The
Rise of the Clouds: Progress and Prospects
Several converging and complementary factors are
driving the further ascension of the cloud (cloud computing). The
increasing maturity of cloud technologies and offerings coupled with users'
greater awareness of the cloud's potential benefits (as well as limitations) is
accelerating the cloud's adoption. Better Internet connectivity, intense
competition among cloud service providers (CSPs), and digitalization of
enterprises — particularly micro-, small-, and medium-sized — are increasing the
cloud's usage. The changing attitude and mindset toward the cloud among users
now accustomed to the growing ubiquity of mobile devices and applications is
also greatly improving the cloud's adoption. Cloud technologies offer appealing
responses to the growing demand from emerging markets for computing services at
affordable cost, and governmental support and initiatives are propelling the
clouds, as well.
The Cloud is Poised to Rise Further
Cloud computing's appeal is driven by several
distinct features, including:
·
pay-as-you-go access to a variety of IT service offerings,
·
on-demand access to resources at low cost,
·
resource elasticity to meet varying demand, and
·
colocation of computation and data that enables large-scale data
analytics.
It can efficiently and effectively source huge
computing resources to a large number of users.
Yet, despite cloud computing's appeal and
growing usage, several concerns and limitations have kept it from mass market
adoption. Understanding and addressing these limitations and vulnerabilities as
appropriate is key to successfully embracing cloud's potential. Cloud promoters
are offering new cloud services and pursuing standardization efforts to address
cloud migration and adoption constraints.
In this month's Computing Now theme, we examine
some key challenges in harnessing the cloud and how to address them and
highlight emerging services and applications. We explore cloud adoption best
practices and how the cloud is changing enterprise IT's role, and we conclude
with a look at the cloud's prospects.
Cloud Considerations and Challenges
Embracing the cloud isn't just about using or deploying
applications and storing data. To realize the cloud's promise, users must
address not only functional requirements and technical feasibility but also
several important nonfunctional aspects. It requires a holistic approach that
considers both technical and nontechnical issues.
Security
As several recent surveys reconfirm, users'
concerns about security and privacy of data and applications remain a barrier
to cloud adoption. Several technological options are available for securing
data and application on the cloud, but many cloud users fail to give adequate
upfront thought to securing the systems. This is an issue that not only CSPs
but all stakeholders must tackle through multipronged efforts and further
research and development.
Migration and Integration
Network Access
Ensuring appropriate high-bandwidth network
connectivity is crucial to successfully using the cloud. However, many users as
well as internet service providers neglect to enhance their network
infrastructure and capacity to handle increased traffic — both from and to the
cloud.
Cloud Strategy
To realize the benefits of clouds, an enterprise
must develop a comprehensive cloud strategy that also examines and addresses
potential risks, including cloud unavailability and failures, as well as
compliance requirements, as applicable. Relying on the cloud doesn't eliminate
the need for risk management or disaster recovery.
Industry Perspectives
In the video segment, Dejan Milojicic (IEEE
Computer Society President and senior researcher and managing director, HP
Labs' Open Cirrus Cloud Computing Testbed), Sesh Murthy (VP, Cloud Innovation
and Solutions at IBM Global Technology Services), and John Messina (Senior
Member, Cloud Computing Project, NIST) offer their viewpoints and perspectives
on cloud infrastructure, security, and standards, respectively.
Bright Prospects
Cloud computing's transformational potential is
huge and impressive. Investors, corporations, and start-ups continue to eagerly
invest in promising cloud computing technologies and services in both developed
and developing economies. The cloud ecosystem has begun to evolve to provide an
array of services that support the deployment of cloud-based solutions for
applications across numerous domains. Further new cloud deployment types,
models that deliver value-added services, and costing and business models are
on the horizon.
Many new players are getting into the cloud
arena, performing niche roles, and individuals and businesses are increasingly
adopting cloud-based applications in both developed and developing economies.
Governments in many countries are also promoting cloud adoption, particularly
among micro, small, and medium enterprises. As a result, a new larger cloud
ecosystem is poised to emerge.
As we've discussed, successfully and fully
embracing the promise of clouds will require adopters to address a range of
factors, including security, privacy, access management, and business
continuity. Furthermore, they may have to use services from multiple service
providers, aggregating and integrating them with the organization's legacy
applications and systems, as well.
Thus, near-future developments should focus on
standards for cloud security, data virtualization through advanced analytics
and parallel-processing optimization, mobile applications, and platform as a
service for specialized mobile platforms. Another key area for further
development is interoperability among clouds, which would let users scale a
service across disparate providers, while maintaining the appearance of a
single system. Cloud federation — the interconnection of cloud services from
different providers and networks — is another promising approach that would let
providers wholesale or rent computing resources to other providers to balance
workloads and handle spikes in demand.
BY,
B.KIRUTHIKA (III CSE-A)
