Cloud Computing = Failure Waiting to Happen

Longhair · #1 07-31-2011, 11:50 AM

When it comes to computers, I am a "set it and forget it" type of person...

Today, I do a hard reset on my Windows Mobile phone and I needed to get something from my computer to the phone. Windows 7 does not sync the phone the same way that Windows XP did - something I have not had to do since XP. After some trial, error and reading on the Internet, I see that there is a new to me service (less than 2 years old) called "Microsoft My Phone Service". What this basically means is that you can have all your contacts, pictures, emails, etc. stored on the Internet and can access the stuff from any computer all over the world -Cloud Computing.

Another some more reading, hard reset later I finally get Windows 7 to sync with my Windows Mobile 6.5 phone.

Later in the day, I check my hotmail account and see a welcome email from the Microsoft My Phone Service. I am not using that anymore, I need to delete that before all my info goes on the Internet without knowing it. I log in and see an "important message to all Microsoft My Phone Service users" so I click on the link:

Microsoft My Phone Service Shutdown

Quote:

Certain content types stored to the My Phone service will NOT be migrated to Windows Live SkyDrive on the user's behalf, including videos, music, documents, and browser favorites. Neither current nor archived content of these types will be migrated. If users wish to retain this content, they must download it themselves prior to October 6, 2011.

I delete pretty much all email from these types of services because it is basically spam. If there would have been an email stating that I had to move my files off of their service, I would have lost everything because I didn't read that one important email out of thousands of spam emails.

ADbassman · #2 07-31-2011, 03:32 PM

Do backups on your own computer.

/thread

ProgRapture · #3 07-31-2011, 07:38 PM

Call me an old fogey (at 23), but I don't trust this cloud storage system stuff. I prefer to have what I own on my own computer, or what have you.

If the internet ever gets shut down for some reason or another, I'd like to be able to still have all my stuff available. Call me paranoid, but I follow the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared.

OldDog52 · #4 07-31-2011, 08:01 PM

Ha ha! In the business world, Cloud Computing = Lull the users into complacency and when the **** hits the fan, invoke the ToS which says "Sorry, we warned you, it's not our problem". Mr. IT Mgr. then says "I warned you too, but no, you wouldn't listen".

Ziltoid · #5 07-31-2011, 08:20 PM

I'm not a big fan of clouds either, I think that a good server properly setup with remote access negates the need of a cloud.I'd take a server with a SAN and VPN over a cloud that's hosted somewhere I have no control. Maybe I'm missing something, I probably am, dunno.

seanm · #6 07-31-2011, 08:42 PM

Ziltoid's avatar reminded me of this:

Ziltoid · #7 07-31-2011, 08:51 PM

Gotta love xkcd

Longhair · #8 07-31-2011, 10:29 PM

From what I understand about Cloud Computing, eventually all your programs will be installed directly onto the computer leaving you without a setup.exe of your own. What this means is you will not be able to reinstall the old version of a program if the new one exists.

Eventually, operating systems will be a forced update whether you want it or not. Think of going to your favorite website and one day it completely different. Same concept except you will get a bill for the unwanted upgrade.

Don't like it or don't think it will ever happen? Facebook has been testing the waters for years already and companies like Apple and Microsoft are catching on to how big sheep people really have become over the last 15 years of mainstream personal computing.

Ziltoid · #9 07-31-2011, 11:32 PM

Basically people will be running dummy client to a server? That's nowhere near new, the only difference here seems to be the location of the server and who manages it. I really need to start reading on cloud computing I feel like I'm missing a lot of vital infos.

seanm · #10 08-01-2011, 10:46 AM

Cloud computing is a fairly large field. On one end you have Google which is trying to put everything in the cloud like Longhair mentioned. They want the OS to be a browser and everything "in the cloud". Ziltoid, this is basically like thin clients to a server, only the server is remote rather than local. So you had this right

However, a much more common use for the cloud is data storage. For small or medium sized companies, it can be expensive to have servers and the IT group to maintain them. Having the actual storage in the cloud can save money. Also, for some countries, having the data stored in another country can be very handy.

Another use for cloud computing is just to have remote virtual computers. For people testing web services, for example, having a remote computer to test against can be a bonus. But just having computers that you can toast at will and easily rebuild can be useful.

Absentia · #11 08-01-2011, 10:49 AM

CLOUD CLOUD CLOUD CLOUD CLOUD,

Great for people that know what they're doing, terrible for your average incompetent computer user and middle manager looking for a new buzzword.

I don't know the physical location, or the competency of the people these services put in charge of managing the data so no it's not for me I'll still with the San and tape thank you very much.

But yes you will hear more about people being "hacked" by these services.

Pilgrim · #12 08-01-2011, 10:55 AM

It's where we are headed. Deal with it and make backups as needed. Storage is cheap.

Ziltoid · #13 08-01-2011, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanm

Another use for cloud computing is just to have remote virtual computers. For people testing web services, for example, having a remote computer to test against can be a bonus. But just having computers that you can toast at will and easily rebuild can be useful.

I can see the point there, make your own VM's can be very expensive, it's currently where we are headed at work (summer job city's IT, but I'm not IT guy, I quite frankly suck) but due to budget restriction it gets really slowed down and we can't get all the hardware at once to set it an be done with it so we get bits and pieces here and there which makes the whole process trickier and longer. (However we'll have a quite nice server delivered this week, bloody thing cost us many many grands +vmware license, which has VM written all over it, I'm excited)

MJ5150 · #14 08-01-2011, 10:58 AM

It's the cloud man, it gives you things like the family you never had.

-Mike

Longhair · #15 08-01-2011, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ziltoid

I can see the point there, make your own VM's can be very expensive, it's currently where we are headed at work (summer job city's IT, but I'm not IT guy, I quite frankly suck) but due to budget restriction it gets really slowed down and we can't get all the hardware at once to set it an be done with it so we get bits and pieces here and there which makes the whole process trickier and longer. (However we'll have a quite nice server delivered this week, bloody thing cost us many many grands +vmware license, which has VM written all over it, I'm excited)

The biggest thing I don't like about VMs is that what happens to the multiple workstations when the single VM server goes down?

I just picked up 4 loaded Dell Precision 3400 workstations that still is under warranty for $675 total - not each - for the wife's small business. Used hardware is cheap and will last a very long time.

MJ5150 · #16 08-01-2011, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Longhair

The biggest thing I don't like about VMs is that what happens to the multiple workstations when the single VM server goes down?

Who would set up a VM environment with a single point of failure?

-Mike

Longhair · #17 08-01-2011, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Who would set up a VM environment with a single point of failure?

-Mike

The people that listen to the sales hype saying you only need 1 piece of hardware and x-amount of VMs

seanm · #18 08-01-2011, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Longhair

The people that listen to the sales hype saying you only need 1 piece of hardware and x-amount of VMs

Ouch. Well, that is their fault for not doing there homework. Really, I can't understand why people will make "bet the farm" decisions with no homework. They trust the salesman who needs the sale to get a commission. The salesman will say anything you want

joeyl · #19 08-01-2011, 02:10 PM

so cloud computing=failure because you did not read the instructions or deleted them?

here where I work, we are moving the students' exchange accounts to the free live@edu service. If I was to give each student 10GB mailboxes, 25GB personal space, and Office on demand apps on local in-house servers, we would spend all of the school's money on disk space and software licenses.

joeyl · #20 08-01-2011, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ziltoid

I can see the point there, make your own VM's can be very expensive, it's currently where we are headed at work (summer job city's IT, but I'm not IT guy, I quite frankly suck) but due to budget restriction it gets really slowed down and we can't get all the hardware at once to set it an be done with it so we get bits and pieces here and there which makes the whole process trickier and longer. (However we'll have a quite nice server delivered this week, bloody thing cost us many many grands +vmware license, which has VM written all over it, I'm excited)

same here, and the VM licenses are expensive. I am getting a new EMC VNXe box here with VMWare academic. I was hoping that the free Microsoft HyperV would grow bigger and better, but it still sucks compared to VMWare.