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Cloud Computing, The Commodity of The Future
hothardware.com — SaaS or Software as a Service, is what is generally thought of when you consider services like Google Apps or Salesforce.com. Let's face it, from the end user and SOHO crowd, to big businesses that are making use of services like Salesforce, you can see the huge value in outsource certain applications, not only from a cost standpoint but for ease
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- mark076h, on 07/01/2008, -2/+10If you are interest in learning more about Cloud Computing and what the future holds a great book is "The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google" i finished reading it a few weeks ago and it is great, http://www.amazon.com/Big-Switch-Rewiring-Edison-G ...
- Ricochetbiscuit, on 07/01/2008, -1/+4Awesome recommendation. I have to check that out. Did you learning anything major? Any revelations?
- ripple123, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1ED. ED DAMNIT.
- Screwy1138, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1This is a good book, but understand it's the extremist's point of view. It gives a prediction of how far SaaS can go, even though that may not make sense.
- OwdenBowden, on 07/01/2008, -1/+2Thanks for the Recommendation of the book. Will be picking it up for a little light reading on vaca.
Also - the concept of Cloud Computing (CC) is great and ideal. Eventually I can see everyone moving to this direction (except a small few like myself who like to have control of my apps and the actual hardware and software they run on). Basically - CC is server based app and web storage [just a nut shell so diggers don't go crazy on me]. HOWEVER - the current state of data security is atrocious and down right scary. Theses company which provide the CC are being hit and hijacked left and right (even the big G - Google). Also consider this little known fact. If the Government is building a case against you / your company and they want access to your records - all they have to do is get a sapeana for the CC company that you are using and then they have total access to your information as well as all others whose information resides on that server. Then best part is that not one of the company's have to know about this until either your CC provider calls you or the day the Government agents just come to arrest you.
So until QKD (Quantum Key Distribution) is instituted with all of this CC; or the Individual can do this on their own (control every aspect of it) - it is my personal and my professional opinion that the only thing you should be using web based storage and apps for / uploading to the internet is your Photos.
- HuskyPuzzle, on 07/01/2008, -0/+10I was just messing around on Amazon EC2 the other day and it is amazing. Google App Engine could be even cooler once they expand it beyond Python because then, anyone with a Gmail account can become a user on your site without doing a separate registration. The future is def coming fast.
- Screwy1138, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Cool is one thing, but cool doesn't sell to the business world. There are all sorts of problems, such as intellectual property, export control laws, SoX, etc. SalesForce.com hit the sweet spot because people don't worry about that information as much.
That isn't to say the concept isn't valuable, it's just a matter of *when* is it valuable.
- Screwy1138, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Cool is one thing, but cool doesn't sell to the business world. There are all sorts of problems, such as intellectual property, export control laws, SoX, etc. SalesForce.com hit the sweet spot because people don't worry about that information as much.
- SVOboy, on 07/01/2008, -1/+10The picture looks so angry.
- claycollins, on 07/01/2008, -0/+8If I could somehow find a way to link up all my old dead computer lying around the house I'd have more CPU power than google.
- etgryphon, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1you can with a Beowulf cluster I...well sort of
http://www.beowulf.org/index.html
- etgryphon, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1you can with a Beowulf cluster I...well sort of
- gregkr, on 07/01/2008, -0/+4Concur on the the Big Switch book. It's quite good.
- MarkusX, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3I'm still a little scared of Big Brother.
But there is no holding back of the technology, it's gonne come soon. - Threlly1, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2The Cloud is nice idea, however, there are a lot of eggs going in that basket......
- NecroDigg, on 07/01/2008, -4/+3Cloud computing is the same as Bush computing. It's all a lie!
- crazyjake, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2any guesses on how many vulnerabilities this will have??
- synyster, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1what doesn't have vulnerabilities?
- KurtangleTN, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1See the way I see it, the one who takes advantage of cloud computing is going to win all the marbles. Cloud computing is the way of the the future. Way of the future. Way of the future. Mhmh. Way of the future. Way of future. Way of the future. Way of the future. Mhhm. Way of the future.
- PeeEqualsNP, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0haha...nice, thanks for the early morning pick me up.
- easypie, on 07/01/2008, -10/+4Cloud computing is for assholes.
- Duncan3, on 07/01/2008, -1/+11The best and critical part is the customer doesn't have the software, doesn't own the software, and has to rent it FOREVER because you have their data. And when you go out of business, you get to sell the data to marketers. And it's easier for the government to intercept, so it even saves the taxpayer money. Muhahahaha.
Oh wait, we're getting screwed, isn't that why this ended with a wimper the last time we did this ultra-centralization? (hint: YES)- Screwy1138, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1You're getting dugg down. But for those digging this guy don't... this is exactly what every business has to consider.
- synyster, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1that's why we should have open standard, so you can download your data into open format, when the company screwed, it have to delete all the data and you can use other apps to use your existing downloaded data.
- bradleyland, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1You don't "own" the software on your computer either. Also, you can't simply walk away from platform applications when you're tired of your vendor either. Is it any easier to walk way from Office + Exchange + SharePoint than it is Google Apps? The ongoing operation of software isn't "free" either. You have to have staff on hand to administer those servers and applications.
The primary risks associated with SaaS are security and tying your business to a service that may or may not be around in 10 years. When you buy licenses of Office (for example), you could -- in theory -- use that copy for the next 15 years, provided a platform to run it still exists. What if Google decides that Google Apps is a serious funding suck and cans it? That is a legitimate risk. It's also important to note that a lot of software you buy on disk uses activation these days. What if Microsoft decides that they're going to limit the time frame that they'll activate copies of Office 2003 or 2007?
Security is a different ballgame. How many small businesses have properly invested in security infrastructure. How many small-medium sized business can _afford_ to invest the same amount of effort in to security as, say, Google? How many can afford _not_ to?
For many people, holding the disk in their hand is a security blanket. This sense of security comes under false pretenses. The SaaS world isn't that much different than the situation companies are in right now. The big difference with SaaS is that they can rely on a single vendor whose entire focus is delivering an end-to-end application, rather than choosing applications, staff, and making security decisions.
- rmeddy, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Isn't Valve doing something like this?
- bradleyland, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Similar. Valve delivers GaaS, not SaaS.
(pun intended)
- bradleyland, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Similar. Valve delivers GaaS, not SaaS.
- JQP123, on 07/01/2008, -1/+7Cloud computing has some advantages ... but also some significant disadvantages that will limit it's reach; particularly in the corporate arena.
The major disadvantages are privacy, security and control. Maybe an individual will surrender their privacy in exchange for gMail but most corporations won't.- PeeEqualsNP, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Exactly... and hopefully no one expects to have their health record from google mean that much to doctors with their history of security. Although it is a decent way to track/update your own information if you desire. It would be something totally new if google revamped it to abide by HIPAA and all the other federal entities, but they wouldn't be the first to market with such a product.
- booyahbitch, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Cost is an issue withe the cloud as well. You can get a dedicated server at "The Planet" for about US $150 per month, running the same system (assume single dual core processor and 2 gigs of ram with 100 gig disk space) will run you US $20+ per day. Not a real cost savings over dedicated hardware, but may save on hardware purchases in the long run. It is still in it's infancy, so we will see.
- ripple123, on 07/01/2008, -3/+2I think the only cloud here is the one formed by the steam rising off the big, fresh, pile of ***** in this article. Its packed with buzzwords, much like the gentle buzzing of flies around big steaming piles of *****.
- Screwy1138, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3David Chappell has a nice blog about S+S (Microsoft's view of SaaS)
http://www.davidchappell.com/blog/
(I don't know him personally and I don't profit at all if you go to that link... I just find him a knowledgeable person on the subject) - betasp, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1If people keep saying it enough, does it make it true?
- Nexusmonkey, on 07/01/2008, -0/+4If this technology becomes mainstream it will be bad for us all.
Just image it, hardware will no longer be produced for the public (if it is produced the cost will be very high). The only hardware that will come cheap is your basic bog-standard PC capable of accessing a web browser.
This means most will rent their disk space / cpu time, etc. Not only is privacy a huge concern, but think about this. Cpu time will turn into a commodity such as oil. Investors will buy up reserves, to manipulate the price and make a profit, much like todays commodity markets. - flytronix, on 07/01/2008, -0/+4cloud computing is the new web 2.0
- Screwy1138, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1No, it's the new SOA.
- pentupentropy, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2and for SETI =)
- Aleman360, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Cloud computing is just a new MBA term to describe terminals and mainframes.
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