Effects of Cloud Computing!!

Effects of Cloud Computing!

Due to Cloud Computing, any public information, music, social networking, or
documents in storage, is easily accessed via internet sites or VPN’s. Personal cloud
storage is the means of backing up or storing files to an online server. Cloud
provides protection and back up for any data they may had been lost, damaged, or
changed.

Cloud Computing provides:
•Storage as a service.
•Infrastructure as a service.
•Backup as a service.
•Disaster recovery
•Communicating and collaborating ( Space Shifting and Time Shifting)
•Flexibility and accessibility derives from the use of cloud computing. Remotely
access information through firms/sources through virtual servers, hardware,
software.

Work Cited
"Lets Cloud Talk." Justcloud.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://
            www.justcloud.com/cloud-talk/>.

Cons Of Cloud Computing Part II

With high hopes for the cloud computing industry, the rest of the world is watching as this relatively new technology continues to grow and work out the "kinks" it may still have. One major problem that the cloud computing industry continues to have are legal issues.In one specific article I came across, it talked about a large supporter of cloud computing which is the U.S Department of Education, who seem to be overlooking a few things when it comes to the privacy agreements they keep with students. All in all the article points out a few key points that are huge legal issues when relying on cloud technology to store your data 

1. "All data that interacts with the internet is shared, which means it can be accessed by anyone"

2.This holds major concerns when it comes to the Department of Education, who under legal obligation, have to protect a students rights in regards to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, HIPAA, and COPPA.

3."For schools considering these legal elements of these contracts, its important that these documents specify that the private cloud company has no ownership interest in the intellectual property contained in the uploaded information" Especially if the schools are using third party vendors to host their uploaded data.

There are lots of legal concerns regarding information held on cloud technology with data from students that could potentially violate one of the three Acts I have listed above.Hopefully within the next few years cloud computing companies and the legal systems will work together to create a safe alternative for the Education System to be able to use cloud computing in order to store their data. 


Sources: Bathon, Justin. "THE Journal." The Major Cloud Computing Problems You're Not Paying Attention To --. The Journal, 08 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013

Image:  Morrison, Nick. "Technology in Schools: Saving Money with Cloud, Open Source and Consortia." The Guardian. The Guardian, 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. 

Cloud computing represents a fundamental change to the underlying concept of data in education, and thus presents many substantial risks and legal concerns. Obtaining the vast scope of benefits offered by cloud computing, though, requires us to make these difficult transitions. In the near term, contracts with cloud providers are the only substantial mechanism by which educators can resolve these legal concerns. By working together over the next few years, the educational community can build a more robust legal infrastructure for cloud computing in schools.
Read more at http://thejournal.com/Articles/2013/10/01/The-Major-Cloud-Computing-Problems-Youre-Not-Paying-Attention-To.aspx?Page=3#9i1FDZClIxDHbLZC.99

Cloud Computing and Global Businesses

As seen in our book "Management Information Systems - Managing the Digital Firm", globalization integrates the business world and the traditional ways to conduct business are deemed obsolete for most part.
By having an integrated supply chain, where goods travel around the world, cloud computing came to aid the performance of almost every business.
From Business to Business (B2B) models, all the way to Consumer to Consumer (C2C) models, cloud computing is greatly impacting the way we conduct, and manage our businesses.
Many of the "old concepts" of commercialization of goods and service are being changed by a more dynamic and competitive way.
The Wall Street Journal publicized an article titled: "16 Ways the Cloud Will Change our Lives". In this article, Joe Mullich describes 16 different ways in which cloud computing started by affecting the tech industries and now ripples throughout all industries.
The outlined topics are:

1. Everyone will become a gamer
2. Fixing stuff will be easier
3. Computers will become invisible
4. You’ll actually find what you want in stores
5. Everyone will want to give you advice
6. You will be sold to differently
7. You’ll be able to make smarter decisions
8. Small businesses will go global…in days
9. Road trips will be less stressful
10. Laptop security breaches will decline
11. “Bedside manner” will become app-infused
12. Public/private clouds will make homes healthier
13. Developing countries will become new markets and new competitors
14. Companies will use more suppliers
15. Everyone will bootstrap
16. Language barriers will fade

In essence, this topic reflects almost exactly all the benefits of cloud computing, the barrier and information asymmetry breaking characteristics of the digital world, the richness of information, and the easiness of connecting with suppliers and customers around the world.

Finally I could say that many of the predictions made by Laudon & Laudon on our book, have come true and even evolved to a more transparent world, with more access to information, do-it-yourself techniques, and a more effective way to outsource many services, which before the Internet age, was almost impossible to do. 

Soon, every single person in any metropolitan region, and maybe far out on any country's interior, will have a handheld device, and m-commerce will as transparent as a glass of water.

Are you ready to see future babies born almost computer savvy and cloud ready?

16 Ways the Cloud Will Change Our Lives

References:

Laudon, K., & Laudon, J. (2012). Management information systems - managing the digital firm.

Mullich, J. (n.d.). 16 ways the cloud will change our lives. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/ad/article/cloudcomputing-changelives

Healthcare in a Cloud

Is the medical field as technically advanced as we think? 

 Amazingly as while researching how cloud affects certain sectors I discovered the medical field has been slow in migrating to cloud computing. This can be related to the conservative viewpoints and the question of privacy and security. Most records of patient information are still being kept in file cabinets and handled manually by trained personnel. Just think  how daily operations will become more efficient with the full migration to cloud computing. The slow to change industry has began to pick up since 2011 when a few IT providers began to use some form of the cloud.Do you think these providers are setting a new standard for the medical field? The pros definitely outweigh the cons. The easy access of information to physicians and health care providers can help with response time to emergency situations and diagnosis. With the real time information at hand situations that can be detrimental can be avoided. Say for example a physician receives real time information on a patient's health right to there phone. If a notification is received that a sudden change has occurred in the patient's health immediate action could be taken to prevent further problems. The quick access to medical records can help with diagnosis and possible connections of illnesses. With paper files they can easily be damaged, stolen or lost. Converting to a cloud all critical information can be protected and accessed only by those who are authorized. With the correct security measures and proper training many lives can be saved and benefited. What if your loved ones life depended on the time of response to a change in health?

Link : http://www.formtek.com/blog/?p=4111

Source: 
Weisinger, Dick. "Healthcare Cloud Computing." Formtek. N.p. 23 Oct 2013. Web. 2 Nov 2013.

The Convenience of Cloud Computing

A classmate has recently shared a Forbes article on cloud computing with me.  The article is very informative, and it got me to thinking about examples of the convenience that cloud computing brings to every day life.  I am writing to share a few of these conveniences with you all. Enjoy!

-A 2012 Forbes Magazine article describes cloud computing by explaining how “greater market adaptability provides online entertainment platform[s] the ability to reach any type of customer device.”  Just yesterday, I was bored and sitting in a waiting room for an appointment… all I wanted to be doing was sitting at home catching up on a Netflix show that I have been watching.  I started browsing around the app store on my iPhone, and I realized there is an app for Netflix.  I easily logged in to my account, and was able to watch my show from my phone.  My point is that cloud computing has given everyone the convenience to use our different devices for just about everything, that often times we do not even realize we are using cloud computing!

-On a different note, this article has taught me that “Siri” is a prime example of cloud computing.  Cloud computing makes the existence of “intelligent assistants,” like Siri, available to users.  Cloud computing can “store information about user preferences, which can enable product or service customization.”  I often use Siri to send text messages because I find it to be more convenient than using the keyboard.  Siri uses cloud computing and user preferences to understand what the user is saying and to understand how the user wants her to respond.

-One of my favorite “conveniences” that cloud computing brings to my life, is the use of shared calendars.  When I attended North Carolina State University, the dance team would all use gmail to collaborate our calendars.  I could easily click on the calendar to see when our practices were being held, when we had specific events coming up, and when I needed to meet for a workout.  Without this shared calendar, we would have to rely on receiving the information through an email or a printed out calendar.  Chances are slim that everyone would have taken the time to write the events in their personal calendar.  I also use shared calendars at work.  When I need to schedule time with my supervisor, I can see when she has meetings and when I can block in some time to speak with her.  It is extremely helpful to use in finding a meeting time that works for both of us. 

These are three examples of my favorite uses for cloud computing.  What is one of your favorite uses of cloud computing?

Please see the link below to access the Forbes article:

 http://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2012/02/22/6-shining-examples-of-cloud-computing-in-action/

Source:

     McKendrick, Joe. "6 Shining Examples of Cloud Computing in Action." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 22 Feb. 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2013.

"Netflix-app[1]." MrTechnologyNerd. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2013.

"Watch Siri Automate a House." :: Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2013.

Cons in the Cloud

All technology was not created equal. Here are a few of the potential things that

can go wrong in the cloud.

• Not having an on site backup for your data your leaving it up to a third party to
  protect ultra sensitive company information
   
• "You are subject to theft, loss, hackers, power outages, and natural disasters".
   
• Your cloud provider can be careless. Not all cloud providers were created equal
  and its important to do your research if you decide to use cloud based software.
   
• You want a fully regulated cloud provider with state of the art systems.
  A company could potentially not be able to access its information if one of these
  things were to happen or you could permanently lose all data if the place it was
  being stored happened to be wiped out by a natural disaster.
  Sources
  

   

Conlon, Dan. "Cloud Computing and Small Businesses." Trendmicro.com. N.p.,
2011. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
Klein, Karen E. "The Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing." Businessweek.com.
Bloomberg Businessweek, 27 Oct. 2009. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
Picture: "How businesses can leverage the full potential of cloud computing". Cloudways.com., 2012.Web.27th Oct. 2013.

Energy Costs, High or Low???

Energy Costs, High or Low???

What will be real impact of cloud computing on energy costs? Will the benefit

really be as good as its presented to be? After further research the environmental

impact of cloud may be good as perceived. The use of virtualization and

centralization may improve efficiency but how about the continually increasing

popularity of cloud computing. Everything we do on our smartphones require the

use of a cloud to stream data. According to Artemis compute cycles determine

how much time to process through cloud hosting. With more and more users

interacting over a cloud more compute cycles will become available for use. How

much depends on the structure of the application. As humans we will until we

cant anymore, which leads to the problems of overuse and abuse. James raises

the question of the efficiency will be consistent over an increased workload in his

article. Of course hardware will need to be upgraded to meet the demand of

users, but will the energy costs be more than the cost to upgrade? The question

can't be answered so easily all of this depends on the amount of users and true

"efficiency" of the cloud's processors.

The way data is distributed is a major way cloud computing sells its trademark of

sustainability. The energy required to deliver compute capacity to the user

directly impacts energy costs. The costs are also a result of how far the user is

from the computing center. The further the user the more it will cost to

distribute data. With distribution being centralized users distance can vary

depending on the location of the distribution center. Those who benefit will be

those with closer proximity than one further away. Would it be better to have

multiple vendors near users or run on-site data centers? The decision lies in the

hands of the firm. For some the switch may be beneficial and for others detrimental.

Sources:

Compute Cycles, What are they? Artemiscomputers.com. Retrieved Oct 4th, 2013. From http://www.artemiscomputers.com.

 Colgan, J. (2010, Jan 19). Environmental Effects. Xuropa.com. Retrieved Oct 5th 2013. From http;//www.xuropa.com 

Cloud Computing (Image). Vmengine.net. Retreived Oct 3rd, 2013. From http://www.vmengine.net.

Cloud and Grid Computing. Networksecurity.com. Retrieved Oct 3rd, 2013. From http://www. networksecurity.com