The Cloud

  • Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Cloud

  • I wonder when the terms "Internet" and "Cloud" would eventually come to mean the same thing to many people.

    You're correct. I fascinated that if I can get to a computer that has an internet connection, I can get to my email no matter where I am in the world. Same goes for looking things up. If that's what you define the "Cloud" as, then I'm a "Cloud Lover".

    But that's not what the term "Cloud" has come to mean to me. Somehow, when the term first came out, it meant a place to store databases to me. If that's what you define as the "Cloud", then I'm still a "Cloud" distruster and would never willingly put my company's data there.

    Will I someday?

    Heh... "It Depends". 😛

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.


    Helpful Links:
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    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

  • I'm not a fan of the Cloud.

    Ever since Edward Snowden confirmed my suspicions that the NSA and other spy agencies are trawling and capturing as much data as they possibly can, I do not trust the security or privacy of the Cloud. My contents may be innocuous but I'd rather that they remain private.

    And since government has close links to big business, I feel that it is only a matter of time before insurance companies and the like get their hands on information about me that they'd like to know. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but even up to last year for one to air the suspicions that Edward Snowden revealed, would have one declared paranoid and ridiculed as one who believes in all of the conspiracy theories that go around. xkcd is a case in point.

    My second worry about the Cloud is the return of the rented mainframe. I'm just about old enough to remember how unloved these were and how much sysadmins couldn't wait to get their own servers. My fear is that once we've got our stuff, especially our servers, on the Cloud, then our data will be held hostage — lock-in so to speak. Once lock-in has occured, Cloud companies can charge what they like. Mainframes were never especially reasonably priced, do I expect Cloud companies to remian so?

    My third worry is about the importance of connection. One's Internet connection becomes a lot more vital when one's data and servers are remote. I am too accustomed to greedy telecoms' companies, contention and often less-than-perfect line quality to have to rely on it.

  • Sean Redmond (2/6/2014)

    My third worry is about the importance of connection. One's Internet connection becomes a lot more vital when one's data and servers are remote. I am too accustomed to greedy telecoms' companies, contention and often less-than-perfect line quality to have to rely on it.

    I don't think that particular problem is much of an issue, or at least not more of one than we already have--I know from experience that 90% of the stuff my company does is simply impossible without a working Internet connection, and while the business we're in (which involves a lot of remote support for software) may be unusual, I doubt it's all that uncommon. What I guess I'm trying to say is that we're *already* at the point where we're relying on the Internet connection staying up, and so a little more along that path makes little difference.

    The main issue is that the Cloud introduces a second unreliability into the mix--not only does your *own* Internet connection have to stay up, so does that of the cloud provider, and they simply haven't shown themselves as being particularly capable of keeping that up. If even the big boys like Microsoft and Amazon can have outages, what chance do we have?

  • As long as a company does not care about privacy they can use external cloud services.

    But if you care about company privacy like medical research facility or military or perhaps a sales organisation then do you think it wise to use a third party in your country or another country or at all? I think not.

    I think security and privacy is being neglected for the easy of using third parties. I think more will become aware of this in the coming years. Right now it's "hot" to outsource, privacy and security is viewed as an obstacle if considered at all by some.

  • Jeff Moden (2/5/2014)


    I wonder when the terms "Internet" and "Cloud" would eventually come to mean the same thing to many people.

    ...

    Much like people using "Web" and "Internet" interchangeably.

    Gaz

    -- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

  • Sean Redmond (2/6/2014)


    I'm not a fan of the Cloud.

    Ever since Edward Snowden confirmed my suspicions that the NSA and other spy agencies are trawling and capturing as much data as they possibly can, I do not trust the security or privacy of the Cloud. My contents may be innocuous but I'd rather that they remain private.

    And since government has close links to big business, I feel that it is only a matter of time before insurance companies and the like get their hands on information about me that they'd like to know. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but even up to last year for one to air the suspicions that Edward Snowden revealed, would have one declared paranoid and ridiculed as one who believes in all of the conspiracy theories that go around. xkcd is a case in point.

    My second worry about the Cloud is the return of the rented mainframe. I'm just about old enough to remember how unloved these were and how much sysadmins couldn't wait to get their own servers. My fear is that once we've got our stuff, especially our servers, on the Cloud, then our data will be held hostage — lock-in so to speak. Once lock-in has occured, Cloud companies can charge what they like. Mainframes were never especially reasonably priced, do I expect Cloud companies to remian so?

    My third worry is about the importance of connection. One's Internet connection becomes a lot more vital when one's data and servers are remote. I am too accustomed to greedy telecoms' companies, contention and often less-than-perfect line quality to have to rely on it.

    I am a fan of the cloud when applied appropriately.

    1) I believed, and still do, that ALL forms of communication are monitored, however, due to the large volume of communications that there is little that a government (pick any one - yours is guilty, mine too) will be able to achieve if they tried snooping everything. They would struggle to filter it all let alone process it so I truly believe that they have to work REALLY hard to target specific individuals. If they looked at every communication with "bomb" in it, for example, then they would be inundated as it even this case I can think up dozens of reasons in one second of valid uses.

    2) I think that in a more open world any company can host on Linux boxes and there are a lot of open source alternatives which I believe will force the market to be reasonably competitive. Remember it is a global market now!!!

    3) Here is a serious issue. However, I do feel that it will lead to a simpler solution for remote workers.

    Gaz

    -- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

  • EXACTLY!

    It's going to be a hybridized world, partially hosted locally, partially externally, and partially through various services. It's happening right now and shows every sign of accelerating. I am all about embracing the change and I really think we need to get everyone else on board with it.

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

  • Grant Fritchey (2/6/2014)


    EXACTLY!

    It's going to be a hybridized world, partially hosted locally, partially externally, and partially through various services. It's happening right now and shows every sign of accelerating. I am all about embracing the change and I really think we need to get everyone else on board with it.

    More change. More of the same. More "It depends". Did Jeff plan this?

    Gaz

    -- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

  • From a business point of view I question whether or not the cloud and all its attributes are in fact good for business. For example, and this is not an negative attribution against any company I may mention, SaleForce.Com has sold many CRM applications to small businesses. When I was doing technical sales supporting Microsoft CRM I sold Microsoft based on the fact that unbeknownst to most sales people, SalesForce.Com owns the business' data. They have the encryption key; they have the backups. That is a security issue for any organization. Banks, Credit Unions and Insurance companies cannot afford to put their data at risk with a third party.

    Third party email systems hold the same risk. All are vulnerable to hacker attacks and the like.

    So much for my two cents

  • I am not a fan of the cloud for business stuff. How do you guarantee they are backing it up, its integrity is good, when they do a 'change' to something on their end that causes an issue for something that connects to it. If something in the 'cloud' goes down you are at 100% mercy of them to get it back up and running...

    For small, low user, or non critical, non sensitive data that is fine... but Payroll, Finance, AP, AR, Customer sensitive data.... nope. The NSA has proved that data insnt secure not to mention you have no idea how secury the cloud provider is and if they are being hacked.

  • Many smaller businesses will find a better price point outsourcing their back office solution to the cloud. They can reduce, if not completely eliminate all onsite IT since most users are now capable of connecting their laptop to the wireless Internet connection. Large corporations, with numerous regulations, will still find value in keeping portions of the data center for the next few years. Some who choosing to maintain a "data center" will see it shrink small enough to fit into a wire closest.

  • When reading the following...

    We'll never be 100% in the cloud, or out of it, in the future, but increasingly, we'll be partners with the cloud.

    I really expected to see this instead.

    We'll never be 100% in the cloud, or out of it, in the future, but increasingly, we'll be assimilated with the cloud.

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
    Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
    Learn Extended Events

  • Sean Redmond (2/6/2014)


    I'm not a fan of the Cloud.

    Ever since Edward Snowden confirmed my suspicions that the NSA and other spy agencies are trawling and capturing as much data as they possibly can, I do not trust the security or privacy of the Cloud. My contents may be innocuous but I'd rather that they remain private.

    And since government has close links to big business, I feel that it is only a matter of time before insurance companies and the like get their hands on information about me that they'd like to know. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but even up to last year for one to air the suspicions that Edward Snowden revealed, would have one declared paranoid and ridiculed as one who believes in all of the conspiracy theories that go around. xkcd is a case in point.

    My second worry about the Cloud is the return of the rented mainframe. I'm just about old enough to remember how unloved these were and how much sysadmins couldn't wait to get their own servers. My fear is that once we've got our stuff, especially our servers, on the Cloud, then our data will be held hostage — lock-in so to speak. Once lock-in has occured, Cloud companies can charge what they like. Mainframes were never especially reasonably priced, do I expect Cloud companies to remian so?

    My third worry is about the importance of connection. One's Internet connection becomes a lot more vital when one's data and servers are remote. I am too accustomed to greedy telecoms' companies, contention and often less-than-perfect line quality to have to rely on it.

    Thank you for the post. You saved me the time of typing the same things! I agree with all of the points you made.

  • Jeff Moden (2/5/2014)


    I wonder when the terms "Internet" and "Cloud" would eventually come to mean the same thing to many people.

    You're correct. I fascinated that if I can get to a computer that has an internet connection, I can get to my email no matter where I am in the world. Same goes for looking things up. If that's what you define the "Cloud" as, then I'm a "Cloud Lover".

    But that's not what the term "Cloud" has come to mean to me. Somehow, when the term first came out, it meant a place to store databases to me. If that's what you define as the "Cloud", then I'm still a "Cloud" distruster and would never willingly put my company's data there.

    Will I someday?

    Heh... "It Depends". 😛

    I have come to the view that it's not really too far different than what many companies currently do. How many businesses have their servers hosted by some hosting service or CoLo. Sure there are some differences, but at the base level it is your server / system at somebody else's facility.

    Is the Cloud right for everything? No way. Is it ok for some stuff? Sure.

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
    Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
    Learn Extended Events

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