It is true that the cloud is not something new. The advantages of using cloud are quite obvious - Savings on IT infrastruture , Software licenses, IT staff and offcourse the energy savings.
The main reason for the cloud becoming more attractive recently is that the network infrastruture has become more robust, secure, and the network speeds have become so fast that there is hardly any difference that a user may feel in response time between working on a local server and working on a cloud.
I remember just a couple of years back, downloading or uploading attachements of email used to be a time consuming task. With today's network speeds all that has become a matter of few seconds.
Siamak, you are right. Cloud is not a new technology and it’s in place for a long time. The only thing is now they had commercialized the technology with a nick name “Cloud” and marketing well in different forms like SaaS, PaaS, IaaS etc. we had used the similar technology in our office quiet some time back by using the internal networks. The only change is now its move out of office to certain regions, from where connectivity is establishing.
The "cloud" has made much advancement over the last few years that are making it more attractive to not only businesses but consumers. Businesses using the cloud are now saving more money with less energy consumption. The need for heavily populated IT departments goes down, and security has increased drastically. In fact some companies using the cloud have better security now, then when they were using their own servers.
As internet connection speeds increase and become more widely available it is almost inevitable that the cloud will take over. The issues after that will be things like disaster prevention and security. i am seeing a lot more cloud based apps now and I am starting to like them more and more. I still worry however about personal data security.
This is a great explanation of what the cloud does and its value proposition. One question: it seems as if the cloud takes a certain level of direct control out of the hands of, for example, corporate IT support. Is this accurate? And if so, it is a problem from the IT support perspective?
Great Question. I truly believe that IT does not lose any control. Since we used the money analogy before, this is a kin to you using your ATM anywhere to access your money. The control of what you do with that money is 100% with you, the Cloud just gives you more flexibility.
I feel the editorial very interesting and in general really in line with current and future trend. Flexibility achieved by cloud is also another crucial point, in my opinion, for the definitely success of that services' paradigm. At the end, I am still looking for the answer to a question. Each one industrial company, especially within supply chain sector, has tailored and customized ERP, to its peculiar needs. I am wondering how cloud in the way "as a service", can allow IT platform feature as a services and in same time, guarantee individual customization. Is it a matter of provisioning process?
I have always been confused with the word "cloud computing". I still am but this article is great to pinpoint the advantages of cloud computing and is future looking. What i find the most attractive features of the cloud computing are the energy saving and cost cutting measures. With the cloud computing in place, i think that the traditional office desk will be more mobile and employee can be connected without physically coming to office. I am concerned about the rent of buying cloud services. Would the cost of cloud service supersede the cost actually buying a hardware and software. The typical lifetime of a PC is about 5-6 year but the software can be upgraded at a small cost? How would this scenario look in clouds?
"Cloud services may not have CIA-level security, but they are by far more secure than laptops and servers in back offices."
That will reassure companies that are still reluctant to cloud adoption because of security concerns. With the "push" coming from news media and cloud services providers, more companies will eventually be convinced. But we should still be aware that some institutions (banks for instance) require a CIA-level security and we cannot expect them to move to (public) cloud any time soon.
The term cloud confussed me for a while too before it dawned on me that it was just a marketting strategy, a form of rebranding of remote data storage and web based servicies.
I think it has a bright future, mainly in developed economies, and in the case of developing economies, only for large coorperations.
Where i come from, there is no way i'm putting any confidence in the cloud anytime soon.
Yes, cloud is not new and in time, looking from perspective its application and usages become more clear. Then the cloud companies create services and solutions which will be right on the target. All that I worry about backbone internet connections. All businesses internal processes can paralyzed by interruptions in external internet services.
It is nice to read this. I wish to see more EE vendor - like Cadence, Mentor and other provides application service on cloud.
@_hm, If this happens its very good news for Indian industry. I know many people want's to start their own firm but hesitate to do it because tool costs are very high. If they can get these tools at reduces prices then I am sure we will see boom in the start-ups.
Yes, tools vendor will also benifit significantly from this. It is win-win situation. e.g. EE needs to have new tools to design complex 6gbps and higher speed boards.
tools vendor will also benifit significantly from this.
@_hm, very true. Currently tool companies like Cadence,Magma and Synopsys have very few customers because startup's can't afford to buy those tools. Through cloud these tool companies can reach to start-ups as well , which will help them increase their revenue significantly.
"If this happens its very good news for Indian industry"
Could start-ups rely on cloud services to reduce running costs? Yes. But if the internet services in the area the company operates from are not reliable, it will have to face other technical problems that may affect its revenue. How reliable are internet services in India (in most parts of the country)?
How reliable are internet services in India (in most parts of the country)?
@Hospice_Houngbo, internet is very reliable these days, atleast in the urban part of india. I have hardly faced any internet outages in the last 2 years. Moreoever you can get broadband connection at reasonable cost 20$.
I think one of the biggest advantage with cloud solution is that there is no initial investment required and companies pay the cloud vendors on the go basis. This can allow companies to invest in their core businesses and not have their capital tied up in IT assets. This gives them more chances of growth.
Arena Solutions has been a cloud provider of BOM and change management (core PLM) services since 2000, and man - - back in the early days there was sure a lot of resistance to "on-demand" and "SAAS" products.
With the advent of "cloud" I think the idea of storing data up in the inter-webs is much less scary to the general public. We have seen a huge increase in adoption as people realize that lightweight, easy-to-implement, global solutions make a lot more sense in today's day-and-age.
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Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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