Derrick
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By Patrick Gordon from Duo Marketing
Chances are you would have heard the term cloud computing, but what exactly is it and why is it important?
According to John Foley editor of US based Information Week, “It is a on demand access to virtualised IT resources, that are housed outside your own data centre, shared by others, simple to use, paid for via subscription and accessed over the web.” Simply put, it is an internet based solution.
To illustrate how it works, consider Gmail. It is an application that one can access from the web, without having to purchase any software, it is available on demand, shared by millions of users worldwide and housed at a centralised location by Google.
In an actual office environment, cloud computing pools the resources of hundreds even thousands of computers into one centralised super computer, giving the average everyday user access to advanced infrastructure and software without the costs attached.
The technology behind cloud computing has been around for some time, through processes such as virtualisation, but it is only now, with the emergence of the worldwide recession that it s true value is being harnessed by companies determined to stay competitive.
With cloud computing you only use what you need, if your office requires 525MB of bandwidth a month, instead of paying the full amount, you would only be charged for what you use. Alternatively if you need 121gigs of bandwidth, you would pay for that, the user is in complete control of the offering as opposed to the provider.
From a storage perspective it is also more effective. If your computer has a 20 gig hardrive and you need to store a further 20 gigs temporarily, instead of buying a new hardrive, you could pay R10 a month for 20 gigs to be housed at an external location. Once you no longer need the space, you simply end your subscription and delete the data.
The software industry is another sector expected to experience wholesale changes as result of cloud computing. If a business wishes to test out an accounting software package, instead of being charged for license as well as various other fees, the user would only be required to pay a monthly subscription. This allows for on demand access at a far more affordable rate.
“Cloud computing is a cost effective, power saving solution and with the current economic state of the world, combined with the focus on climate change, it will become more and more prevalent across business during 2009,“ says Judith Middleton CEO of DUO Marketing + Communications.
There are however a number of potential shortfalls which could influence its success; data security, reliability and maintainability are all major issues which need to be thoroughly checked before entering into agreements with suppliers.
Despite these issues, cloud computing is on a rapid upward curve. According to the IDC it is estimated that $42 billion will be spent on cloud computing services by 2012. This substantial investment further underlines its importance in the IT industry.
Chances are you would have heard the term cloud computing, but what exactly is it and why is it important?
According to John Foley editor of US based Information Week, “It is a on demand access to virtualised IT resources, that are housed outside your own data centre, shared by others, simple to use, paid for via subscription and accessed over the web.” Simply put, it is an internet based solution.
To illustrate how it works, consider Gmail. It is an application that one can access from the web, without having to purchase any software, it is available on demand, shared by millions of users worldwide and housed at a centralised location by Google.
In an actual office environment, cloud computing pools the resources of hundreds even thousands of computers into one centralised super computer, giving the average everyday user access to advanced infrastructure and software without the costs attached.
The technology behind cloud computing has been around for some time, through processes such as virtualisation, but it is only now, with the emergence of the worldwide recession that it s true value is being harnessed by companies determined to stay competitive.
With cloud computing you only use what you need, if your office requires 525MB of bandwidth a month, instead of paying the full amount, you would only be charged for what you use. Alternatively if you need 121gigs of bandwidth, you would pay for that, the user is in complete control of the offering as opposed to the provider.
From a storage perspective it is also more effective. If your computer has a 20 gig hardrive and you need to store a further 20 gigs temporarily, instead of buying a new hardrive, you could pay R10 a month for 20 gigs to be housed at an external location. Once you no longer need the space, you simply end your subscription and delete the data.
The software industry is another sector expected to experience wholesale changes as result of cloud computing. If a business wishes to test out an accounting software package, instead of being charged for license as well as various other fees, the user would only be required to pay a monthly subscription. This allows for on demand access at a far more affordable rate.
“Cloud computing is a cost effective, power saving solution and with the current economic state of the world, combined with the focus on climate change, it will become more and more prevalent across business during 2009,“ says Judith Middleton CEO of DUO Marketing + Communications.
There are however a number of potential shortfalls which could influence its success; data security, reliability and maintainability are all major issues which need to be thoroughly checked before entering into agreements with suppliers.
Despite these issues, cloud computing is on a rapid upward curve. According to the IDC it is estimated that $42 billion will be spent on cloud computing services by 2012. This substantial investment further underlines its importance in the IT industry.