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10.17.2012

As a dynamic field, IT/ICT systems are constantly affected by one disruptive technology or the other, and the invention of cloud computing adds to this list of improvement strategies for enhancing companies’ IT infrastructures. Cloud technology, according to experts, has the capability of bringing rapid changes to IT procedures employed by companies in running their day-to-day business affairs. Some of these changes can be reflected in faster and more secure operational procedures, cost-efficiency, easier IT administration and flexible IT maintenance process.

The purpose of setting up an in-house IT structure is to ensure that the processes of data generation, processing and transmission are properly coordinated. In other words, vital pieces of information/data that are obtained in the course of business activities are methodically processed and stored in a very safe way for future retrieval and usage.

However, the most common problems majority of companies face include but are not limited to the loss of data, dealing with an unexpected increase in the volume of data and the inflexibility in data retrieval procedures. Incidentally, cloud computing is designed to help companies decisively deal with these issues. Once adopted, cloud technology can systematically prevent data loss, guarantee flexibility and scalability of the companies’ storage facilities in the event of unexpected hike in the amount of data, and it can subsequently facilitate the process of retrieving such data.

As a matter of fact, the revolution engendered by cloud computing specifically brings about efficient administration of each company’s operations, in the sense that communication and the process of sharing information/data among all stakeholders will become faster and well-articulated. This, in essence, can lead to better performance and accountability on the part of the companies that adopted cloud technology.

There is no doubt that cloud technology structurally leads to the reduction in the number of IT personnel in all companies that adopted it because most of the jobs they are hired to do have already been moved to the public cloud, to be managed by cloud technology service providers, either remotely or in-house.

The advantage of this action is that companies will spend less on hiring, motivating or maintaining large IT personnel. Hence, the reduction in this kind of expense will result in overall reduction in the cost of running the companies. So, cloud computing can provide company managers that long-sought-for cost efficiency method—similarly, less expenses can translate into more profitability for these companies.

Here are some questions company managers may be interested in asking: will the adoption of cloud computing necessitate higher performance? Will it increase the overall profitability of their companies? As explained above, cloud technology does not only encourage smooth running of businesses, it also protects the data and other vital information that are generated in the course of these business activities. It provides constant protection through effective storage and retrieval procedures.

These features of cloud technology basically encourage better workplace output and possibly lead to optimal performance in the concerned company’s business operations. In the same way, when a company’s operations is undisturbed or smooth, and the cost of hiring IT personnel has been thinned down, there is every possibility that such an action can result in higher profitability. In some cases, companies may decide to completely outsource their cloud computing services, which will let them concentrate mainly on the administrative aspect of their business operations.

Therefore, the worrisome technicality of running an IT infrastructure has been given to an outsider—a public cloud service provider—who will make sure that the IT processes are perfectly monitored, managed and improved upon on a regular basis in order to  guarantee that their client’s business activities are not disrupted or exposed to hindrances that may lower the overall business performance.

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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/

10.16.2012

While a cloud without borders is the ideal that many cloud services providers wish to offer, there are certain issues with jurisdiction that can complicate the use of cloud computing for a multinational company. The main selling point of the cloud is that it allows users to connect to each other and to their data regardless of where they are. Cloud computing equals mobility. Unfortunately, national borders and jurisdiction mean quite the opposite and learning what they mean to your cloud is an essential part of establishing a cloud solution for your company.

The cloud allows data to transcend national borders

As has been seen in companies such as Shell and Apple, establishing a strong cloud network allows hundreds of thousands of employees all around the world to be able to access data and cloud services regardless of their location. For an energy company, this is especially important. For the Asian market in particular, especially in South Korea and Japan, that relies so much on mobile technology, being able to have full access to data and services anywhere you go is not absolutely essential. Pair this with a redundant system that is streamlined specifically for retrieving and storing data effectively, and you have a system that is hard to pass up.

The cloud is global by definition; regardless of where your company is, all you need is access to the Internet to be able to access important data that is closely safeguarded in the cloud. However, it is important to understand that global access, unexpectedly, requires your cloud provider to be local to be safest. Although, in theory, your cloud provider could be located anywhere in the world, making sure that your cloud provider is close to your company’s headquarters can save you numerous hassles when dealing with international jurisdiction and national borders.

How the cloud interacts with national borders

With more governments getting involved in regulating the cloud and using the cloud themselves for their own storage needs, the discussion of national borders and privacy laws has started to affect cloud services providers. This is especially true in areas that have dense national borders such as the European Union. However, the Asian market (with its wildly differing political systems) and the North American market, affected by regulation such as the Patriot Act in the United States, also has its own obstacles to overcome when it comes to cloud computing and international borders.

A solution that has worked well for companies in different European states, particularly in France, is investing heavily in local cloud services providers. While the data remains available anywhere in the world, where the data is headquartered is an important factor. For example, the Japanese corporate giant Fujitsu has headquartered its cloud services in France, with servers in Germany, and corporate offices in Japan. This leaves this company’s data out of reach of the United States patriot act while allowing the Japanese business to effectively cater to its European clients.

Where your cloud data resides matters

For many small and midsize businesses, considering the headquarters of their data is often not a priority. For these businesses, performance and price are usually the most important considerations. However, increased regulation and intervention by federal governments has led many IT professionals to add the location of their cloud services provider to the many factors that determine which company they choose to handle their cloud services. Apart from matters of security, working with a cloud services provider that shares your culture is also an important part of choosing the right service for your company.

One point that is often overlooked is the role of culture when it comes to cloud computing. Many companies will give preference to cloud service providers located in their own country and ensuring that your cloud services provider speaks your own language, is located in your own time zone, and is aware of a shared cultural background – are very important to them. This stands in stark contrast with one of the main selling points of cloud technology: its global appeal. Taking these considerations into account, IT professionals should consider:

1. Where their data is stored,
2. Where their cloud services company has its headquarters, and
3. What their government’s policy is with regard to data that crosses national borders

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.

10.15.2012

Traditionally, video conferencing of has been available only to the major names in the industry and had involved large upfront costs – going beyond tens of thousands of dollars. However, this has changed considerably with the advent of cloud-based video conferencing. All of a sudden, you can set up video conferences with clients, collaborators and people you have never met before.

Conferencing is not limited to merely talking. You can share documents and videos, work collaboratively, invite additional members and record what is being said at costs that are different less than $50 per participant per month. While the impact of this technology is yet to sink in, cloud based video conferencing, coupled with 3G services now beginning to be available in large parts of the world is changing corporate communication.

Cloud services have brought about what is now called Unified Communication solutions to business, healthcare and many other industries. It does not matter if you are in a boardroom or on the move, if you are on a network, you can be part of the conference. This is the power of cloud-based video conferencing.

Here are some of the key benefits of the technology –

• Costs – Traditional, boardroom-based video conferencing equipment involved very large capital expenditure. Costs could run into several hundred thousand dollars. Every additional node cost big money to set up. There was also a need to get dedicated ISDN circuits or other connectivity. All of these out the technology out of the reach of a vast majority of  businesses. With cloud based video conferencing, all the action occurs in the cloud and the user simply needs broadband connectivity and a device that can support a browser.
• Skilled manpower – Traditional video conferencing systems needed qualified manpower to manage the set-up, security and connectivity needs of the system. These added significant costs to the running of a video conferencing system. Cloud-based systems do not need any skilled manpower at the user premises. All the skills are required at the cloud end of the system and are included in the rental cost.
• Managing protocols – In traditional systems, companies either used a common system or ran into huge difficulties with protocols and standards. This problem just does not occur with cloud based systems – even if the end users are using very different systems. All the issues of transcoding and changing formats and protocols is handled by the cloud service provider. If a user were to try and manage that themselves, they  would need highly skilled manpower and equipment.
• Security – In all video conferencing  systems, security is a major concern. Hackers have long known that they can actually enter corporate boardrooms of they could hack into the system.  Cloud-based video conferencing systems boast better security since they have professionals handling their security.
• Flexibility – Since just a high speed Internet connection is required, the cloud-based video conferencing system is far more flexible and allows for a large degree of location independence. A user on a high speed mobile telephony network can be connected with ease using a smartphone or a tablet.
• Ability to add additional users – In the boardroom-based video conferencing, additional system, if you wanted to another location, it involved major capital expenditure. With cloud-based systems, you just purchase or rent another license – typical costs being $50 per month or less per user.

As with all other types of cloud computing applications, you get access to the latest equipment, software and capability when you work with the cloud. Setting up requires practically no work and the quality of the video and audio stream is nearly as good as studio based ‘traditional’ video conferencing. In these difficult economic times, cloud based video conferencing has given  businesses – both big and small – new capabilities in corporate communications.

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.

10.12.2012

Japanese culture traditionally values cooperation and putting the needs of the many over the individual. While there are certainly advantages to this, conformity and repression of individual voices – especially among Japan’s younger population – are one of the negative side effects of this cultural view. However, many analysts have observed that social media have given Japan’s youth the tools to express themselves as individuals. As more continue to do so, it seems that a profound change in Japan’s traditional values is in the horizon, with social networks taking center stage.

Social media has given a voice to young Japanese activists

Japan has an extraordinarily high suicide rate, particularly in the younger population. Japanese cities have also started to face economic problems, some (like Yubari, a former mining city) have declared bankruptcy in recent years. Like most countries, Japan has its share of social unrest. However, activism is not common in this country. A recent investigative report by the BBC has uncovered that more young people in Japan are turning to Twitter and other social media networks to speak their mind, and by doing so, they are altering Japan’s rigid social structures.

Social media has also had an effect on the interaction of Japan’s government and its people

Japan’s government has also traditionally been one where there is little interaction between elected officials and their constituents. While there is surprisingly little corruption in Japanese politics, the lack of activism in Japanese society has also led to a lack of individual participation and dialog with government officials.

Japanese culture traditionally values cooperation and putting the needs of the many over the individual. While there are certainly advantages to this, conformity and repression of individual voices – especially among Japan’s younger population – are one of the negative side effects of this cultural view. However, many analysts have observed that social media have given Japan’s youth the tools to express themselves as individuals. As more continue to do so, it seems that a profound change in Japan’s traditional values is in the horizon, with social networks taking center stage.

Social media has given a voice to young Japanese activists

Japan has an extraordinarily high suicide rate, particularly in the younger population. Japanese cities have also started to face economic problems, some (like Yubari, a former mining city) have declared bankruptcy in recent years. Like most countries, Japan has its share of social unrest. However, activism is not common in this country. A recent investigative report by the BBC has uncovered that more young people in Japan are turning to Twitter and other social media networks to speak their mind, and by doing so, they are altering Japan’s rigid social structures.

Social media has also had an effect on the interaction of Japan’s government and its people

Japan’s government has also traditionally been one where there is little interaction between elected officials and their constituents. While there is surprisingly little corruption in Japanese politics, the lack of activism in Japanese society has also led to a lack of individual participation and dialog with government officials.

Social media has started to change this gradually. Initially set up to communicate with the public after the natural disasters of recent years, Japan’s prime minister’s office’s social media presence has expanded dramatically in the last year. Originally, this office’s Twitter account and Facebook pages were used mostly to post news pertaining to the earthquake the country has suffered last year. However, the prime minister’s office decided to keep these social media tools running as a way to establish a dialog with young Japanese citizens interested in their government’s activity. This move has been so successful that the prime minister’s office has now expanded to other various social networks and uses social media for other numerous purposes apart from simply posting news about important events.

Social media has empowered Japanese women and ethnic minorities like never before

Japan, and many other countries in the Asia Pacific have societies that are clearly dominated by men. Japan in particular has been known for having a “glass ceiling” that is quite difficult to surmount.  Researchers have observed that women in Japan are marrying at later ages, that they are earning more money than before, and that they are excelling in fields that were traditionally dominated by men.

So, how does social media factor into this progress? Polls have shown that more women and minorities use social media websites than the prevailing population in the United States. It seems that a similar phenomenon is occurring in the modern Japanese society. Like in the West, social media has allowed  voices in Japanese societies that would normally have not been heard to find an outlet to express their opinions and to advocate for their own interests on a public platform.

Traditional communications platforms, especially television and radio which are still the prevailing forms of mass media in Japan, have not been particularly adept at portraying the interests of women and minorities in Japan in the same proportion as the dominant segment of society.

Social media has allowed women and minorities in Japan to discuss arts, culture, and news in a space that is their own. This has allowed Japanese women to connect with each other and has had a net positive effect on the country’s female employment and entrepreneurship statistics in recent years. While women and minorities have been traditionally shushed in mainstream Japanese society, Twitter and Facebook has allowed this segment of the population to say what they want to say without fear of censorship. The many profound changes in Japanese culture can be traced to the increased social media activity in this country and the rising amount of people that are constantly connected due to the popularity of mobile technology in Japan.

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.