A Shift in Cloud Computing
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2011-06-14/shift-cloud-computing
Apple's iCloud service has given a jolt to the relatively old idea of "cloud computing." In the cloud, users store their documents, photos, apps and other content online, rather than on their PCs. Apple's service promises to "synch" users' content with their devices, but questions remain about how it will work and how secure it will be. We look at how far cloud computing has come, and what it means for consumers.
Guests
Ben Bederson
Professor of Computer Science, University of Maryland-College Park; and Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, Zumobi
Ryan Faas
Freelance technology journalist and contributor to Computerworld magazine; author of "iPhone for Work"
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Comments
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How is cloud computing significantly different from simple email? I've been using "cloud" computing for more than a decade- my free email accounts serve as my personal data storage and online notepad. I can access data from any computer with an internet connection.
Kojo, my biggest concern with the spread of cloud technologies is the huge lag in the law. Right now most or all information stored on third party servers can be accessed with nothing but a subpeona after a waiting period of less than a year, with no probable cause.
I've heavily used cloud storage for awhile now with Dropbox and I'm just not impressed with Apple's iCloud solution; it's exactly like Dropbox in every regard except the Apple logo. Dropbox has been cloud-syncing data across Windows, MacOS, and Mobile devices for several years now; it always bothers me when Apple enters a market and then acts like it never existed before they touched it.
Will the launch of Apple's cloud service have negative impacts on already established Cloud-syncing companies, such as Dropbox, due to the huge draw of the Apple name?
Does Apple plan to use the information in my documents/music/etc to target ads?
Using the "cloud" in our consumer behavior is not really a new phenomena. We've used web based email for close to a decade, stored our images on sites like Flickr, blogged using software like Wordpress and Blogger, etc. iCloud carries forward this trend. However, the way that the business community is moving to the cloud is a recent phenomena. Software which are mission critical, and traditionally been hosted on company servers and managed by an army of IT staff is increasingly being deployed over the cloud - email, collaboration, storage, CRM, ERP, Accounting etc.
Pankaj
http://www.hyperoffice.com