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08.17.2012

Cloud computing in Japan has been around longer than you might think. Though it seems like this buzz word has just exploded, it has been living inside our homes for quite some time now with the advent of the internet. For years, cloud computing has been serving the communication needs of the locals with the country’s capacity for revolutionary advancements in technology. One of the clearest manifestations of Japan’s super power abilities when it comes to cloud computing is how it is being utilized for the social media market.

Initially, Japan’s social media scene mainly revolved around home-grown networking sites that incorporate gaming into their services aside from the usual sending of messages, chatting and sharing of photos and videos. These social networking sites use cloud computing to store the information of the user on a remote server so that it can be accessed anywhere and at anytime by the user. The flexibility offered by cloud computing is also apparent in the usage of mobile phones by the Japanese to access these social media sites. It’s been noted that Japanese people are more active in social media thru their phones rather than in their personal computers. By having a cloud computing service provider, social networking companies are able to allow their users to remain up to date with their personal pages instead of just being tied up to their desktop computers at home.

These local social networking sites have zoomed past other popular media in the West such as Facebook and Twitter. For a time, it seemed that these Western sites won’t be able to gain a strong share of patrons in Japan. However, over time, Facebook and Twitter have garnered the needed followers for a strong boost in their business most especially due to the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in 2011. These foreign social media sites were the saving glory of the victims and their families in the affected regions of Japan.

With telecommunication infrastructures being hit by this tragedy, these social sites were key to knowing the status of the people, conducting rescue and relief operations, and coordinating disaster contingency plans. Only with cloud computing can all these communication gateways became possible. This only goes to show how social media thru cloud computing, when used in the most optimal way, can surpass the usual meeting of new people or catching up with the latest gossip done in most social networking sites.

Moving on to other social media, it has been said that majority of blogs in the world are written in Japanese. The locals have learned to utilize blogging networks not only for sharing their personal stories but they could also start their own forum or communities as well as enjoying available games. The additional services available to blog sites only demonstrate that social media has undoubtedly encompassed so many platforms nowadays as companies start to maximize the potentials of cloud computing.

So if you are planning to start your own company or promote your existing business in Japan, you should begin to study how cloud computing and the social media can benefit your end. By using available social media sites, you can effectively advertise your products or services to your target market. Since a lot of Japanese remain active online, you will be more visible and approachable to your potential customers this way. You can also monitor the reactions or recommendations of your customers online with these social sites so that you can further improve your product. Current trends that affect your business are also easily learned thru online forums which is why you need to make the effort to socially connect thru these varied types of media.

Cloud computing can thus allow you to build your own interactive website or even your own social media network in order to reach those elusive Japanese audience for your business. The impact of cloud computing for businesses is massive with social media being in the forefront of it. And more than any other country in the world, Japan has been seen to lead the pack in cloud computing infrastructures and policies, which is why any business wanting to grow in Japan needs to take advantage of this technological phenomenon while it’s still hot.

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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.

08.16.2012

One morning, you arrive at the office and receive your phone and electricity bills, you tend to pay it online and soon you get to know that your credit limit has expired. What will you do now? Since yoou are strapped for cash, you unwillingly go to your friends and borrow some money. Well, borrowing is not bad, but you feel some guilt about it.

On a similar note Polonius, chief counselor to King Claudius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet said, “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” Do you know why you have gone out and borrowed some money? I will tell you – it is because you could not track of your expenses well. You don’t know how you spend your money and where has all the money gone?  So, you need to track your spending pattern to know where you can save money in terms of tax returns.

While setting up a business you might have spent on computers, data storage equipments, networking infrastructure, software packages with valid licenses and so on. Today, enterprises are looking into ways to cut down on spiralling costs in almost all spheres they are likely to be engaged in it. Particularly, every penny counts in a small business set-up.

The old days of receipts and expense files are history:

So, you can keep track of all your expenses by installing software solution on your PC or pick any cloud solution for it. However, if you are running a business that makes you travel frequently and you rarely sit still, it is advisable to select cloud applications. Naturally, the mobile business owner requires a mobile solution that helps you to track expenses without carrying around piles of receipts. In today’s business environment, creating and processing expense reports manually, has become a thing of the past. Additionally, today’s tech–savvy consumers do not want to do business with companies that look outdated.

Here are few reasons why should you use cloud solutions to track your business expenses:

• Helps you to work more: Even if you are on the beach with your family, you can see what and where your office staff has made purchases. Yes, a cloud-based expense tracking solution enables business owners to stay connected no matter where they are.
• Eliminates human error: Manual invoicing and accounts entry may lead to human error and delay any reimbursement process. Sometimes, invoicing also needs the support of a third-party expense management company. Cloud-based expense management solutions can reduce data errors, paper-handling expenses, and payment errors.
• Customize an expense management solution for your business: You don’t need to pay for business applications that you do not require. The cloud-based solution offers various manuals that include purchase reports, payable invoices, expanse spread-sheets and more. The cloud- based solutions also enables you to scan and save receipts.  It means that you may save on storage cost- you may destroy hard-copy records.
• Money manager: The small-business merchants can also take advantage of a cloud- based money manager that can present expense report that includes the detailed information about where your money is going. The reports can be created by customers, projects departments.
• Expense reconciliation is easier and fast: The ‘life cycle’ of expense reconciliation and purchase order become shorter with a cloud-based expense solution as it verifies the revenues and/or expenses fast. It saves time because you don’t need to call auditors to audit paper-based reports.
• Cloud-based expense solution provides flexibility: When millions of smartphones are used in global workforce, cloud-based solutions may help on-the-go merchants to sell their products and services from fairs, trade shows, and markets. On the other hand, suppose if you are done with your expense report, you can directly send it for approval without coming back to the office.

With the significant advances in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) over the last half century, you can possibly see the reason why so many business ventures are now centered on the cloud as they offer the necessary levels of scalability to suit any kind of expanding business environment.

There are many companies that are offering cloud-based expense management solutions. You need to be very careful while selecting one, as this would have sensitive data. Don’t hesitate to ask hard-hitting questions about security settings, employees who will have access to your information and more.  Always use different complex passwords for your PC, laptop, or smartphone and keep your device locked or password protected when not in use.

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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:

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

08.15.2012

One of the greatest challenges that cloud technology brings with it is the need for developers, IT professionals, and companies to be more open in their interactions. Cloud computing, by nature, requires the interaction of various entities and, as this technology grows, interactions between various companies are becoming the rule rather than the exception.

Because of this, it is important to understand which parties, if any, are involved in your cloud computing services apart from your company and the vendor. Third parties can enter a cloud computing service in an outsourcing agreement. The cloud computing industry is also very fast paced and you may find that your vendor has been acquired by a larger company or merged with another cloud services business. Third parties can ensure that you are getting the best possible range of services from a variety of sources. However, since the introduction of other parties to a cloud service also adds risk, it is important to address third parties in your contract.

Outsourcing issues in your cloud services contract

When you enter a contract with a cloud computing vendor, it is important to get information on whether the vendor is outsourcing some of its services to another cloud computing company. For example, a well-known SaaS vendor runs many of its services at a third-party’s data center using that third-party’s IaaS services. These kinds of interactions can make cloud computing contracts difficult to navigate. In the best interest of the consumer, it is important to mitigate risk by ensuring that your contract contains the following provisions for your cloud computing vendor:

1. The contract should identify and name any third parties involved in the services they provide.
2. The third party vendor should be obligated to follow the same security standards and procedures as the cloud computing vendor.
3. A plan for business continuity should be established in case of service failure by the third-party vendor.
4. The contract should hold the vendor responsible for complying with all terms of the contract, regardless of the actions of third parties.

Outsourcing is not a bad thing. In fact, the whole concept of cloud computing is essentially a form of outsourcing itself. In fact, as the industry gets more complex we can probably expect to see a higher degree of specialization. Unlike today, cloud computing vendors will need to become much more specific with their services, which will necessarily mean that any cloud computing contract will include various parties.

What happens in case of an acquisition or merger?

The cloud computing industry is one of the fastest paced tech industries today. We are still on the ground floor of a technology that is growing in leaps and bounds. This means that, at least today, you can expect the business landscape to change dramatically at a very rapid pace. Just looking at the last year, you will find numerous examples of large companies (such as Skype, Success Factors, and Yammer) being bought by the industry giants, and mergers are quite more frequent than in other industries. While this helps the technology advance and the market grow, it can be a bit difficult to navigate when it comes to your cloud services contract.

A new owner may not be willing to continue with the same products or to accept the terms you had in the contract with the previous owner. To mitigate these risks, it is important to include language in your current contract that allows you to plan for a merger, bankruptcy, or acquisition of your present cloud computing vendor. A good way to do this is to establish that all parties and their successors (regardless of the process resulting in their succession) will be bound by the terms of the contract. To transfer those obligations and rights to a third party, they should first need the prior consent of the other party of the contract. This means that your current cloud services vendor will still be held responsible, even if the company passes into new ownership.

The Bottom Line

Many of these issues can be navigated safely with the help of a professional. Today, Cloud brokers are rising organizations in the Cloud computing industry. They basically connect cloud clients with cloud vendors. By managing multiple parties for you and finding the correct vendors for your company’s needs, a cloud broker can reduce costs and help you navigate what is becoming an industry full of complexity.

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.

08.14.2012

Like all other cutting edge technologies, cloud computing has a number of security issues that are peculiar to the medium. While none of these are insurmountable, it is still necessary that they be handled correctly.  Since most of the environment is virtual in nature, the security and business continuity challenges are very different from those faced by more traditional IT centers. Today, about 40% of servers are virtualized and it is expected that in another five to six years, nearly 86% of servers will be virtual. Therefore the challenges of managing the security of virtual devices will only increase. The key areas that will have to be addressed in the future are –

• An exponential growth in data volumes and mobility – The virtual environment encourages mobility of the user. In this environment, databases, workloads and workflows are all increasingly used by mobile users. This virtual environment is regularly backed up on physical drives in the data center. In a number of cases, hourly instances of the virtual servers are maintained as snapshots. While this is very easy to do and gives the IT administrators great ease of management, sensitive data ends up being stored in different locations. This data has to be managed with care and administrators have to ensure that there is no compromise on security. This requires a well planned, structured work flow to manage backups and data.
• Is the shredder working? – With the large number of copies of data being stored on physical media, there has to be a certainty of it all getting deleted securely. Fortunately, these challenges have been well understood and handled. The following key steps are implemented routinely by all good cloud service providers to ensure that the client’s data and processes are secure –
• Data Isolation – This ensures that data and virtual instances of the servers that handle critical data are isolated from commonly used components of the system.  Thus even if there is a security issue with the cloud hypervisor, the critical data continues to be isolated and is never exposed. Essentially, what data isolation implements is a philosophy and not merely a technology. Based on the structure of your application, your data isolation procedures could be different from those used by another company.
• Separation of Responsibility – Companies take steps to ensure that duties, responsibilities and privileges are distributed among administrators in such a way that no single person can abuse his privilege to impact a system.
• Using established standards – Companies that build robust applications use established standards that have been tested adequately and are in extensive corporate use. An example is the use of the PCI-DSS – the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Following standards such as this also ensures that regulatory compliance issues are handled adequately.
• Ensuring multi-tenant protection – Good solutions ensure that in shared environments with multiple tenants in the data center, there are strong and effective controls over instances of virtual machines and data and there is no possibility of one user being able to gain access to data belonging to another. Once these steps are implemented, the entire VM lifecycle is managed securely starting from its provisioning, starting up the instance, using it, backup and recovery, and finally its deletion.  Besides this, any product that is chosen must also comply with a number of other requirements to ensure that your business stays agile and responsive.
• Your service provider must support a flexible deployment – There could be a number of occasions when you want to use hybrid clouds or even keep some critical data in your own premises to meet regulatory or security needs. This could happen after your services have already been launched from (say) a public cloud. The solution provider must be able to support this.
• Deployment must be fast – Using predefined, encrypted server images to speed up the process. These can be modified post deployment to cater to your specific needs. This will ensure that you do not loose fleeting opportunities.
• Administration must be very intuitive, menu driven and efficient – Since the churn in IT sector manpower is a known phenomenon, you should not have to invest too much time and resources in training new staff. The solution you choose must provide administrators with efficient dashboards from where the entire set of virtual machines can be managed efficiently.

Many users also give great importance to integration with third party applications. You may not need this capability today, but at some time in the future, the need could arise. You would not want to make major changes to your application just to ensure this.

With cloud computing services becoming the backbone of many companies, selecting service providers who offer these fundamental capabilities will help you get the best from your cloud investments.

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:

Sanjay Srivastava has been active in computing infrastructure and has participated in major projects on cloud computing, networking, VoIP and in creation of applications running over distributed databases. Due to a military background, his focus has always been on stability and availability of infrastructure. Sanjay was the Director of Information Technology in a major enterprise and managed the transition from legacy software to fully networked operations using private cloud infrastructure. He now writes extensively on cloud computing and networking and is about to move to his farm in Central India where he plans to use cloud computing and modern technology to improve the lives of rural folk in India.