Friday, December 5

Cloud computing

- take an umbrella
It happened about twelve months ago. I was listening to a marketeer from a software company describe their idea to make a software application available online. I said "so you become an application service provider".
She looked at me with great distain like I was still wearing my favourite Spandau Ballet T shirt from the eighties (tragic, I apologise). Her non-verbals screamed "Get With It!". Her verbal communication was more civil. "No this is more cloud computing, you know software as a service".


I may be old-fashioned but I think that the thinking that has 'cloud-computing' as a good idea also infects the idea that 'everything can be found on the web'. Both statements have some real dangers that need to be examined much closer.
The first part of that examination is probably that, apart from the major cities in Australia, the speed and connectivity that permits 'cloud-living' is just neither available nor reliable yet.

Yet, there is a great attraction to the idea of being able to access one's information no matter where one is in the world because it is on-line. It actually reminds me of an Anne McCaffrey story about "Silent Drums" ... who gets to take the information down when the individual dies and is the only one who had the access codes?

Yet another thought to add to the mix about 'cloud-computering"!

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