Cloud Computing Clarified

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein
The methods we use to communicate and manage information continue to develop and evolve - to the extent that often they surpass our level of understanding as to what they are? - or how and why they work? Cloud computing seems to fall into this category and remains confusing to so many - and not yet understood well enough to convince us to trust them with 'taking over' functions that we are used to managing ourselves, and are more or less tangible to us. Most want to understand and know more about its purpose and benefits. To the tech- savvy readers, please bear with my language as we are clearly the minority here.

Why is it being introduced as an innovative alternative to the conventional, limited, local machine / application based processes of accessing programs and performing daily functions that rely on installed software physically running on our PCs? It is a shift in how applications and services are distributed and accessed in comparison to what we have been used to. Look at it as "software as a service" (or Saas) as it is known - as opposed to software you're used to downloading and installing. In other words, all our stuff is being made available out there - on the web - instead of in here, on our machines. The cloud is another word for all your stuff and where it's located and managed.

People tend to interpret the cloud to mean many different things - and so it actually is many different things, as it offers many different solutions for many different challenges. Put simply, the cloud is a lot like the server which handles your internet, email, and online activities. Yea, it's a modified version of a data center in a climate controlled secure facility. We may as well start paying attention and get familiar with it because 'The Cloud' is here to stay, we're being told. Its potential lies far beyond the basic definitions and applications mentioned in this article.

"The concept of cloud computing, at its core, represents major shifts for companies and service providers from internally to externally, from tethered to portable, from physical security to virtual security, from siloed to pooled," explains Don Norbeck, director of Product Strategy at SunGard.

Cloud computing is a comprehensive and flexible platform capable of hosting everything we typically need and use on a daily basis: email, social networking mediums, storage hardware / data resources, software and programs including internet security and even full operating systems - all fully automated and accessed through 'The Cloud' by your chosen provider (or browser). It is a necessary solution being developed in response to unpredictable economics and the need to scale down costs of personel, and multiple physical resources that require manual oversight.

The Cloud is cheaper, quicker, easier (lighter) on resource usage, and far more efficient in performance and functionality. There is little or no installation, less third party dependency, no actual IT as it is completely integrated and configured by large scale, strategic, centralized and standardized server installations. Also, this represents a natural progression of technological innovations with the increased popularity of mobile devices in use.

Your email account is a classic example of how cloud computing works. It is capable of managing an infinite number of users, accounts, the tools they require, performance standards, etc... all preconfigured, integrated, and managed through automation - and at little or no cost at all.

In addition there are internal, external, and hybrid variations of the cloud. The internal cloud refers to an in-house, or on site cloud, where data and peripherals are stored locally. The external cloud refers to all the virtual functionality and applications hosted externally on your server (in the clouds). And a hybrid is the confusing idea of an internal cloud being managed in-house - but existing externally in the cloud. Clear as mud, huh.

The Cloud sounds very appealing. But creates as much intrigue as it does skepticism, as it is still very new and unfamiliar. There are many questions and concerns regarding security, off- site data management, and the necessary oversight involved. Who is responsible for maintaining this alleged superior functionality and security? Or, who exactly has hands on access to our entrusted intellectual property in the cloud? It is redefining our understanding of the term "virtual."

Just as there are so many questions, there are equally as many answers, as the cloud's capacity and potential is being developed and configured to accommodate any requirements that a client may find a need for. Volumes of books and literature are being highly consumed as more and more people, businesses and developers are looking to adapt to and function within the new trend and better understand this innovation in the way we manage our computing environment.

Basically this brings us right back where we started. Cloud computing is open to interpretation, and its applications seem to be infinite. Only now we might be left with the question of what it can't do? Maybe it is most accurately defined by what it is not - at least not yet. So for now - the cloud is a modified server capable of performing more and more functions that we are typically used to managing ourselves.

If you have interest in exploring additional resources, I have provided links and related content on the Goodspeed2u Blog site. Goodspeed2u supports an effort to publish and distribute content relevant to select topics of interest - focusing on internet security, marketing, and the numerous products and services available for online endeavors. We recognize the value of maintaining a safe and productive experience online. - Daniel Tillman

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