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Monthly Archive for August, 2008

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Cloud computing

Published by Business Link on 5 August, 2008 in Creativity & Innovation and IT & eBusiness • 0 Comments

Cloud computing is a familiar cliché. But what does it really mean? What are the benefits and costs? And is it time to jump into the cloud?

An insightful article by InfoWorld brings cloud computing into focus. They define it as “a way to increase capacity or add capabilities” to IT infrastructure, which “encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends IT’s existing capabilities”.

Think online data backups. Think web-based office, customer relationship management (CRM) and emarketing platforms. Think collaborative online workspaces. Think online image editing. Think remote access to computers a hundred times more powerful than yours. All such services are already in the cloud. And that’s just the beginning.

The key benefit… Cloud computing offers access to increased computing capability and capacity, through cost-effective and scalable online services. The key cost… Cloud computing services are remote and thus beyond our direct control. Its remoteness places the cloud far outside internal IT infrastructure; a fact that raises the important issues of service reliability and data security.

The loss of control over reliability and security vs. the cost-effective, continuous expansion of capacity and capability represents, in simple terms, the cost-benefit equation of cloud computing.

So, let’s further illustrate the benefits…

The cloud provides on-demand access to advanced, powerful computing and software platforms. It creates an online workspace, from which you can communicate, collaborate or work remotely. It offers solutions to a multitude of needs, from mail hosting and security to image processing and storage. The list goes on. And this myriad of cloud services holds the potential to reduce software licensing spend, cut hardware and maintenance costs, and make working lives easier.

Consider the ’software-as-a-service’ platform Salesforce as a case in point. In short, it’s an online CRM platform which offers sales management, marketing automation and customer service and support services. And it offers these services to individuals and global businesses alike. Or… not quite alike… Salesforce is scalable to fit different users’ budgets and needs. That means a small business can enjoy the benefits of the same CRM platform used by global companies, but not pay for features it doesn’t need. As that business grows, the platform can grow too, expanding to provide increased features and capacity. For example, if said business employs its first in-the-field salesperson, they can instantly and cheaply begin using the ‘mobile’ version of Salesforce, accessible via smart phones and internet-enabled devices. Some features also pop along for free, such as the recently announced Google Apps integration, which seamlessly links itself and Salesforce into one single web-interface.

The Salesforce and Google Apps combination is reminiscent of another, competing collection of business productivity services, called Zoho. Zoho offers a whole bunch of services – from CRM, project management and invoicing systems, to a word processor, note taker, organiser, collaborative chat and mail services. Again, these services (some of which are free for up to three users) provide capabilities and capacities that can grow alongside users’ needs.

A third, final and wildly different illustration of the scope and potential of cloud computing is Amazon’s EC2 computing platform, which provides “resizable compute capacity in the cloud”. EC2 lets you create your own virtual computing environment right inside Amazon’s cloud. From there, you can run applications that draw on the raw computing power of EC2’s infrastructure. For example, the New York Times used EC2 to convert scanned images of 11 million newspaper articles into PDF files. They did so in 24 hours; a fraction of the time it would have taken on in-house computers. Again, it’s about increasing capacity and capability.

Now to the thorny issues of reliability and security…

First of all: it’s impossible, and unfair, to make generalisations about the reliability and security of the entire cloud computing industry. A cloud service could theoretically be just as reliable and secure as a similar service running onsite and behind a firewall. Individual cloud services must be evaluated case-by-case, within the context of your distinct IT needs.

In an article entitled “The dangers of cloud computing“, Computer World explores the assertion that decisions about whether to use cloud services to perform IT tasks should focus on whether those tasks are “mission-critical” or “non-mission-critical”. If a task is mission-critical, and a cloud service cannot provide the required level of reliability and security, it should not be used.

As grand as the New York Times’ plan of converting its old articles was – it was not mission-critical. In fact, it was much less mission-critical than the computing tasks millions of users conduct every day in the cloud, such as managing sales leads, following up support requests, communicating with customers and issuing invoices.

These users either don’t know the risks, or they have made professional judgements – to first define if a task is mission-critical or otherwise, and then to decide if cloud computing services are, within that context, reliable and secure enough to complete that task.

Is it time to jump in?

Cloud computing is in its infancy, so it’s wise to be wary about jumping in with two feet. With that said – feature-rich, reliable and secure services are emerging that challenge doubts and increase confidence in the cloud.

The challenge for the cloud computing industry is not so much to offset risks with additional benefits, but to strike a balance between features, reliability and security. If the industry does that, the cloud will succeed.

The challenge for you is much more simple… See through the hype. Look past the benefits, and evaluate the risks too. Then, if you still see value in the cloud, maybe it’s time to take the jump.

Cloud applications and services

We’ve compiled a list of cloud computing applications and services:

Cloud applications and services

Backing up data

Published by Business Link on 5 August, 2008 in Creativity & Innovation and IT & eBusiness • 0 Comments

Data… A few megabytes of spreadsheets or a terabyte of design assets. If your system crashes, you’ll be lost without it… So back it up.

To piece together a backup strategy, you need to understand the common approaches to backing up, and the strengths and weaknesses of available backup mediums.

Backup approaches

Full backups

A full backup creates a complete copy of an entire system, or a complete copy of selected files and folders. The result: an exact clone of selected data.

During every new full backup the entire data set is copied again, regardless of what data has been added or changed since the previous backup.

A new full backup either overwrites the previous one, or is copied to a distinct location, such as a dated folder. The advantage of the latter approach is that you can roll-back to previous backups if newer ones are corrupted or no longer contain recently deleted files.

Full backups are sometimes preferred because of their cleanliness and simplicity. They are a precise clone of a data set which – unlike other backup methods – don’t rely on specialist software to function. You can take away a full backup, open it on another computer, and access the data instantly.

Restoring data from a full backup is relatively simple. Because it’s an exact copy, you can easily navigate to desired files and folders, restoring individual files on demand. Or, you can simply copy and paste the entire data set back to its original location. Of course, data added or changed since the last full backup will be lost after a restore.

The problem with full backups is they take time. 60GB of data could take an hour or longer to backup, and the process could disturb business operations or force you to schedule backups out-of-hours. Such pressures might prevent you from doing them as frequently as you should, exposing you to the risk of significant data loss.

Incremental backups

Incremental backups begin with a full backup. Once that’s done, only amended or newly created data is subsequently backed up. The result: a full backup plus a collection of new data sets containing new/amended data.

The process requires specialist software, which identifies changed or added data and manages the backup and restore processes automatically. Some incremental backups keep archives of previous versions of amended/changed files so that data can be rolled back to a previous state. The backed up data may not be accessible manually, or accessed on another computer without installing the backup software.

The advantage of incremental backups is they are usually much quicker than full backups. The exact duration of an incremental backup depends on the amount of data added or changed, but typically they will take a fraction of the time needed to conduct a full backup. Some modern backup programmes are also more capable of conducting on-the-fly backups, which means you might not need to halt data activity during backups.

Because incremental backups (and subsequent restores) are dependent on specialist software to function, it’s vital to select reliable and robust backup software. The process of working out what data to restore is a complex task, which in rare cases could fail. Modern software is becoming much better at the task, but it’s important to test programmes thoroughly and have confidence in their reliability.

Note: If you’re unsure about which backup approach to adopt, remember: you can use both independently. To illustrate, you could manage a weekly cycle of full backups on one external hard drive, and implement an incremental backup process on another. If the latter process fails you could revert to the previous full backup… The most important thing is to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each method. If the weaknesses of either approach amount to an unacceptable level of risk, consider how a combination of different approaches could be used. (That said, it’s also easy to overcomplicate things – your backup strategy needs to be robust, but also simple enough that you’ll keep it up.)

Backup Mediums

Tape. Suited for large-scale, ’set-and-forget’ automated backups. Tapes are relatively inexpensive but tape drives are costly and relatively slow. Tapes are durable and compact, so they can be easily moved, stored and archived on or off site.

CD/DVD. Cheap, compact and portable. No moving parts, so when in good condition they are relatively stable. Disk capacities are a fraction of modern hard-drives so full backups may require numerous disks, and the process must be managed manually or with backup software. Because disks may need to be changed they are not ideal for unattended/automated backups.

External hard drive. Modern USB and Firewire drives are fast, reliable, and offer storage in excess of internal drives, making full and incremental backups easy to manage. Their portability means they can be easily transported off-site, but like any hard drive they are sensitive to shock, heat and moisture. Some external hard drives support “RAID” configurations for simultaneous mirror backups over multiple hard drives. Some drives can also be networked. All hard drives contain sensitive moving parts, so external drives are as (if not more) susceptible to failure as internal ones.

Server. Servers can be used as a backup location for data stored on individual computers, or they could be employed as a ’shared drive’ upon which users store their data in the first place, which is then backed up onto another backup medium. They are expensive, but often support advanced features such as “RAID” which allows automatic ‘mirroring’ of data onto another server hard drive, stored on or offsite.

Online ‘cloud’ storage. Online storage can be used as a networked hard drive; meaning you can drag or drop files like an internal/external drive, or use your own automatic backup software. Or, they are designed as proprietary backup services in themselves; usually incremental backups which can be done automatically whenever you are online, at a pre-determined time, or whenever your computer is idle. Capacity is usually modest (at a fraction of a typical internal hard drive) but most services offer increased capacities at a cost. A fast, reliable internet connection is crucial if regularly transferring large amounts of data. As with off line incremental backup services, the reliability of the backup process is paramount to the ability to successfully restore. On top of that, online services must be chosen carefully, considering factors such as: guaranteed ‘uptime’ of service, safety and security of where your data is stored, how quickly restores can be accessed and downloaded.

Piecing together a strategy

Rule number one: the more backups in the chain, the lower the chances of losing everything… Rule number two: using different backup approaches and backup mediums helps minimise the weaknesses of one single approach.

Paranoia can be a good third rule when it comes to backups. And it’s easy to become paranoid when you contemplate losing everything. But worrying too much could lead to obsessive backup processes that are overly costly and time-consuming. It’s therefore important to find a balanced backup strategy that reflects the value of your data (or put another way: the cost of losing your data), but one which is also pragmatic about what you can afford to do, and what you can (realistically) be bothered to do.

When defining a backup strategy remember the following… If your data is invaluable, be bothered… The more backups the better, within reason… If you’re not 100% positive on one approach, consider others ways to crack the egg… All backup mediums – regardless of cost – are prone to failure, so consider the strengths and weaknesses of each and use a combination to reduce overall risk… Always have an off-site backup in case of fire or theft… And finally: settle on a backup strategy that protects your data as far as you reasonably can, but one which is realistic enough for you to keep up.

More info

Check out online data backup and storage services in our list of cloud applications and services.

Hosted email

Published by Business Link on 5 August, 2008 in Creativity & Innovation, IT & eBusiness and Uncategorized • 0 Comments

There are many hosted email solutions, from those offered by web-hosts to services nurtured by dedicated email providers. They give you email using your website’s own domain name, message storage, a web email interface, and important stuff like email access via your favourite Mac or PC email software. Some are good, others are OK. Few really stand out.

Or at least, that’s what Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google would like you to think. The big three global tech companies are offering hosted email solutions for professionals and small businesses. These services build on technologies developed for their free consumer email services, with a bit more on top.

So, let’s explore the big three’s hosted email services to see what you get…

Microsoft Office Live Small Business / Microsoft Online Services
Office Live Small Business – first year free
Microsoft Online Services – price TBC

In early 2009 Microsoft will launch an integrated collection of business services in the UK called Microsoft Online Services. Until then, you can get 100 email accounts hosted through Microsoft Office Live Small Business Email, free for the first year.

In addition to custom-domain email hosting, Microsoft Office Live Small Business offers website hosting and other online business productivity services such as email marketing and project/document management tools. The service provides basic email functionality, such as cross-platform web email, and supports email, contact and calendar management through Microsoft Outlook.

But the fun really starts next year, with the arrival of Exchange Online, a big part of the upcoming Microsoft Online Services. It’s a fully hosted communications solution based on Microsoft’s world-leading Exchange system, providing email with 99.9% scheduled uptime and technical support. As you’d expect from Exchange, there’s also advanced business features such as built-in continuity and disaster recovery, mobile email and push, and various advanced sync features.

It’s hard to say if and how Office Live Small Business will transform into Microsoft Online Services. For now, the former is a competitive offering at its price (free). In 2009, Microsoft’s hosted email service should get really interesting. One to watch.

Yahoo! Business Email
Around £20 per year for 1 account, £5 per month for 10

Yahoo doesn’t offer hosted email for free, but its paid for options are competitively priced and decently-featured.

Email protection and security is in focus with Yahoo! Mail. Built-in Norton Antivirus protection is standard, and Yahoo! has developed its own technologies – SpamGuard and DomainKeys – to help fight spam. The email front-end has seen extensive re-development in recent years, offering similar functionality to desktop email clients. Yahoo! is also strong on support, with 24-hour access via email and phone.

One big drawback of Yahoo!’s email service is a lack of IMAP email support (supporting only POP). You can download emails using an email client on the PC or Mac, but IMAP is often preferred as a way of keeping messages in sync between client software and server.

Google Mail
Standard edition: free for up to 200 user accounts. Premier edition: £25 per account.

Google’s standard edition offers custom-domain hosted email for free. After a few tweaks to your domain settings you and up to 199 other users can access email via web/mobile interfaces, or via your chosen email client on Mac or PC.

Google puts great effort into policing its email network for spammers and in technologies for filtering spam. As a result the built-in spam filtering is on a par with – if not better than – many paid-for solutions.

Web-integration with other online ‘cloud’ services such as contacts, calendars, Google Documents and Spreadsheets makes the ‘Google Apps’ package a comprehensive offering. And recently, Google began integrating third-party online services too, such as integration with the customer relationship management software Salesforce.

The downside: Like any free service, guaranteed uptime and dedicated technical support are lacking. That’s where the premium edition kicks in.

For £25 per user account, the premier edition makes up for the standard’s shortcomings. It offers a service level agreement with a 99.9% uptime guarantee (though this appears to be only for the email web-interface), online support, and phone support for critical issues.

The premier edition also offers advanced email services from Postini, a specialist email firm Google recently acquired. The ‘policy management’ service offers administrative control over filtering and blocking messages, and configurable spam and virus filters. ‘Message recovery’ lets administrators recover messages deleted in the past 90 days (extendable to 1-10 years for an extra cost).

The verdict

The big three’s email services are feature rich, to be sure. But email is about more than just features. The integrity, reliability and security of such services is crucial to ensure maximum email uptime, reliable and timely receipt and delivery of emails, protection against viruses and malware, and effective email backup and archiving. And with all that, comes the need for support when things go wrong.

Premium, paid-for services are bridging the gap more and more, providing reliable infrastructures, service level agreements, and dedicated support. Google’s acquisition of email security, administration and archive company Postini, and Microsoft’s moves towards Exchange Online, are particularly interesting developments to watch with respect to future advances in reliability and integrity.

An IT manager might wait a while before ditching the internal mail server to outsource email to hosted providers. But for individuals and small businesses, these services are worth a look. In time they’ll improve, and thanks to the increased market competition, other hosted email services should improve too.