Home » Posts tagged 'cloud computing' (Page 3)
Tag Archives: cloud computing
Rethinking the cloud
A couple of recent events have caused me to reanalyze and clarify my thoughts about [w:Cloud computing]: first there was the GPO Purl server crash and today there's the story about massive data loss from T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger for anyone using a Sidekick:
"Regrettably, based on Microsoft/Danger's latest recovery assessment of their systems, we must now inform you that personal information stored on your device—such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos—that is no longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger."Ouch indeed! [w:Cloud computing] is basically the outsourcing of Web services (storage, email and other application layers, computational cycles etc) to a third party. Although I am guilty of using the cloud metaphor to describe the digital FDLP, it's clear from the concept map below that I don't mean we should outsource FDLP Web services to third parties. I hope it's clear that I'm describing a collaborative and distributed system of digital content, collaborative cataloging/metadata creation, as well as shared technical infrastructure in which data and technological redundancy and collective and proactive action reign. This is the exact opposite of the "cloud." So what would that metaphor be? I was thinking of the birch or banyan tree; but it's more like the symbiosis or [w:mutual aid] exhibited by certain ants and trees. It's a [w:Peer-to-peer] network with a conscience. Let's call it the FDLP ecosystem.
Cloudy Daze
There has been a recent uptick in the movement toward and the hype about cloud computing. The federal government's embrace of cloud computing with its apps.gov store for agencies to easily obtain cloud computing resources is, perhaps, the most visible. A couple of recent articles provide context and realism to the hyperbole.
- Legal Implications of Cloud Computing - Part One (the Basics and Framing the Issues), By David Navetta, InfoSecCompliance Blog (September 12, 2009). (Also available on LLRX).
Bottom line: this is not your father's outsourcing relationship, and trying to protect clients with contracts may be very difficult or impossible unless the cloud computing community begins to build standards and processes to create trust. ...there is going to be incredible financial pressure on organizations to take advantage of the pricing and efficiency of cloud computing and if attorneys fail to understand the issues ahead of time there is a serious risk of getting "bulldozed" into cloud computing arrangements without time or resources to address some serious legal issues that are implicated.
- Demystifying Cloud Computing for Higher Education, by Richard N. Katz, Philip J. Goldstein, and Ronald Yanosky, ECAR Research Bulletin, Volume 2009, Issue 19 (September 22, 2009) [membership required].
Public clouds are profit-driven and are most effective with those services that are highly commodified. If an IT service can be offered in a standardized fashion without special regard to end user variations, or to local, state, regional, or even national regulatory differences, then that service can be offered as an undifferentiated commodity service—presumably at a great price. In such a case, the dominant legal principle is likely to be caveat emptor—buyer beware—backed by standard contract language shielding the provider from any significant liabilities for process failures or data corruption and loss. ...The challenges and risks that will constrain higher education’s adoption of cloud computing relate to trust, confidence, and surety. ...Notwithstanding the near unanimous belief that cloud computing is an important enabler of a fundamental shift in the organization and economics in enterprise IT, the (non-hyperbolic) literature and the discussion with community leaders also make clear that at present the topic is mired in hype and near-utopian optimism.
Google’s Role in the Government Cloud
An announcement from Google and more articles about the federal government's cloud computing initiative (see: Feds go for the Clouds) help reveal the advantages and difficulties of the initiative.
- Google Apps and Government, by Matthew Glotzbach, Director, Product Management, Google Enterprise Official Google Enterprise Blog (September 15, 2009).
- Government Steps Into The Cloud, By Charles Babcock InformationWeek (Sept. 15, 2009)
- Google Plans Private Government Cloud, By Thomas Claburn, InformationWeek(September 16, 2009).
While there is agreement on the general outline of cloud computing, security in the cloud needs to be better defined and implemented, Kundra said. ...Users who ship data to the cloud will need contractual guarantees that it will be maintained with the same level of security as it was in-house, but neither vendors nor users are sure yet how such guarantees can be made.Google's announcement addresses some of the issues of security and responsibility. Google says that it intends to build a separate "Dedicated Google cloud for government customers in the US." Claburn reports:
"The government cloud will come from Google-owned-and-operated facilities," said Google Enterprise director of product management Matthew Glotzbach, in a phone interview. "It will be sections of existing facilities. But it will be a fully parallel instance of Google Apps. The difference being we're working with the government to meet the specific needs of government data regulations." ...Google's reticence to allow IT professionals to inspect its data centers as part of their due diligence has been a source of criticism in the past.So, the emphasis in the government announcements is on cost savings and efficency tempered with an awareness of the need for security and accountability. As I said in an earlier post, it seems that this is probably a step forward for government information technology, but it remains to be seen if it is a step forward for government information. Continue reading
Has government examined cloud computing sufficiently?
John Foley, editor of InformationWeek, wonders if the government is ready for cloud computing.
- Cloud Computing As Government Panacea, by John Foley, InformationWeek (September 10, 2009).
...government agencies are moving fast into an area where fundamental issues have yet to be resolved. It may only take one data breach, major service outage, or other cloud mishap to slow things down.Continue reading
Feds go for the Clouds
In an statement today on the Whitehouse blog, Vivek Kundra, the Federal Chief Information Officer, announced the launch of Apps.gov, "an online storefront for federal agencies to quickly browse and purchase cloud-based IT services." Apps.gov is not a government built and managed computing environment available to all agencies. It is a storefront of services offered to government by private companies. If I understand this correctly, apps.gov offers government agencies a way of quickly finding an approved service and getting it quickly. If you suddenly need a terabyte of storage more than you needed yesterday, you can just get it, rather than go through a lengthy procurement process and installing storage in your own IT center. If you have a temporary need, you can get just what you want when you need it. These kinds of services are traditionally called "Infrastructure as a Service," "Software as a Service," and "Platform as a Service." In addition, Apps.gov offers social media tools from Web 2.0 providers as free services. These are governed by a Terms of Service (TOS) Agreement. Social media services include blogs, video hosting, photo-sharing, wall-postings, email, instant messaging, and music sharing. Click on the Apps.gov FAQ for more detail. This has a lot of potential for making agencies more flexible and more cost efficient. As Kundra says,
Like a utility such as electricity or water, cloud computing allows users to only consume what they need, to grow or shrink their use as their needs change, and to only pay for what they actually use. With more rapid access to innovative IT solutions, agencies can spend less time and taxpayer dollars on procedural items and focus more on using technology to achieve their missions.But it also outsources a lot of government information technology in ways that make it unclear who will be ultimately responsible for the dissemination and stewardship of government information or for the privacy of users. This is certainly one big step forward for government IT. We'll have to see if it is a step forward or backward for government information. See also: The US Government Is Going Google, by Jennifer Van Grove, Mashable (September 15th, 2009). Update: In an article in Tech Daily Dose (U.S. Gov't Takes Cloud Computing Leap, By Andrew Noyes, September 15, 2009), Kundra is reported to have said that moving the government toward a cloud computing climate could require changes to the 2002 Federal Information Security Management Act and that officials must ensure that agencies are not "held hostage" by one particular technology vendor. Continue reading
Latest Comments