Cloud computing, it looks beautiful.

In the last two years, cloud computing has become a buzzword in the information industry. People are eager to look forward to the "Walk in the Clouds", hoping that the computing power of the future will be as needed as today's water and electricity. But is the outlook for cloud computing really bright? In the absence of two of the limelight behind, is not there is also secretly hurt the secret? The science and Technology daily reporter interviewed Tang Banshan, deputy director of the Information Science Research Center of the University of the United Kingdom, and a doctoral tutor.

Cloud computing is a guide to business innovation

Cloud computing as a new network application model, although its concept has been proposed for several years, but in the business operation has been no breakthrough in progress, until the first half of 2010, the U.S. Amazon Elastic Computing cloud success, only to make the future of cloud computing is bright. And the Capgemini of Microsoft, IBM, Gemini, and other internationally renowned companies have made the recent limelight a moment of no two.

Dr Tang Banshan points out that many people think cloud computing is another revolution in Internet technology, but it is not. Cloud computing is just a combination of grid computing technology (Computing) and the business Operation model of using a service provider (creator service provision, referred to as ASP). It is an innovation in the business community, like ERP (Enterprise Resource decision System), is a natural link in the development of information technology, not a leap. At the technical level and the theoretical level, it is far from the same as the database technology innovation.

And because it starts with business concepts rather than technological innovation, cloud computing has a more or less congenital deficiency. Although it has super large-scale, high versatility, high scalability and so on, can make resources more flexible configuration, reduce costs, but business model, security, such as a series of unavoidable problems, so that the development of cloud computing is not entirely a bright future.

Dr. Tang Banshan, deputy director of Information Science Research Center, University of Lei, UK

The business model of stones

Dr Tang points out that although cloud computing is a concept hype that began in the business community, it does not yet have a complete business operation model. So far, there are few successful examples of cloud computing services. Amazon, the model, has little to do with cloud computing services. Because the upfront investment is very big, so now the cloud computing service provider, now basically is in loses money to make a yell.

At this stage, cloud computing services customers are basically financially strong, large international companies, small and medium-sized companies and individuals are still unable to enjoy cloud computing services. and relying solely on big companies, cloud computing Services "money" will not be very optimistic. "Money" is not optimistic, the prospect of natural bad. Therefore, it is imperative for cloud services providers to find the right business model.

Dr Tang said cloud computing services would be an ideal operating model if they were to profit from the use of customer "cloud" data, just as banks could make money by using savers ' capital. But at present, the user stored in the "cloud" data on the legal positioning is not clear, its use of the allocation of authority and other issues can not be resolved. A series of problems lead to all the current business models are stones, whether reasonable, whether successful, are difficult to determine.

Unavoidable security issues

When it comes to cloud computing, security can not be avoided, in fact, this is the current application of cloud computing the biggest problem encountered. While cloud computing services providers are trying to downplay or avoid this topic, as consumers, this is the key to their abandonment.

Dr Tang Banshan points out that the security of cloud computing mainly refers to the use of "cloud"-side data. As users, of course, want more data on the "cloud", they will consume less resources and get more convenience, but the more data is stored in the cloud, the more data is likely to be abused, a dilemma that allows many users to hesitate without legal protection.

Dr Tang stressed that the security of cloud computing, people have such a misconception that the "cloud" on the things are easy to lose. In fact, in terms of excluding the integrity of service providers, the security of cloud computing as a whole is no better than other network systems, but not worse. In addition to the central data server, the user data stored in which piece of "cloud", no one knows, thus increasing the difficulty of stealing. Hackers who steal data, however, should not be considered in the context of cloud computing security--something a clever hacker would want to steal that would not be safe anywhere.

The influence of the consumer psychological model that must be confronted

People's hesitation in cloud computing services, in addition to security concerns, and other reasons, the impact of consumer psychological model is also an important factor.

In the face of a new thing, most people's first reaction is suspicion, Dr. Tang points out. Suspicion-cognition-accept (or not accept), this is the process that all new things will inevitably face. For a car or a car, from the principle of saving resources and maximizing benefits, it is most suitable for people to hire vehicles, but in fact, most people will choose to buy vehicles instead of renting, which is a general consumption mentality----------------------------- Many people believe that the delivery of data system services to the unknown third party (ie "cloud"), even if the speed is high, is far more convenient than using the system in front of them. Therefore, the attractiveness of cloud computing will naturally be discounted for small and medium customers and individual consumers.

Speaking of the future of cloud computing, Dr. Tang Banshan says, as a kind of square-hing Network technology application, cloud computing has many attractions, but if not solve the economic model of the problem, there is no standard, legal and other aspects to ensure that the future of cloud computing will be more narrow, perhaps the future of the Internet world, the sky will be "cloudless."