Local Is The Cloud: Decentralized Computing

Written by Lyndsey Morgan

Cloud computing, formally known as decentralized computing, might seem like an intimidating concept, but if you’ve used Google Mail, online storage systems, Microsoft Office Live or any of the other platforms listed immediately below, you’ve already experienced the growing trend of cloud computing. Cloud computing is simply the decentralization of physical computer hardware and resources so that they are scattered across several remote servers – although not ostensibly. To an end user the cloud resources deliver synchronized services that are as seamless and efficient as single-server hosting; some advocates argue the efficiency is even greater. While cloud computing is slowly becoming standard in government services, businesses, and popular online social and entertainment culture due to its many advantages, there are several drawbacks.

Examples of Established Cloud Computing Services

• Indaba Music.com
• Google Apps
• Google Docs
• Microsoft Office Live
• Humyo Online Storage

The Benefits

The appeal of cloud computing is that a company with little start-up capital or liquid assets can buy services on an as-needed basis; there is no longer the need to invest in and maintain costly private, on-site servers and other hardware. Using multiple servers managed by others gives a company the capacity to allow a greater number of people or end-users to access their data at the same time. For example, millions can use Google’s Gmail simultaneously with quick access and no need to wait. Redundant files are also created and regularly backed up with cloud computing; this offers greater protection against data loss. Cloud computing is so flexible it can make data accessible through any computer, including mobile devices. Some companies and government officials also rave that the cloud model’s pay-as-you-need-it server practice results in much lower informational technology costs.

• Six Benefits of Cloud Computing
• Research Shows Hardware Virtualization Top Benefit
• Video: Pros of Decentralization
• Information Technology Savings
• Webcast & Slideshow: Benefits for Businesses
• Eight Strong Payoffs of Cloud Computing
• Newspaper Touts its Adoption of Cloud Computing
• Google Exec Testifies about Cloud Advantages
• Federal Use of Cloud Computing Saving Tax Dollars
• Increased Flexibility due to Clouds
• Cloud Expo Slideshow: Services-on-demand & other benefits
• A Form of Green Computing
• Greater Government Efficiency

The Concerns

The most frequent complaint of cloud computing is that it opens a company up to hackers and other security risks. With data stored remotely, the potential of malignant third-party access grows; access to cloud-distributed, nonlocal resources requires some sort of public presence, and there may be a significantly larger number of servers to maintain and protect. Beyond that, is the debate of ownership: If data and files owned by a company are stored on servers owned by a separate provider does that provider indeed own, to some extent, the data it possesses? This has been a point of legal wrangling for social networks, companies offering free online storage, and even Amazon.com which allows Kindle users to store digital books they purchase on Amazon’s server. There is no clear-cut answer. If contracts are not specific enough on ownership, courts may be required to intervene.

A fear of blocked access is also a concern. If a remote host suffers a power loss or other malfunction, millions of end-users and hundreds of companies could be affected. This is mitigated to a point by distribution of resources across multiple sets of geographically-separated hardware (a parallel definition of cloud computing) which allows service to be rapidly switched to an alternate server if a given resource becomes inoperable - often without any visible change to the user. Also potentially worth consideration is conflict that may arise between a company and host, when denial of access could, in extreme circumstances, be used in a retaliatory way. While most advocates of cloud computing say it can be a money-saver, some critics say a concern is that higher costs may result from using increased bandwidth due to constant file transferring. Most, if not all of these concerns can be addressed by carefully choosing a provider that is clear in its policies, and has the resourceses to support large, distributed cloud-computing operations.

• Security Fears
• Cloud Computing Risks
• Companies Fear Leak of Confidential Documents
• IT Managers Worry Over Cloud Shortcomings
• Bandwidth Burden
• Hacker Attacks
• Loss of Service Control (& other challenges)
• Data Ownership Debate
• Attorney: third party access should be outlawed
• Blackouts & Server Overloads
• Sluggish Data Transfer
• Lack of Interoperability & Ability to Switch Cloud Platforms

Cloud computing is not a fad that is going to fade away. With yearly conferences and expos devoted to the future of cloud computing and how to address its shortcomings, the model will exist in the future in one incarnation or another. One main focus for evolving the model is interoperability; as it stands now, if a company uses one platform for years and wants to switch to another cloud model, they cannot do so easily or efficiency because the platforms are not compatible.

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