Friday, February 3, 2012

WOLF Weekly Cloud Sum-up, Feb 03, 2012

Forrester, the technology research company, just released its business and technology outlook for 2020. The short version is that cloud computing will come on quicker than you think, it will be controlled by a very few companies that will fight for the right to own your data, and businesses need to think about what software they can write that will differentiate them from all the other customers of these giants. Like a lot of these reports, Forrester has a couple of clichés (we have entered the era of individual empowerment; change is the only constant) and interesting facts that you don’t really know what to do with (there will be 22 billion connected devices in 2020; Moore’s Law dictates that the computing power of I.B.M.’s Watson will fit into a human hand by then).

The substance of the report, however, is plain: cloud and mobile computing combined will rapidly improve, dislodging many incumbents in enterprise computing, and vastly empowering a few others, becoming what Forrester calls “computing cartels” that control millions of servers in data centers around the globe. These cartels, the report says, will include Amazon, Cisco Systems, Google, I.B.M., Microsoft, Oracle and a few competitors. Like most of these reports, it does not name losers, though Hewlett-Packard and Dell were among those noticeably absent.



Read More about Cloud Cartels

Hybrid cloud computing can benefit businesses

Businesses that employ security consultants are among some of the organisations that can benefit from using cloud computing in their everyday operations. Peter Job, founder and chief executive officer of Intergence Systems, believes that businesses should consider adopting a hybrid cloud data management system. However, regardless of the advantages of cloud computing, he accepted that some people remained sceptical, which suggests he thinks that there are some concerns over data protection. "But where people are less worried is the whole issue of private cloud," he expanded.

Cloud computing looks to be future of disaster management

Our generation thrives on the ability to instantly share what's new on social networks in real-time. This coincides with a growing percentage of people who depend on their smart phones, PDAs and iPads. Although the bulk of what we use this technology for is often considered to be unnecessary, it could play a vital role in the aftermath of a disaster. That is why NDSU's Juan Li, assistant professor of computer science, and Samee U. Khan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, felt compelled to find a way to make this possible. Together they developed a cloud computing disaster management system that would help communities more easily share information in the wake of a calamity. "Natural and manmade disasters require effective and efficient management of massive amounts of data and coordination of wide varieties of people and organizations. This is where our system comes into play," Li said in a recent press release.

Cloud computing, a power tool for economic growth

Despite being an important tool for economic growth and job creation, cloud computing services remain under-exploited by public administrations as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is why the European Commission will present a strategy on the matter by the summer of 2012. The aim is to put in place an EU framework that promotes the use of cloud computing services. The task is not an easy one in that this technology facilitates data circulation – a field that is particularly sensitive.

Cloud vs. virtualization

Companies are becoming increasingly dependent on the cloud. But will this kill virtualisation? Many companies, which are turning to cloud computing, will find the need to manage their cloud space becoming more important. Most of these companies rely on both public and private clouds. The impact in India could be higher than in developed countries, if one goes by a research study conducted by IDC in November 2011. According to the study, less than half of end-users across Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) will complete their private cloud projects by 2014. The respondents of the IDC survey felt this was because of lack of experience in building these systems and because of higher-than-expected upfront investment requirements. IDC says that consequently an increased number of enterprises will make a detour to public cloud services. This, in turn, will result in the management of the hybrid cloud being more pronounced in countries like India.


We hope these short sum-ups on Cloud Computing in 2012 helped you to take a knowledgeable approach towards moving to the cloud. Stay tuned for more sum-ups on in the forthcoming year.

Don’t forget to add your comments and suggestions. I will have more around the cloud a week later.


Santanu Das
Marketing Evangelist, WOLF Frameworks

NOTE: The views expressed above are purely personal and for informational purposes only. WOLF FRAMEWORKS INDIA PVT. LTD. MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

No comments: