"The Cloud"

Lately there has been a lot of buzz about 'Cloud computing' along with suggestions that everyone should be taking this route.  Let's take a look at what this terms actually means, and what its implications are.

Firstly, there is no one set definition of 'the Cloud' or 'Cloud computing' -it can mean any one of a range of things, and perhaps it's no surprise that it will typically mean whatever facilities a particular vendor wants to sell to you. Thus, before selecting any vendor's offering, some clarification of what that offering actually consists-of is always advisable.  The term 'Virtualisation' is often heard in-connection with Cloud computing, and sometimes the impression is given that these two terms are interchangeable. In fact, virtualisation is an entirely separate topic.

Though details may vary, the basis of all Cloud setups is that your data is stored elsewhere than in your own office. Typically this will be at a major data-center, where data from multiple clients is hosted on a shared server or servers. Cloud data may be all-inclusive, or it may consist of a more limited subset, such as your email, or your wordprocessor documents.

Access to your off-site data may take a form similar to conventional LAN access, or it may rely on Hosted Applications.

Hosted apps are programs which typically run within the confines of a Web-browser, and which duplicate the functionality of office software such as Word, Excel or Outlook, but without the need to own licences for those programs, or to install them onto your computer. Many Cloud facilities provide hosted apps of this kind.

For an example of a hosted app and Cloud-based data storage, take a look at Google Docs. This facility is free for small-scale use, and is an ideal introduction to the principles and technology of Cloud computing.

When weighing-up the pro's and con's we thus have two aspects to consider. That of offsite data storage, and the use of hosted apps. 

It's a truism that to do any kind of business, you need connections. If you intend to do business via the Cloud, then one connection matters above all others; your Internet connection. Without an Internet connection, you are out of action, business-wise. Think before you sign a cloud contract: Is your Internet connection up-to the job? Might you need a fallback line in case of failure?

 

Offsite Storage

From a versatility point of view, data-center storage is great benefit to road-warriors, since it means that the data can be accessed from virtually anywhere in the World that has an Internet connection. For the fixed-office user it has drawbacks, however, in that access to the data is entirely dependent on the site's Internet link. If the link goes down, all office-work stops. (...and yes, this could be a problem!)

Availability and speed considerations also need to be taken-into account.  With a local server, the capacity of the server itself and the inhouse cabling are the main limitations to the responsiveness of the system. Typically, such equipment is capable of supporting many users. Cloud storage, on the other hand, involves all accesses of data being via the site's Internet connection. In most small offices the Internet link will be via a standard broadband (ADSL) line, and the speeds this provides are perhaps a tenth of that of internal LAN cabling, or less. Thus, for more than a handful of users, it must be expected that the performance of the Internet line will set a hard-limit on the availability of data from a Cloud host. The speed-of-access to documents will of course be further eroded if the Internet connection is being subjected to misuse, for example if certain users are treating it as backgound-music player this will damage the productivity of the entire company.

Storage of your data offsite relieves you of the burden of responsibility for it. You don't need a server. You don't have to do regular backups. You don't have to worry about its security against loss or misapproprtiation. At least, that is the theory. The reality is that you have to place a very high degree of trust in your hosting company, to the effect that backups will be performed, and that good security-practices will be adhered-to.  At the same time, you have no way of determining if these procedures are being carried-out.

Hosted Applications

Hosted apps provide a number of advantages over apps installed conventionally, onto your local computer's hard-disk. Most obviously, they eliminate the need for costly software licenses. Furthermore, they do not tie the app or data to any given computer; documents can be edited on any computer, anywhere. A less-obvious but equally-beneficial effect is that the app's settings are not lost when changing computer. With conventional apps this loss-of-settings on changing-out a computer -or changing user on the same computer- is always a major source of aggro, both for end-users and IT specialists. With hosted apps, since the app is always run from the same actual computer at the hosting company, the problem doesn't arise.

There are disadvantages, though. Firstly, hosted apps typically have less features than conventional apps. This probably won't impact-upon light users, but if for example you're writing a novel, or for that matter a legal document, then the lack of sophisticated options might be an issue.

There is also the issue of lack of choice. Conventionally, a wide range of software is available for any given type of work. With hosted apps you may have no choice at all, you use what's provided, takeit or leave it. Those are your only two options. If the software doesn't suit your needs, or your needs expand beyond its capability... tough.

Then, consider the question of upgrades to hosted apps. These are not under your control. If a hosted app is suddenly upgraded to a version with a totally different interface, and which situation demands the retraining of your users, what effect will this have on your productivity? At least where conventional apps are concerned, you call the tune as to when they are upgraded.

A continuous Internet connection is needed to run a hosted app. Thus hosted apps create a situation where the entire work of your office depends on a single phone-line continuing to work. If that one, slim, cable fails somewhere, perhaps in a manhole under the road... you may as-well send your employees home. Therefore duplicate, redundant Internet connections are a must for any serious use of hosted apps.

For the road user, hosted apps create a situation of being unable to leave the area with Internet access whilst working-on a document or reading email. Contrast this with conventional FTP or VPN links, or POP3/IMAP email, where a roaming user can download documents or email at a site with Internet access, to work-on at lesure in a hotel room which has no such access. The latter may be far more convenient.

Security Concerns

Cloud working raises some special security concerns, many of which have not yet been fully explored owing to the newness of the concept. Perhaps the most critical concern  is that Cloud data is protected by a user's password, and ONLY by that password, whereas internal data is typically protected by a firewall or other precautions as well as the need to log-on. Thus, weak passwords are a critical vulnerability with Cloud storage. For this reason it is probably best if management allocate passwords to users, rather than users choosing their own.

Backup of onsite data is your own responsibility, but where Cloud storage is concerned you are dependent on assurances by the hosting-provider that data has been backed-up. You have no absolute guarantee that it has, or that should there be a failure, the backup will be restored in a reasonable time.

General Concerns

Perhaps the key concern with Cloud working is the very high level of trust you'll be placing-upon a hosting company whose actual facilites you've probably never seen,and against whom you may have very little leverage if things do go badly wrong. If the hosting-company does prove to be untrustworthy, or just downright incompetent, or for that matter goes bust, then the damage this could do to your business interests is infintely greater than any problems you'd likely experience with in-house IT.

Then, there is the issue of relocating your data if the need arises: If your Cloud host isn't performing well, how do you go-about changing to a new host? Bear in-mind this will involve a good deal more than just signing a new contract and cancelling the old one. You may have gigabytes of data stored on the old host, the only method of getting-at that data being a slow Internet line, over which it might take days or weeks to download your entire data-collection. That is, even assuming the data can be bulk-downloaded - it might involve each document's download being manually commanded, in a browser. Can you even begin to imagine the work that would involve? I suspect this is an area of Cloud computing which hasn't been properly thought-out yet.

This report from The Register should be enough to make any prosepective cloud customer think carefully before buying-in. Never assume that the biggest names in the game are necessarily bound to be reliable.

Summary

Benefits of Cloud working, with hosted apps:

• Freedom from need to manage inhouse IT services
• Easy access to data from anywhere in World
• Freedom from software-licensing costs and restrictions
• No loss of settings when changing local-user or computer

Detractions:

• Monthly cost applies for larger systems.
• Office Internet connection is a bottleneck, and SPOF
• Unable to work away-from Internet
• Less -or no- choice of apps
• Apps typically have fewer features than local programs
• No control over when upgrades are performed
• High level of trust in service-provider is required
• Relocation of data to other provider may be problematic

Verdict

-Should we migrate our data onto cloud services, or stick with local storage?

This is a question with no one simple answer. You need to weigh-up the pro's and con's as they relate to your particular methods of working. If you mainly work within one physical site, or perhaps within two or more linked sites, then the answer is probably no. However, if your contingent of road-warriors or teleworkers outnumbers your onsite staff, then the answer may well be yes.

---