Looking at flowers in the clouds--what do we see in the era of cloud computing

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Is cloud computing a revolutionary IT management tool or a vague puffing for marketing hype? It depends on who you ask. Now we are thinking about its boast, but the seductive momentum of development is underway.

A vague concept

When you need storage and computing, why not just pay for the time we use and the functions we use, compared to hoarding a server of your own or renting out one of the largest operations and storage? That's the basic idea behind cloud computing-and it's a potential that's tempting in every way, Instead of trying desperately to control costs and reduce energy consumption. But it turns out that this fascination is based on a vague understanding of the concept.

The proportion of CIOs (CIOs) Interested in cloud computing has grown substantially from 5% in 2009 to 37% in the same period this year, according to Mark McDonald, a vice president of Gartner. And for business management, the bigger the company, the more it can be said that cloud computing is one of the top five it priorities.

But among those surveyed who are interested in cloud computing, three-fourths of them rarely report the three key technologies it needs: Server virtualization, service-oriented architecture, and software services. In addition, nearly half of respondents equate virtualization with cloud computing, and this alone suggests that many executives are not complete about cloud computing.

Cloud computing has quickly climbed to what Mr McDonald calls "the pinnacle of Hope". Now, what does it face? It's "The Trough of disillusionment," says Mr McDonald. Because few people really understand what cloud computing is, they never care how it works on Earth.

The IT lab at the Institute of National Standards and Technology (NIST) gives the 15th edition of Cloud Computing a definition of over 760 words, including five features, three service models, four deployment models, and a disclaimer, which, in essence, will quickly change.

Greener Cloud?

Despite all the confusion about cloud computing, NIST's IT labs have put up some numbers to make it a high-profile environmental case.

The number of servers in the traditional data center in the United States has doubled from 2001 to 2006, according to a NIST staff member. However, the power consumption of each server doubled during the same period, even though the server usually had only 15% of its capacity running.

However, according to the EPA figures cited by NIST, these data centers account for 1.5% of all electricity consumption in the United States (equivalent to 0.6% of the Global 2000). Globally, the IT industry produces 2% carbon dioxide emissions.

Companies that use cloud computing can improve their sustainability in two ways. First, the company maximizes the sharing of servers to reduce the rumble of machines. Second, the need to access, means that the company can in their spare time without consuming more than the energy of demand, to prepare for busy time.

Potential costs in the cloud?

As mentioned above, energy efficiency is real, so what about cost? erasing all internal servers should save a lot of money. Then again, maybe not.

Best innovative Amy Szpilman (Amy Spellmann), Richard Gimarc of Hyperformix, and Mark Preston of Rs configured (Mark Preston) There is a dilemma in conceiving the details of a retail website: Managing your own servers and signing up for Amazon's cloud services. They calculate the cost and energy consumption of each option for two years. The conclusion: first, a cloud-based site is cheaper than an internal server, but even if you blame it on energy savings. Spending may also increase over time. This is because the cost of data transmission increases, while the development of cloud services requires more processing power.

While larger, it seems more like a mobile service, set a reasonable price until you start to bear all these extra minute charges and SMS fees.

Three-dimensional data

If users make the most of the Cloud mouse, a company moving to the cloud model may experience unexpected positive results. In addition, the equipment is still in the development stage, looks like an egg, used like a joystick, allowing you to manipulate a large number of users through the three-dimensional dynamic interface data generated. Cloud Mouse is a project of Microsoft researcher Richard Harper and his collaborators in Microsoft.

On the one hand, this seems like a stupid thing--not everything is in the touch screen way? But on the other hand, one can imagine a new phase, a skilled technician with the help of an "ultrasound expert" (probably the name of an Internet device) or a Wii player (Nintendo's home game) You can move and change the calculation data, how simple ah!