The Chronicles
November 2011
Salutations dear readers and fellow Laurentian neighbors,
WOW! Taking into account your numerous messages and calls, I guess many of you out there took my last two articles to heart and decided to buy an Android (or iPhone, BlackBerry or Windows7) Smart Phone. Now the question is: what is the best way for you to use your new mini-computer? The Contacts and Calendar options are relatively straight forward. But how are you to keep all the other “stuff” synchronized with your home computer and back-up system? Ever heard of Cloud Computing?
Cloud Computing is a new and emerging “hot” term but definitely not a new concept. Cloud Computing is where your applications and files are stored on a large, centralized supercomputer or network. You access your files (documents, music, photos) using your home (and/or work) computers, your Smart Phone and/or Pad. The idea is very simple: on your desk, you have a very low-cost computer with only a processor, a keyboard and a monitor; there is no hard drive or CD/DVD reader (though you continue to have a portable External Hard Drive for back-up purposes). Your computer is hooked up to the Internet and links to a central supercomputer which hosts all of your programs and files. Within the Cloud Computing world, you probably don't have to pay for software as you can use the applications hosted on the server. You therefore have all the software you need to work (and play) without having to store it locally. You also don't have to update your software to the next version nor be bothered with Viruses and the like.
Without knowing it, many of you have already been using Cloud Computing and for a rather long time. You may have heard of the expression Web-based e-mails. G-Mail, Hotmail and Yahoo are the best examples. These e-mail boxes do not “live” in your computer but are housed at those respective companies. This is why they are accessible, with your User Name and Password, from any computer, Smart Phone and Pad across the world, as long as there is Internet availability. It really takes Computing to a whole new level as it simplifies most operations.
There are however, at this budding stage of this “new” technology, some negative points. Perhaps the biggest concerns about Cloud Computing are security and privacy. Companies offering this kind of computing service will live and die by their reputation. The ones able to make people feel the safest will dominate the market. Google has made this their number one priority as their goal is to become the biggest Cloud Computing company in the world. Their objective is to gather ALL of mankind's past knowledge and current information within the next 300 years!!! Other questions concerning Cloud Computing are more philosophical. For example, does the user (or company) subscribing to a Cloud Computing service own the data, or does the Cloud Computing company which provides the actual storage space own it? Or, would it be possible for a Cloud Computing company to deny certain clients access to their data? Lastly, it's worth mentioning that the biggest problem facing Cloud Computing is the quantity of electricity required to make it work... Ah yes, once again, a question of energy!
All this being said, all of us consumers are being “lead” (pushed?) in the direction of gadgets designed to link us to Cloud Computing. I, for one, am well aware of the pros and cons of this technology and have organized myself accordingly. I have all MY data backed-up on my external Hard Drive (I own the data and access it anywhere, anytime with or without an Internet service). But I use Cloud Computing in all its splendor to simplify my computing experience. The best of both worlds, I guess you could say...
Take good care of yourselves,
questions.monamilordi@gmail.com
This article originally appeared in Main Street – The Laurentians' English Language Community Newspaper.
