concluded his presentation, Muglia, the president of Microsoft's Server and Tools Business, took over and directly shifted into a broader approach stating that cloud computing is not only an infrastructure but also an application model. Muglia then announced project Sydney ; a service that when implemented will allow businesses to connect their servers to the cloud/ Azure servers. I think this would be helpful to businesses knowing that Dallas is incorporated in Azure as well which can give businesses the option to view public or commercial data marketplace. In conclusion, with NASA, InfoUSA, AP online, Kelley Blue Book, and Domino's Pizza already implementing Microsoft Azure and its available services/features, it seems that Microsoft is entering the market with steady feet. this could only mean, good luck to the other competitors.

Microsoft Data Center

Following my last post which was about Amazon and its latest option editions to its in-cloud database, I decided to write about Microsoft data centers. In this article, a visit to considerably one of the largest data centers in the world, which happens to be in Chicago, is presented. Microsoft Azure which is going to be launched soon is based on cloud computing. This is mainly the reason for having this massive data center. This size of this facility is about 700,000 square feet which will definitely qualify it as one of the world's largest. As of the moment, it seems that the upper hand in cloud computing is Amazon with its service suite. However, when Microsoft Azure launches, the game might change and competition is going to be more intense. In the following paragraphs, a general outlook at the Microsoft data center and the philosophy behind it is going to be discussed.

Starting with the outside of the center; all you can see is really a number of trailers parked outside which makes one wonder what is inside them. This brings us to the inside of the trailers; it is what will make it all happen for Microsoft cloud computing initiation. Each of the trailers contains a number of servers ranging from 1,800 to 2,500 that could be serving up email services, instant messaging management, or running potential applications for Microsoft Azure. Moving on and inside the center, each of the four raised floor server rooms occupy 12,000 square feet with an average of 3 megawatts on consumption. Even though Microsoft was open about its data center, it decided to keep critical information a secret. For example, the names of the employees and the types and brands of servers used in its enormous facility.

An issue worth mentioning is the sidekick failure. A huge failure of the server in one of Microsoft facilities has drawn the fear of cloud computing. This, if not responded to well, might influence the success of Microsoft's cloud computing Azure. The server failure has caused inability to access data of thousands of sidekick users. Of course, Microsoft was quick enough to respond by mentioning that the functionality of Microsoft Azure requires having a back up system that will be implemented when the launching take place. In addition, Microsoft realizes that forecasting Azure capacity requirements would be challenging. It has specified the potential data centers in case data capacity requests increase.

In conclusion, cloud computing is growing by the day with security as the main keyword.

Amazon's Cloud Database Adds MySQL Option

Amazon's cloud computing system- also called Amazon Web Services suite (AWS) included only one database option which is SimpleDB. It is basically a simple database with its own unique interface standard. recently Amazon successfully added a more accessible database which is Amazon RDS. The RDS stands for relational database service. This option uses a more standard interface that makes it easier for users to store data through due to the open-source MySQL software. The following paragraphs are going to explain this new database option along with a brief presentation of rivals and software prices.

What makes Amazon RDS a winner are mainly the, full MySQL access feature; this means, the user wont have to install any special software to accommodate the database system while the SimpleRD requires unique software. It is much easier to work with existing software than to try to learn a new one. Furthermore, a database administrator has the ability to port an existing database into the in-cloud database without the need to change the code. This means more flexibility and time efficiency. It's even possible to set separate database instances to different developers without having to spend much on hardware.

One competitor for this service option is indeed Oracle. Being one of the leaders in database market, if Oracle can resolve its issues with the European regulatory concerns, it can definitely put hands on the market. Other competitors are Google App Engine and Microsoft Azure. However, these are all considered to be secondary competitors since no one other than amazon has embedded this database into cloud computing. As for the prices, Amazon RDS costs 11 cents per hour for small databases, 44 cent per hour for large, and $3.10 per hour for quadruple extra large.

In conclusion, companies have started to worry about the security of their assets/information and records. This could only predict that the switch for cloud computing; hence in-cloud databases are on the way.

Cloud Computing

One of the actual trends is “Cloud Computing”. There is no definition for “Cloud Computing” but many tries to define it. Wikipedia says “Cloud computing is an example of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet” whereas Forrester describes “Cloud Computing” as a pool of high scalable and managed IT-infrastructure which holds applications for customers and charges it for usage.
Saugatuck Technology explains that Cloud Computing includes on-demand-infrastructure (computers, storage, networks), on-demand software (OS, Applications, Middleware, Management- and Development tools) that can be allocated dynamically to the needs of business processes. Saugatuck points out that it is possible to create and manage complete business process within the cloud.



This sounds a bit difficult and not understandable. One of the most common cloud-application might be Gmail. Gmail is Google’s Email service. Google offers the Gmail address as well as the application to read and write emails on gmail.com.
When you use several computers, like most of the student do, you will realize that it is a convenient way to have access to the personal mails and attachments during your daily work. You can log-on on every internet-connected computer and use this service.
Comparable to Gmail you realize that Google Docs is another cloud-application that even allows collaborating on documents.

You can realize the impact of cloud-computing to the market when you see that even Microsoft is developing MS Office Live, as a cloud-application.
Firms think about moving their applications from their servers into the cloud. This is the reason why SAP develops a cloud-application, based on their SAP IDES 6.0. The benefits of the software are the same as the local software, you don’t have to care for the servers and therefore you can save money for IT Infrastructure as well as for manpower. The costs of this software depend on the usage of the software: You will be charged for working hours on the systems. When you don’t work, you don’t have to pay.

The Swiss Federal Office of Informatics and Telecommunications evaluated the SAP IDES 6.0-application. The cloud-application was configured within some hours, whereas establishing the configuration for a local installation usually takes up to a month. They tested it for 12 project days. The costs were at 8700 Swiss Franks (around $8500) including initial costs, usage and supply costs. Usually you have to spend more than $8500 for the IT infrastructure, without the software.

These examples show the advantages of cloud-computing. Like usually, there is a second side of this technology. By using the cloud-services, you are dependent to the supplier. If they have problems with providing their service, you can access your files or application. Gmail user might have recognized this problem when Google’s service has not worked for half a day.
Another important thing to consider is that you transfer private or business data to servers, located somewhere, and connected via the Internet. You don’t know whether someone listens to the data on the way to the server or cracks the server and gathers this sensitive data this way. There is a risk that company or private data get public or, due to data loss on the providers’ servers, or even get lost.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_client