Cloud Computing

Introduction

A definition for cloud computing is the use of multiple servers on a digital network as if they were one computer. The term is become more frequently used for anything that provides hosted services on the internet. A wide variety of services are already available on the cloud. Examples are Google Docs and Microsoft Sky Drive and on-line Office which provide similar tools to an offline office application. The introduction of cloud computing is becoming more and more common and some application developers are moving towards the cloud distancing themselves from the offline applications.

Advantages

Well advantages are easy to image. I think the most important one is the ability to access you work or application from anywhere given a good internet connection. As internet connections become more easy to get with the improvements of mobile networks, cloud computing can become the way to go. Cloud computing put most of the processing on the servers and thus allow for thinner clients such as newer generation mobile phones and tables to make use of such technologies. Nowadays mobile technology is powerful enough to run decent web browsers and thus make it possible to use cloud services.

Cloud computing brings the ability of platform independence. Although in some cases due to browser conflicts, this is just an illusion cloud services are mostly accessed through web browsers, so as long as your cloud app is compatible with the most common browsers, platform independence becomes less of an illusion. HTML5 should also help lower this gap as its introduction should help reduce 3rd party tools such as flash which may not be available in all device (apple ipads and iphone).

Another advantage of cloud computing is the fact that hardware and software need not to be managed. When you use a cloud service you only pay for what you use and need and upgrades are automatic, and scaling up or down is easier if your cloud is structured in the right way. The user of the cloud does not need to update his software repeatedly as the pp is not local. The app can be upgraded once from the cloud and all users are automatically updated.

Security is another important fact. Although Cloud services give the sense of less security, these systems seem to be quite secure and reliable. Sometimes they are even considered more secure than traditional systems, as they are more available and reachable and eliminate the need to manual print and display the data or sent it (by email) to others. These tasks can be a threat to privacy especially email, whereas access to that data directly through the cloud from anywhere is surely more secure than email.

Another advantage of using good and reliable Cloud provides is the no-need for backups. These providers ensure a high level of fault tolerance and take regular backups that ensure no data is lost. Usually these service providers can provide much better fault tolerance and information recovery than  other companies do.

Disadvantages

Although I think there are much more advantages than disadvantages to use cloud computing, One must also mention the disadvantages. The most obvious disadvantage is the reliance on a network connection. Cloud computing means no network, no nothing, slow network, frustrating slow work.

Another disadvantage to cloud computing is the connection of peripherals. Although the cloud is available from anywhere not all devices may be recognised by the cloud. Integrating devices such as bulk printers or normal USB devices can become much more difficult. If integration is done through a specific software connection, then although the cloud is accessible from anywhere, only those engines with the software installed can use those services.

Cloud computing may render huge benefits in the long term but may not be the cheapest solution to set up, especially for small scale businesses with a lower profit margin. Fortunately, cloud services are becoming cheaper as we speak and as they become more common, they become even cheaper.

A thing to consider in cloud computing is security. Earlier I mentioned that cloud computing is safe both in terms of security and in terms of availability and backup. Although the cloud can result in less data loss because of its frequent backup's, the fact that its servers are interconnected means there is a high risk for data when it comes to attacks and intrusions.

Conclusion

I think that in most cases cloud computing is the way to go. The idea of implementing an application that is available and functional to a wider range of devices is in itself intriguing . Not having to care about back ups and easier updates seem also good ideas to me. But anyway, before implementing a system, you might always want to weigh the pros and cons of your situation realising that the good of the majority might not necessarily mean your good.