GMO Cloud

UK Government to Remove Hindrances to Cloud Computing with Huge Investments

The United Kingdom government is making a huge investment of FIVE million pounds to create a support framework for all cloud-computing related services. According to Iain Gray, Chief Exec of the Technology Strategy Board (TSB): “The market for cloud computing services is growing by 26% each year. It is an area with exceptional potential for growth. Finding the correct balance between trust and flexibility, without compromising security, is vital.”

The three major areas outlined for improvement before UK can lead the rest of the world in cloud technology include “interoperability”, “resilience of data” and “identity assurance”.

Ensuring the resilience of data involves a series of processes. Most important among these is protection of user data. Data, files and digital content WILL be given appropriate security from hackers. TSB hires a company that will build a dynamic data analytics for the single purpose of identifying theft and leakage. This involves setting up an intelligent system that monitors, controls and records the flow of information from one source to another. A security bridge will be built to prevent unauthorized users from accessing certain information or data they have no right to access.

Next, identity assurance. Users of cloud computing like to be assured – as the UK Government has done – that their identities will not be jeopardized as they engage in various activities online. In essence, protecting the information, files and data available on the internet should be done along with safeguarding users’ personal information, credit card information and other sensitive data provided in the course of shopping, game-playing and other activities.

The UK government sees a projected upward tick in the revenues cloud computing can bring to the country – an encouraging indication that cloud services will balloon among several governments in the coming years.

UK TSB believes that creating an atmosphere for interoperability among different operating systems, applications and computing protocols will facilitate the process of adopting, implementing and expanding cloud computing to achieve:

• Reduced overhead costs;

 

• Maximized profits through sharp reduction in IT expenditures;

 

• Optimized production capability through innovative measures offered by cloud;

 

• An atmosphere of eco-friendly operations and cultures of sustainability.

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About the Guest Author:

Jerry Olasakinju, a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree holder, is a passionate researcher and writer whose interest in everything computing is unparalleled. He blogs about his literary works at http://jerryolasakinju.blogspot.jp/

What Cloud Computing Can Do for MMORPGs

The acronym  MMORPG stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. These games take role playing to the next level, allowing gamers to explore massive online worlds, interact with other players, and combine gaming and social interplay in a virtual setting within a single game. MMORPGs can be addictive and thus tremendous sources of revenue. The all time giant of MMORPGs is World of Warcraft, created by Blizzard Entertainment. There is no doubt that the market for MMORPGs is growing rapidly, especially in Asia. Many companies are looking to expand or move their existing franchises to an MMORPG model (a recent example of this is the popular Elder Scroll series).

Why are gaming developers embracing MMORPG?

There are two main problems that plague most computer games, both of which are practically nonexistent when it comes to MMORPGs:

1. Software piracy and;

 

2. The second-hand market

 

MMORPGs bypass these issues by their very nature. Due to the need for a persistent online world frequented by other players, they require constant maintenance and updating. They also require persistent servers that are quite expensive to maintain. Most players will only have the software, not access to the software needed to maintain and operate a gaming server. Because of this, piracy is practically non-existent – it is not cost-effective to create and maintain unauthorized servers which will never compare to the real thing. Monetization means MMORPGs don’t suffer from lost profits from the second-hand market. Usually, these games generate revenue from subscription fees or from the sale of in-game items, perks, or content.

How can cloud computing help  MMORPG developers?

There are several scale problems faced by MMORPG developers facing the consumption of resources that these kinds of games require. Specific kinds of shared server structures and subdivision are required to manage these resources effectively leading to certain logistical issues. The main problems associated with maintaining an MMORPG include:

1. Dealing with location. Most MMORPGs will have servers for particular geographical locations. People logging in from outside that geographical location can have a significant effect on latency and performance.

 

2. Server maintenance. Normal issues of hardware, software, manpower, and management become complicated by having to spread out gaming into data servers located in different geographical locations in order to maintain optimal game performance. The unpredictable nature of end-user behavior also makes maintenance a more difficult endeavor.

 

3. Computing efficiency. MMORPGs are on-demand services, meaning that loads are tremendously variable. Maintaining optimal game performance during peak load times often means having to waste computing power and money on maintenance at other times. MMORPGs will often use rigid architecture that is non-scalable, resulting in tremendous waste and inefficiency.

 

Fortunately, using a cloud service provider to support and maintain data centers can help game developers focus on game development rather than server issues. Moving to the cloud can help MMORPG developers reduce expenditure on server maintenance and all associated costs. Cloud-based gaming also allows on-demand scaling and more efficient resource allocation than rigid architecture.

The cloud model seems tailor-made for pay-as-you-play gaming models, allowing developers to set up servers and scale their services depending on their clients’ needs at a moment’s notice. As MMORPG gaming grows, particularly in countries like South Korea and Japan, the demand for cloud services catering to MMORPG developers will surely expand.
 

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Nida Rasheed is a freelance writer and owner of an outsourcing company, Nida often finds herself wanting to write about the subjects that are closest to her heart. She lives in Islamabad, Pakistan and can be found on Twitter @nidarasheed.

What Can Rendering Get From Cloud Computing?

Evolution of 3D rendering service market and how Cloud Computing promises to deliver more in this unique market segment

3D rendering is popular in the construction field, especially before finalizing a particular architecture and interior design plan.

Another area where rendering proves to be a vital asset is in the film industry and especially the Hollywood industry. Its success is evidenced by movies like Avatar and Transformers, which would never have progressed without 3D.

A recent study study by TechNavio which has predicted that 3D architectural rendering will grow 35 per cent in 2011-2015.

The survey was more biased towards the American market which has shown an increasing appetite for 3D rendering in architecture. Top brass from TechNavio have said that 3D rendering service providers are currently moving away from conventional options to packaged solutions which customers can choose as per requirements.

Marketing efforts of leading construction providers are being given a boost thanks to new age 3D rendering which showcases a fully conceptualized view of a prospective client’s future home. It is possible to model every part of a building before a demanding client’s eyes.

Service providers are exploring new channels of delivery and one promising methodology is, of course, cloud computing.

The gaming industry for instance has now shifted towards cloud-based online gaming environments where the actual user is provided with a rendered image or interface of the game. All heavy duty graphic processing works and game performance analysis takes place on powerful cloud servers resting in data centers globally. Users only need to play a game remotely with their browser or an interface that requires minimal hardware configurations. The rest is up to cloud.

The whole concept behind gaming on the cloud is streaming a huge dataflow onto your remote PC via the internet courtesy of an up-and-running delivery model.

Taking 3D rendered content to the masses provides better 3D farm rendering to people with limited hardware resources. Even smaller companies in the film and animation or construction industries can develop 3D models and work in 3D rendering environments without heavy capital expenditure.

With the ability of cloud computing to offer 3D rendering services to the masses and at affordable rates, the future of 3D rendering services looks promising. This is rightly in tune with a harmonious growth pattern which sees technology combine with image design, art, architecture and conceptualization to achieve never before seen levels of perfection.

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Mandira Srivastava is a fulltime freelance writer who specializes in technology, health and fitness, politics, and financial writing. Equipped with degree of mass communication and having worked for both private and corporate clients, I have experience meeting a wide range of writing requirements and styles.

Conquering the Japanese Social Gaming World

Card-battle games are very popular among Japanese social game platforms. In the west also, the card-battle game has gained credence, as shown by the popularity of Pokemon on Gameboy, Magic and the Gathering.

Western social gamers are now slowly getting used to Japanese social games. Kids who have played the original Pokemon are now adults and more than willing to try similar games. Former Game Boy users will still play card-battle style games or RPGs on the browser or with smartphones.

Social games have grown hugely with Facebook. Zynga is one company which exhibited phenomenal growth due to this market, earning more than $317 million during the first quarter of 2012. This is still nowhere near the earnings of rival GREE which had earnings of $558 million for the same period, catering mainly to the Japanese market.

Lately, GREE and DeNA have been focusing on expanding outside of Japan. With a better model for monetizing their mobile game apps, these Japanese firms should be able to grow abroad while maintaining their domestic stranglehold.

It is safe to say that having a Japanese partner or distribution channel helps foreign market entrants no end. Even then, success is not guaranteed. For smaller companies, partnering with Japanese distribution channels is sensible. Localization and culturization is required for any app to compete in the Japanese market. The additional customization by a third-party on the ground makes the app more acceptable to consumers. Mobile games in Japan are very Japanese. Cultural motifs play a major part in the design and game play.

Game culturization via a Japanese distribution channel makes for sound strategy for anyone wishing to conquer Japan.

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About the Guest Author:

Rodolfo Lentejas, Jr. is a fulltime freelance writer based in Toronto. He is the founder of the PostSckrippt, a growing online writing business dedicated to producing top quality, original and fresh content. To know more about him, please visit www.postsckrippt.ca. Like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

Cloud-Based Rendering – the Logical Next Step for Render Farms

With more Hollywood magic being computer-generated, huge server arrays to handle rendering have become a staple of major VFX and animation studios. Third-party render farms have also become important players due to this market demand and the increasing need for computing power has resulted in impressive technological breakthroughs. Afterall, rendering is an expensive business.

There are thousands of computers that need to be maintained and cooled. Security is also an essential concern – a leak can be devastating for any movie studio. The electricity costs for a render farm can run into millions of dollars annually, ruling out small company take-up. However, cloud service providers offer processing and storage services both to visual effects studios and to existing render farms, allowing everyone to save.

Rendering in the cloud: a no-brainer?

It is important to note that huge strides have been made in cloud security. If the security of cloud computing is good enough for institutions like the Pentagon and the United States Department of Defense or for important financial institutions and banks around the world, then it certainly can be adapted to the security needs of visual effects studios! Another concern about cloud rendering is data latency due to the huge size of the files involved. However, the monetary advantages are too substantial to be foregone.

Why cloud-based rendering is inevitable from a financial point of view

The main advantage of cloud service providers is: computing resources on demand. Expensive local render farms maintained by large visual effects studios no longer make sense economically. A render farm costs millions of dollars to maintain even when it is not being used. People need to be hired to guard and maintain the computers and infrastructure costs can be huge. Cloud service providers offer render farms and visual effects studios huge savings with no operational side-effects.

Another of cloud’s strong points is scalability: only paying for what you need. One studio that has embraced this move is Warner Brothers.. Additionally, since many cloud vendors are not located in California, using their services makes many California-based studios eligible for huge tax rebates applicable in other states.

Assuaging render farms’ concerns

Cloud service providers must pay attention to their data latency, making clear promises on what kind of latency is acceptable. Dedicated data lines are key, making sure that data flows at all times. Safety is no longer a big concern.

Cloud service providers can mirror security protocols used in local render farms or visual effects studios. A computer can be locked down physically, completely preventing access from outside parties. It is as simple as getting an independent security audit from a third party. You’ll be surprised by the results, in a positive way.

The Asian panorama for cloud-based render farms

Asia is a major market for cloud-based rendering and will continue to grow in the future. India produces the most movies in the world, not Hollywood. Other huge movie producers in the region include Japan, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Many studios in these countries do not have the infrastructure or resources to support a full-time render farm, meaning that cloud-based rendering is a welcome enhancement to business.

Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation

Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Guest Author:

Nida Rasheed is a freelance writer and owner of an outsourcing company, Nida often finds herself wanting to write about the subjects that are closest to her heart. She lives in Islamabad, Pakistan and can be found on Twitter @nidarasheed.