Part Three of a Three Part Series
So, in our prior posts we talked a bit about The Cloud, and a few of the obvious advantages and (sometimes not so) obvious disadvantages. So, who is it for, and is it for me? You be the judge.
Who’s it for? Well, for one, people who need to collaborate, a lot, over great distances. Web-based presentations – and the shared collaboration they often require — are a good example.
Traveling salespeople and other road warriors are another example. You keep your applications data in one place, in the cloud, and it’s accessible from wherever you are, assuming Internet availability.
The hardware-shy are yet another. Hardware and infrastructure costs are minimal in the cloud. For software, if they can pry your cold dead fingers off your Microsoft Office applications, then Google aps, shared documents over the web, may be just the ticket. If money’s tight, you’ll consider this option, certainly.
Users who prefer to let the web take care of their ever-increasing storage and backup needs may find the cloud preferable to deeper investments in hard drives and other storage devices.
And who might be best to stay away from the cloud? The answer varies, but those who are Internet-illiterate spring first to mind, along with the internet-impaired, that is, those with limited access, or limited bandwidth. A lot of us live ‘in the country’ where it takes a stiff breeze and a dry day to get up to all of 28K in dial-up connect-speed. In such places (and I live in one), the Internet is not a happy place.
The security conscious have their own concerns. Cloud computing is safe, but it’s not guaranteed. Hackers are numerous. When security matters, know your risks.
Application development of industrial strength business applications is a work in process. I know companies who made the move to the cloud for ERP and accounting, and are now moving back to in-house server-based applications due to performance problems. It’s not a mature market — yet.
As I noted in an earlier post, the cloud is evolving. The best notion I’ve heard is that it’s not the Year of the Cloud, but it may be the Decade of the Cloud. Barriers from the technical to the business model, and from security to compatibility, do exist. They will be worked out in time, just as America’s nascent electrical grid grew, over decades, to serve a nation (and is now in a state of significant disrepair, but that’s another story).
Like all disruptive technologies, cloud computing, if it is to succeed grandly, will do so in fits and starts, but move inexorably forward. You don’t need to be in a hurry. You just need to pay attention, and make your move when the economics and the technological and the security issues are aligned right for you.
For some, it’s the ultimate open source liberation technology. For others, Big Brother has really arrived, and he holds your data. The truth usually lies somewhere in between.
P.S.: For grins, try searching by Images on “Cloud Computing Images.” The array of cloud-metaphor cartoons and humor is already pretty impressive. I’ve borrowed a few in this three-part series and tried where possible to include author info.
I recently subscribed, and then cancelled after several weeks, my MobileMe service due to some issues I was having setting up several iPhones to link with their “cloud”. I am very content with the results I have received using Dropbox. I’ve been using their “cloud” for nearly 6 months and I haven’t had an issue with it yet. I’ve been so pleased with this application and its user-friendly functionality, that I’ve recommended it quite a few times to my family and friends.
I must agree that that the computer/technological illiterate shouldn’t use the cloud as a back-up solution but rather use a physical desktop external hard drive, preferably one that’s manufactured by a reputable company. This way the entire process of using a secondary backup of important data may seem a bit more logical and foolproof to the naysayers and cautious alike.