I’ve written more than a few negative pieces about so-called cloud computing and reader Ralph Roe chimes in with this.
Five Reasons I Don’t Like Cloud Computing
by Ralph RoeJohn, yours is the first article that is dead on regarding huge problems with the concept of online apps. It is Microsoft and similar firms who would like to get financial control and extract huge monthly fees for their cash flow, neglect the wishes of pesky customers (like Bell Telephone used to and cable TV firms do today). They would not have to mess with any competition, either.
First, I worked in hi-tech for my entire career, and companies who were my vendors and customers, as well as the ones I was working for, went out of business or merged all the time. It is a very unstable business. Trust them? HA! For that reason alone, I would never even consider trusting my apps and data to an online firm. EVER.
I have had vendor companies where the IRS puts a padlock on the door without any warning to customers, and you cannot even get in to retrieve your property (e.g. fixtures).
Second, they would keep “upgrading” the apps even when I had data that relied on a prior version. I refuse to cede control on changes. I have some great apps that are outdated and simple to operate and I am through the learning curve.
Third, all too frequently, ISP’s are not available. Lightning, fiber cables hit by ditch diggers, or servers go down, etc. With an app on my desktop, I can keep productive. A few minutes ago, my cellphone could not place a call because “all circuits are busy”, good thing I am not using a laptop with wi-fi.
Fourth, it is in the papers all the time that some neglectful creep employee loses their laptop with social security numbers, credit card numbers, and how about passwords and accounts with online app providers? I take a lot of care with desktop and network security.
Fifth, it puts me back into my early years (pre-1983) in hi-tech when terminals connected to the mainframe were the only source of information and the IT guys acted as gatekeepers who sucked up to top management whims, and left the rest of us without timely data we needed to do our jobs. (Shudder).
Cloud computing can be great! if you own all the infrastructure ie servers and connectivity.
Yes EULAs can suck everything up.
I don’t have a problem with cloud computing. They can set up as many programs on line as they want. I just won’t be using any of them.
However, backing up data on the net can be handy. There are many free places that will give you HDD space. The odds are against losing your HDD and their HDD at the same time.
#22 even less likely would be you losin 2 HDD’s at the same time.
You can have quite a lot of disk space on a NAS these days. You can also access that NAS remotely, so that cloud data back-up point is moot.
“You can have quite a lot of disk space on a NAS these days. You can also access that NAS remotely, so that cloud data back-up point is moot.”
#22
my point exactly
Yes owning your own cloud is cool, that’s how one o of the biggest (maybe the biggest) does it… or at least is migrating most apps to. merger after merger web based apps have.
Own your own cloud, back that cloud up to another cloud that you don’t own (at least for data)
From an architecture standpoint, everybody is missing the point.
If your home was a business and required a fully redundant client server application, the primary web application server would be snuggled in a safe spot under your basement stairs (assuming you have a basement, and assuming it has stairs).
The workstations would host only a web browser, so they could be basically generic PCs or even terminals.
Let the data backup and application updates happen during off-peak hours (4AM).
You could still run your ‘google apps’, but the version would be the one you have on your own webserver, and the online version would be used in case of local server failure, or when traveling.
Data privacy can be handled to a good extent with encryption, and you could choose not to have very sensitive subject to online backup.
For those who are so afraid of having all your data online….it already is.
The IRS, the credit card companies, the credit bureaus, your Bank, your insurance company, etc…..it’s all online already.
The issue is trust.
The way to earn trust to promote and enforce security standards, such as the PCI standards for credit card processing.