I have always looked askance at Net based Apps and the Cloud has been one of the areas I have been most skeptical of for two reasons...
Security Threats and Connectivity Issues.
Also, your App Host can change their mind at any time leaving you without either your productivity apps or access to your data...
There is no safe computing environment than a stand-alone self suficient system...
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Re: "no safe computing environment than a stand-alone self suficient system". Security is an issue running across almost all of these trends; the world is getting more connected (not less) and - unless you're a Top Secret Installation - stand-alone systems are less and less common.
If you think of cloud as simply a clustered setup, there are some implementations that can be trusted.
Self Hosted - run the cluster out of your own data centre. Your users get cloud benefits from any connected device while you get centralized management and control of the system.
Securely Implemented - not everyone implements there hosted service like Google with user data wide open on the service provider's hardware. Look for services like Jungle Disk that do client side encryption so all the service provider ever works with is the encrypted blob. (note; if they can't recover your data if you loose your password then they probably have it setup better than most.)
Self Hosted - run the cluster out of your own data centre. Your users get cloud benefits from any connected device while you get centralized management and control of the system.
Securely Implemented - not everyone implements there hosted service like Google with user data wide open on the service provider's hardware. Look for services like Jungle Disk that do client side encryption so all the service provider ever works with is the encrypted blob. (note; if they can't recover your data if you loose your password then they probably have it setup better than most.)
I was going to make smart comments but they are not needed due to smarter comments by Neon Samurai -- thanks!
Everyone should remember that "the cloud" is basically just a program running on a server, and we all do that already and "we the people" are perfectly able to run our own clouds that will retain privacy and security. The only reason I am not doing it already it that Apple and Google and Amazon decided to run it themselves and charge to do it instead of selling a program that would do the same thing for individual users.
Neon Samurai for President of free market decentralized computing "for the rest of us" !!!!
Everyone should remember that "the cloud" is basically just a program running on a server, and we all do that already and "we the people" are perfectly able to run our own clouds that will retain privacy and security. The only reason I am not doing it already it that Apple and Google and Amazon decided to run it themselves and charge to do it instead of selling a program that would do the same thing for individual users.
Neon Samurai for President of free market decentralized computing "for the rest of us" !!!!
...Every cloud has a silver lining? That's the margin for cloud system investors. The rain is for the subscribers.
1) So, flavour of the moment is Tablet Computing. In terms of Human Experience, I'm 100% sure that things will be found for tablets to do. In terms of interface, an intuitive, touch based system is sexy beyond measure. A strategic business tool, for most companies, it is not. Yet. With the next generation of broadband communications it will be more so, but we're a few years away from truly ubiquitous mobile platforms yet.
5) At a consumer level, I've no doubt that App based computing use will sky rocket. With major manufacturers embedding App based technologies in to their products, we'll start seeing iOS/Android and probably other O/S's in the future as platforms. In the business market, users use bespoke software for specific tasks, or universal applications like Office to perform business functions. The idea that an IT Department will start offering a Marketplace to it's user base so they can pick and choose which App's hey use to perform the task at hand sounds pretty far fetched to me.
10) It's no surprise to me that cloud computing is knocked down the chart. In a number of environments I've come across, cloud computing is a godsend, and doing business any other way would be much more difficult. For the majority of businesses, the idea of shipping mission critical corporate data in to the hands of third parties is simply not a realistic proposition, no matter how hard evangelical sales and marketing types push it.
5) At a consumer level, I've no doubt that App based computing use will sky rocket. With major manufacturers embedding App based technologies in to their products, we'll start seeing iOS/Android and probably other O/S's in the future as platforms. In the business market, users use bespoke software for specific tasks, or universal applications like Office to perform business functions. The idea that an IT Department will start offering a Marketplace to it's user base so they can pick and choose which App's hey use to perform the task at hand sounds pretty far fetched to me.
10) It's no surprise to me that cloud computing is knocked down the chart. In a number of environments I've come across, cloud computing is a godsend, and doing business any other way would be much more difficult. For the majority of businesses, the idea of shipping mission critical corporate data in to the hands of third parties is simply not a realistic proposition, no matter how hard evangelical sales and marketing types push it.
Wanted to more than "plus one" this comment. Well articulated and spot on the money.
I could see this really taking off just as soon as all the MSPs are bought up by, and become a division of, the local ISP(s). The only problem is that in this enterprise marketplace the only available app is MS Office.
Now I'm sad.
Now I'm sad.
Tablets plugged into the desktop socket ? Just how would tablets and apps operate unless the apps are hosted (and if hosted, and with cloud vendors offering support, scale and security, why would each enterprise become a hosting provider ?).
It is probably realistic to have the "cloud" item after all the rest for 2012 - but not later than that.
It is probably realistic to have the "cloud" item after all the rest for 2012 - but not later than that.
While there will be a large growth of tablet appropriate application (notice I use APPLICATION and not apps here) for basic input, onscreen processing and consuming information, tablets are still a long ways from being an everyday platform for creating large amounts of work. Even as a Citrix/RDP client iPad for instance is poor subsitute for a Laptop or desktop computer.
As for the cloud, it is being shown that fewer organizations and even individuals are willing to place all of thier data in the purview of a faceless corporation that will bill them ad infinitum like the water company for access to their own data. The private cloud model will certainly have traction (and should) but if people are smart the companies like Microsoft and others will be forced to continue creating real server and application products and earn our money through innovation instead of collecting a monthly ransom just for access to OUR data.
As for the cloud, it is being shown that fewer organizations and even individuals are willing to place all of thier data in the purview of a faceless corporation that will bill them ad infinitum like the water company for access to their own data. The private cloud model will certainly have traction (and should) but if people are smart the companies like Microsoft and others will be forced to continue creating real server and application products and earn our money through innovation instead of collecting a monthly ransom just for access to OUR data.
Here's a trend that's losing ground...proofreading your tech article before you post it. Great topic, but I was distracted by the frequent grammatical, syntactical, and spelling errors in this article.
And TR is broke. Half the time I try to mark a comment up, it will appear to go through, but comes back same as it went in. Also, many times the +/- is grayed out so I can't do anything. What gives, TR?
While they are all rather interesting, one thing that did concern me was "Internet of things" I don???t like the idea of having cars or truck sending themselves to do regular maintenance.
It is like this, you are the foreman of some company and when you get to work you find out that 3 trucks are missing. Automatically you think the worse and assume they have been stolen. Then later you find out that they were not stolen but had themselves sent for maintenance. Now you are looking like an idiot.
What I would rather have is a system that reminds me that truck???s 1, 2, 3 need to go in for maintenance. The closer to the time it gets the more frequent the "update" gets reminded until you finally breakdown and send the vehicles to maintenance.
Another thing I thought rather odd was extreme low-energy servers. It???s says "These systems will remove virtualization and lessen the shared use of systems." Yet, wasn???t the idea of virtualization also so you didn???t have to visit a thousand different servers? Yes, you are saving the company money energy-wise. But when you have to hire another person to maintain the servers, doesn???t that "savings" go to that extra person? On the plus side, (and a bit humorous) it might get rid of the idea of a fat IT guy with all that running around. lol
It is like this, you are the foreman of some company and when you get to work you find out that 3 trucks are missing. Automatically you think the worse and assume they have been stolen. Then later you find out that they were not stolen but had themselves sent for maintenance. Now you are looking like an idiot.
What I would rather have is a system that reminds me that truck???s 1, 2, 3 need to go in for maintenance. The closer to the time it gets the more frequent the "update" gets reminded until you finally breakdown and send the vehicles to maintenance.
Another thing I thought rather odd was extreme low-energy servers. It???s says "These systems will remove virtualization and lessen the shared use of systems." Yet, wasn???t the idea of virtualization also so you didn???t have to visit a thousand different servers? Yes, you are saving the company money energy-wise. But when you have to hire another person to maintain the servers, doesn???t that "savings" go to that extra person? On the plus side, (and a bit humorous) it might get rid of the idea of a fat IT guy with all that running around. lol
The problem with the truck analogy is that you left out a criticial component. Any system where trucks automatically send themselves in for maintenance will have that covered. All you'll have to do is check your iPad, or Tablet, or whatever other technology is in vogue at that moment and discover that you have three messages waiting. They were automatically sent from trucks 1, 2, and 3 informing you that they are in for maintenance. Problem solved.
If Gartner came up with a direction, they are doing their job. Half of this is old news.. My metric? Look for job placement adds and thay all need folks with at least 3+ years of experience in all these technologies!
Now, if they came up with things like "privacy be damned" or security will be less important, or patenting lawas will effect something, and explain their reasoning, then they are of some value.
Now, if they came up with things like "privacy be damned" or security will be less important, or patenting lawas will effect something, and explain their reasoning, then they are of some value.
I don't know about everyone, but that Blackberry outage rained on the Cloud parade here. E-mail outages are one thing, an ERP outage lasting several days is almost crippling.
Should be #1 in my book. And in terms of research I agree with viveka that much of this is non predictive. However with regards to localization my crystal ball says we will move from GPS (wide area localization services/which network am I on) to some finer grain of localization (e.g. which room am I in and automatically print to the printer in that room/office.)
Simple fact is tablets are for consumption and augmentation because, in our current form, we need a keyboard. Ergonomically speaking, we will need to retool the human body's standard i/o, especially eyes and upper torso, before tablets will ever replace the interface we have built over the last seven decades. This is also a part of what will keep laptops and tablets stumbling over each other for the next few years. Once you connect a keyboard to a tablet you have a laptop - a more expensive laptop.(The Kindle Fire may change this). However, although a laptop is a more conveniently mobile monitor and keyboard, if you are more than 3 feet tall, a tablet-keyboard combo allows you to put the monitor at the correct viewing angle - and height - while setting the keyboard in the proper typing position.
Lastly, as far as computing power, market-savvy manufacturers are going to make certain any new form of silica and copper is going to augment a desktop PC as much as, if not more so, than any tablet or laptop.
Lastly, as far as computing power, market-savvy manufacturers are going to make certain any new form of silica and copper is going to augment a desktop PC as much as, if not more so, than any tablet or laptop.
I hear this everywhere and I just don't agree. Tablets are excellent devices for data collection too. And by data I don't mean primarily keyboard input, I mean photos and signatures and diagrams and GPS locations and barcodes, accompanied by well defined multiple choice selections made using checkboxes and dropdown lists and date pickers and, yes, usually some keyboard input too.
The assumption cbci is making about ergonomics does not hold true for many mobile field workers. If you are going to walk a mile and stop ten times to record inspection findings while standing up, you want the lightest device you can carry with a big enough interface to do the job easily without a table or a chair. I think that's why companies doing inspections and dispatch and delivery and and service calls are flocking to tablet solutions.
Read about how our customers are using tablets here:
http://www.formotus.com/products-mobile-business-forms/android-ipad-business-scenarios/
The assumption cbci is making about ergonomics does not hold true for many mobile field workers. If you are going to walk a mile and stop ten times to record inspection findings while standing up, you want the lightest device you can carry with a big enough interface to do the job easily without a table or a chair. I think that's why companies doing inspections and dispatch and delivery and and service calls are flocking to tablet solutions.
Read about how our customers are using tablets here:
http://www.formotus.com/products-mobile-business-forms/android-ipad-business-scenarios/
We work with about 200 automotive insurance adjusters split almost evenly between field adjusters and office based estimators. One would think this would be a perfect opportunity for tablets - tap on a graphic and build an estimate. Well, as it turns out, in order to write an accurate estimate for any domestic or foreign car manufactured over the last 30 years, the application must access a huge amount of data - both graphic and text. And, it is dynamic data, there are typically 10,000-30,000 price parts changes applied to this data daily. The most widely used industry applications are mouse based and 'point and click' from graphics - one is even IE based. Even at that, none will run on the currently available tablets. Next time you see one of those State Farm, Progressive, Geico, etc. adjusters ask him/her about their tablet - it's typically a tough little laptop.
As far as the office based adjusters, we have set up Ipads with vnc over wireless for most and here's what happens. If the vehicle is drivable, the estimator usually goes over the damage at the vehicle with the driver. He/she takes a few pictures with a small 4 to 12+ megapixel camera and takes the client back into the office to quickly (i.e. with mouse and keyboard), write the estimate. If the vehicle was dropped in the back lot by a tow truck, the estimator will be spending much more time recording "inspection findings while standing up". In these situations, adjusters will invariably pick up the laptop-on-a-tripod and the camera to which they have become accustomed. The only reason they pick up the Ipad is because the laptop is in use. They have figured out that they can get out of the oppressive Texas heat faster if they don't have to 'pinch and spread' between practically every selection.
I'm not saying tablets don't have a place in business, I am adjusting my clients' infrastructures almost daily for their arrival. And, personally, I love the lightweight wireless remote for keeping a mobile eye on real computers. So, let's make a trade, you don't assume I am assuming and, I won't assume you came here to advertise.
As far as the office based adjusters, we have set up Ipads with vnc over wireless for most and here's what happens. If the vehicle is drivable, the estimator usually goes over the damage at the vehicle with the driver. He/she takes a few pictures with a small 4 to 12+ megapixel camera and takes the client back into the office to quickly (i.e. with mouse and keyboard), write the estimate. If the vehicle was dropped in the back lot by a tow truck, the estimator will be spending much more time recording "inspection findings while standing up". In these situations, adjusters will invariably pick up the laptop-on-a-tripod and the camera to which they have become accustomed. The only reason they pick up the Ipad is because the laptop is in use. They have figured out that they can get out of the oppressive Texas heat faster if they don't have to 'pinch and spread' between practically every selection.
I'm not saying tablets don't have a place in business, I am adjusting my clients' infrastructures almost daily for their arrival. And, personally, I love the lightweight wireless remote for keeping a mobile eye on real computers. So, let's make a trade, you don't assume I am assuming and, I won't assume you came here to advertise.
How about an intelligent grammar correction application to correct the ubiquitous misuse of it's (See item 4). As any good proofreader knows, since the 19th century, it's is a shortening of it is. The possessive of it is its. Thus the truck would schedule its own maintenance. A small point but it's the b??te noire of publishing.
Should it not be "the 'bete' noire of publishing"?
I enjoyed the article and comments, and would prefer not to nit-pick over such minor details...
I enjoyed the article and comments, and would prefer not to nit-pick over such minor details...
Why not spend your time reading a news paper and finding the grammatical errors, maybe they will care more...
I'm a bit of a grammar nut myself, but the grammar - checkers I have used need a lot of improvement. Spell check works pretty well, but still won't catch homographs.
Nothing beats at least a quick review of your text to insure readability, although in this type of forum a full and complete proofreading might not be entirely necessary.
Nothing beats at least a quick review of your text to insure readability, although in this type of forum a full and complete proofreading might not be entirely necessary.
I agree that clouds will probably become just another piece of the IT puzzle. The hype was primarily marketing rather than technical as the functionality of the software systems was minimally affected. If I compute the same thing in a cloud, a local server, or a PC, if the result is the same then why mention it? Of course if it really cost less and was more reliable, then that would be worth mentioning, but I haven't seen that yet.
I can see why the cloud is at number 10, companies are determined to get a return on their investments in storage and hardware, also there is still an infrastructure (broadband) constraint. However companies and enterprises are all about the bottom line, and the economic sensibilities of adopting an infrastructure as a service model will ultimately win out over any data protection/Compliance issues. I can see the cloud bubbling up to the top half of the scale next year as more hardware reaches end of life or out of warranty. Cloud developers in Microsoft technologies and app developers will be in greater demand. I will be very interested in the Windows 8 in the enterprise next year and I think this will keep tablets in top position again in 2013- however I don't see a clutch of tablet operating systems in the enterprise next year unless they connect to virtual desktops
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