Cloud Computing
What is CLOUD Computing?
With cloud computing, you basically rent capacity in a provider’s data centre, and connect over the internet. The provider’s staff install, maintain and upgrade hardware and software as required. Typically you’ll rent a service, such as data storage or email or accounting, rather than ‘a server’ as such, and pay $X per user or $Y per business per month
What can we put in the CLOUD?
- PBX (Switchboard)
- Exchange (Email)
- Security such as mail virus scanning, internet filtering etc.
- File replication for Disaster Recovery.
- Backups
- SQL
- Applications such as Google Docs
- Data access for Ipads
What is the downside of CLOUD computing?
- Still yet to be seen cost comparisons between conventional and CLOUD for SMB’s.
- Extra Bandwidth maybe required, depending on application, there will also be extra data download costs.
- If internet is down, no services at all, this could mean phones, email, and accounting etc.
- You loose independence and control, and problems with extracting data from cloud.
- Company data maybe be housed overseas. Very unknown.
- Possible hidden costs when changes need to be made.
- May not work for some required solutions (ie production which has high data needs)
- Service guarantees not much help, just think of new Microsoft CLOUD solution down for days + Amazon, Google Gmail, VirginBlue, & National Aust Banks recent problems (to name a few)
- An analysis of Cloud Computing contracts described them as ‘a veritable minefield of legal risks’
What are some of the issues with CLOUD computing?
- Privacy
- Compliance
- Unilateral variation of the contract
- Law & jurisdiction
- Security, encryption & backup
- Availability and Performance
- Service level agreements
- Sustainability
- Transition out if move to another provider
- Consequential losses & collateral damage
Quick Cloud vs. onsite Exchange – 2011 Total Cost Comparisons over 3 years (50 mailboxes and does include retention of staff mailboxes who leave the organisation)
