Computing Without Borders “Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders.” – Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), 40th US President. “You live in the age of interdependence. Borders don’t count for much or stop much, good or bad, anymore.” – Bill Clinton, 42nd US President. Two Presidents, separated by decades, had spoken about the unrestricted flow of information across borders. What started with radio and television actually became a reality with the Internet, allowing Chinese dissidents to post anonymous messages against the single-party government and Iranian rebels
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Where Is Cloud Computing Going? Up, Up And Away! “An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.” – Victor Hugo (1802-1885), celebrated French author. Going by recent reports, cloud computing is indeed an idea “whose time has come.” First, the figures. According to a report published by market research firm In-Stat, by 2014, businesses in the United States will spend more than $13 billion on cloud computing and managed hosting services. This is in comparison to a trifling $3 billion at present. SaaS (Software as a Service) spending is expected to grow 112
Governments have been traditionally slow adopters of new technology, and with the security concerns surrounding the nascent field of cloud computing, the latter can expect little support from official circles. That was the long-held belief. Fortunately, things have improved in the recent past. Not only have governments encouraged innovative technologies through research grants, they have, in certain cases, adopted them as well. Case in point, the Australian government. In early January 2011, the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) under the aegis of the Department of Finance and Deregulation released a key consultation paper outlining the government’s strategy to shift
How Small Firms Can Benefit Big From Cloud Computing (And Why They Are Not) When big companies decide to go on the cloud, they make headlines in technical journals around the globe. When governments decide to go on the cloud, they make headlines in both technical and mainstream media, chary as governments are in embracing technology. However, when small and medium enterprises (SMEs) go on the cloud, hardly anyone notices. However, such a move is definitely noteworthy, especially since there are so many of them around. Unfortunately, not many realize the benefits that cloud computing can bring to their businesses
Is Cloud Computing Secure? Cloud computing has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. Every day brings news of some acquisition, some investment, some innovation in this space. What started as a mere snowball has gradually acquired the proportions of an avalanche with all the big boys of the Information Technology putting in big dollars in cloud computing. From Microsoft to Google to late-entrant Oracle, everyone has their fingers in the cloud computing pie. However, concerns still remain, chiefly regarding security. Several companies have put off moving to the cloud simply because of security concerns. Otherwise, cloud computing with
Cloud Computing Road Trip By Sourya Biswas Oracle may be a comparatively late entrant into the cloud computing arena, but it is certainly making up for lost time with enthusiasm. According to its website, the data warehousing giant is on a cloud computing road trip around the world that will position its products and services to potential clients. This trip will take the Oracle Enterprise Cloud Summit, as the event is titled, to more than 80 cities across all major geographical regions – North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia- Pacific (APAC). This trip marks
Blackberry Cloud Computing Solution? By Sourya Biswas BlackBerry manufacturer RIM (Research In Motion) and the Indian government have been at loggerheads for some time now due to the latter’s insistence on monitoring BlackBerry data citing security concerns. With such data being stored on servers outside India, the country’s security agencies could not access it leading to friction with the company. Now, it seems that RIM has found a solution to meet official demands while at the same time maintaining its security agreements with BlackBerry users in India. According to reports, RIM has offered lawful interception in its security architecture through
Google Wins Court Ruling Against Microsoft In Cloud Computing Contract By Sourya Biswas Microsoft and Google have never been the best of friends, and this mutual dislike has extended to their ventures in the cloud computing space as well. Both these technology behemoths fully realize the immense potential of cloud computing and have been intensely competitive in trying to get one up on the other, with Google’s Google Apps and Microsoft’s Azure being two of the most prominent cloud computing platforms out there. This competition for the cloud computing market saw an outlet in a decision handed down this week
