What is cloud? The cloud is the Internet. Before cloud was a buzz word, cloud was (and still is) illustrated on a network diagram signifying access to a service or a device outside the company LAN (local area network). Really, it’s just a picture of a cloud that is used as a communication tool for what the network looks like.
Before discussing, debating or digesting terms like private cloud,
public cloud or hybrid cloud, in simple terms “the cloud” is any service you use outside your 4 walls. This blog is in the cloud. Your Internet banking is in the cloud and, one day perhaps, many of your business tools you use today within your company network will be in the cloud too.
Wow! What a week it has been over at I Know IT. When we decided to launch an event demonstrating the real side of the cloud – the data center – we had no idea the kind of response we would get. To have such an enthusiastic group of CEO’s, MD’s and CIO’s attend this I Know IT event certainly says a lot about cloud and how keen leaders are to learn about this technology and how it impacts their business.
The event, titled Down to Earth Cloud Computing was sponsored by PACNet and attendees enjoyed lunch followed by an exclusive behind the scenes tour of PACNet’s new data center in Liverpool St, Sydney.
I think attendees took away different outcomes from the event, but certainly the common theme was “cloud is here to stay”. With such a massive investment in data center’s like PACNet’s $40m facility, and to see empty floors just ready to be converted into more rack space for servers I think many within the group were blown away by the sheer investment in cloud computing.
Post event it has been really interesting to see and hear the shift from “what is the cloud?” to talking about how their own individual needs can be met by the cloud. This really resonated for me because you often wonder running an IT event if it will be too technical or too dull for attendees. In this case the conversation is now moving toward a constructive discussion about what services may be suitable in the data center versus on premise.
This has certainly been a great “lunch ‘n learn” and I most definitely look forward to hosting many more.
If you’re thinking about shifting to the cloud, or you’re already dabbling in Cloud technologies to drive your business perhaps you’ve wondered what kind of IT support you’ll need in the future. After all, if Cloud shifts your technology from your office to a data center either onshore or offshore, surely this will reduce if not negate the need for IT support in the future?
The answer to this again lies in how cloud is adopted within an organisation. Like any fundamental shift in the way you work and do business, there often needs to be cost benefits to make it worthwhile. The ability to reduce server infrastructure will mean that server management and server outages can be dealt with offsite and away from your business (and hopefully such outages are short lived). On the other hand, managing a potentially ever growing number of vendors, an increased number of devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets (iPad, Android Tablet, Blackberry Playbook) and mobile phones the modern office isn’t getting any simpler but rather, the technology is shifting and moving around more frequently requiring an IT professional with a broad base of knowledge to ensure it all fits together and plays nicely.
The IT support professionals who understand that IT isn’t necessarily about selling and maintaining servers [...]
With all of this talk of Cloud Computing you’d be forgiven for pricking your ears up and wondering if you should be taking immediate or long term action if any at all, in relation to cloud for your own business IT needs.
Like many investments, there are always personal circumstances to take into consideration before recommending a shift to cloud. The limiting factor in many cases is not whether you can shift to cloud, but whether your applications will be cloud friendly. As well as this, there needs to be a cost benefit or a value add for shifting to the cloud. We discussed the value of cloud in an earlier article in this series and we also have covered some other important topics about Cloud in the entire series if you’d like to start from the beginning.
Although there are many reasons one may decide to shift to the cloud, there are some typical circumstances that often make it a good time to make the decision. [...]
If you’ve been following along with our series “What on Earth Is Cloud” you’ve probably seen a mention of Private Cloud and Public Cloud quite a few times and, I did promise to get around to explaining these in more detail. If you haven’t checked out the series from the beginning you can very easily do so by clicking here – but if you just want the scoop on Public vs Private then please do read on.
Like any technology there is no “cookie cutter” approach to anything, especially when many business models have been built on entrepreneurial spirit, a hodge podge of ideas, technologies and systems and processes. If this sounds like your organisation then there is a very high likelihood that cloud can be an exciting opportunity to scale your operation but also a very challenging shift in the way you operate. [...]
In this series we’ve discovered the definition of cloud, the security aspects of cloud and where the lines can get a little blurred on what cloud is. If you haven’t had a chance to read from the beginning of the series you can flick back to it here.
The question with any new technology is often whether it will be a cost saving or just another expense for our businesses. The advent or popularisation of cloud computing raises similar questions. Like anything, cost isn’t the only factor at play. [...]
You wouldn’t be alone if you had some security concerns about adopting cloud computing for your organisation. Oh, before I go any further this is the 3rd part in a series “What On Earth Is Cloud” – if you haven’t read the others you may want to flick back to the beginning here.
In the previous 2 parts I’ve used Internet Banking as an example of cloud computing that has been around for many years and that most of us probably just take for granted. So when thinking about cloud security and how safe your data is I’ll use Internet Banking as a common but somewhat extreme example.
Let me ask you, have you ever received an email from your bank (or some other bank) telling you that due to whatever reason they’d like you to logon to their website, enter your personal details and enter your Internet Banking password? Yes? [...]
In my last article we discovered the definition of cloud in: Cloud. A Definition. (What on Earth is Cloud Part 1/7) – if you haven’t started at the beginning of the series that’s ok although you may like to flick back if you’re just learning about cloud and what it means to your business.
Today’s article is about What Cloud Is Not. Why do we need to think about what cloud isn’t? Because with such a new concept there is a great deal of confusion in the market. For example, you might have had your data “hosted” in a data center before and there are some companies out there still promoting this model as cloud.
Hosted is Not Cloud
This hosting model might have involved putting a server, or servers into a data center for whatever reason (usually for power, backup and security purposes). Today, many IT providers and IT support specialists are still providing the hosted model and calling it “Cloud” or “Cloud Hosted” whereas the correct terminology is in fact Co-Located or Hosted.
In essence, this definition is wrong. While there are some remarkable benefits of picking up your IT infrastructure and dropping it into a data center in your nearest capital city, it doesn’t provide the same advantages of a distributed cloud model where your data can reside on multiple servers in multiple locations all at once. Whats more, the software you use in a hosted environment [...]
When Benjamin Franklin first threw his kite into a lightning storm in 1752 one can only imagine the excitement and.. ahem.. buzz.. that one might have felt during his incredible journey to understand electricity. It’s unimaginable that computers would have yet crossed his mind although with a mind so brilliant perhaps he did have an insight into the future of how such energies may change the world. Nonetheless, for many years after that first wild storm, electricity was very much limited to those who specialised and understood its very nature. Other than to power a few lighthouse lamps toward the mid-1800′s it wasn’t until some decades later that electricity began being used to power the global industrial revolution – aka, machines in factories. Even then, teams of electrical specialists worked inhouse on large generators to make sure that the factory was powered when it needed to be and that productivity was at a maximum high. I’d guess this was a pretty tough job. I think a few people in the IT industry can relate.
It wasn’t really until the 1930′s that homes and businesses began to see electricity as part of the norm. Power lines began to be rolled out, electrical power stations were set up and of course over time it wasn’t necessary to have those specialist teams of people in the factory any more because the product of electricity had become largely commodotised.
Now, in 2011 we’re seeing the commodotisation of computers [...]
You can’t escape it. In the IT world cloud is well and truly integrated into our language now, and if you’re not in IT then at the very least you’ve heard the name dropped at least a few times already. Cloud Computing is here to stay and most businesses don’t know whether they should be educating themselves, wait to see if it’s a passing fad or if it has serious advantages (or disadvantages) to how they do business in the future.
In this 7 part series I aim to answer those questions and a few more. Over the coming days I hope you’ll have enough information to start some cloud talk at your next backyard BBQ but more importantly you’ll be able to make informed decisions about how the Cloud will affect you and your business in the future.
Here are the topics (I’ll hyperlink each one as soon as they are ready for you to read):
Cloud Computing. A Definition.
What Cloud Isn’t
Is My Data Safe in the Cloud?
Is Cloud Cheaper or More Expensive for Business?
What is a Public Cloud, and What is a Private Cloud?
Should I Shift To the Cloud?
Is IT Support Necessary In the Cloud?
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