Learning from CISTM 2009 - Cloud Computing
As mentioned in an earlier blog on CISTM2009 I would like to talk about some interesting discussions on the topic of Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing. The track was chaired by Dr. Jai Ganesh and I was one of the panelist on this discussion. The third panelist was Prof. Rahul Singh, of the North Carolina University at Greensboro.
The discussion started off by Jai describing our take on the intersection of Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing. He elaborated on one of the basic tenets of Web 2.0 viz Web as a Platform and discussed how this connects with the concept of cloud computing. He highlighted the merging of software as a service (SaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) leading to computing resources available as and when someone needed them.
To illustrate the concept Jai cited examples of companies like Slideshare.net which extensively leveraged the power of cloud computing. He interspersed this discussion with several examples of typical Web 2.0 applications such as photo and video sharing, auction sites, online retailers that encourage user generated content, websites that allow tagging and reviewing of content etc. He elaborated the business benefits of cloud computing for all type of organizations especially the start-up firms. He touched upon on the aspects of lower capital expenditure, infinite scaling, pay per use, and an always available resource. This set the tone for subsequent discussions.
While some in the audience were obviously fascinated by the picture painted during this discussion, there were several others who contested and questioned the benefits mentioned earlier. The more obvious arguments were:
- What type of enterprise applications are amenable for hosting on a cloud?
- What about concerns of security related with data possessed by an organization?
- What about ownership of customized applications?
- How is this different from web hosting which has been existence since long?
- Are there Service Guarantees or Service Level Agreements (SLAs)?
- Who are the players offering such service?
- What are the prerequisites for start-up that wants to be a CC service provider?
- What kind of threats does one face when the entire application is hosted on cloud alone?
- What stops the big three (Amazon, Google and Microsoft) from monopolistic practices?
- What are the typical subscription fees for such services? and so on
Obviously some of the questions above were simpler to address than some others. For example question 6 about prerequisites for a CC start-up was answered simply by stating "Lots of Cash". Differentiation between hosting and cloud computing was brought out by comparing them with 'leasing of an empty office space' vs 'having access to a full fledged business center'.
Other questions on security concerns, monopolistic practices, SLAs, payment terms etc. were handled with a dose of some facts and lots of possibilities, and a bigger dose of imagination. By the end of the stipulated period for this discussions there were clearly two groups in the audience - those who saw the glass as half full and the others who saw it as half empty. On the whole we had generated enough interest amongst the people present at the conference and, in doing so, achieved our objective.
