Enable breadcrumbs token at /includes/pageheader.html.twig

Computing in the Clouds

Organizations seeking ways to improve the bottom line may find their solution in the clouds—cloud computing, that is. The paradigm offers dynamic access to computer processing, network bandwidth and file storage on a pay-per-use basis. Companies as well as government agencies can take advantage of new technologies sooner while spreading their information technology expenditures over a longer period of time. This approach can be especially advantageous for small firms because it gives them access to cutting-edge technology without huge investments.

Cloud computing refers to assigning tasks to a combination of connections, software and services over a network. Through a thin client, users can access resources such as data or applications when they need them while benefiting from supercomputer power. Google’s Apps, Maps and Gmail are perhaps some of the most well-known cloud residents; other providers include Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, Flexiscale, GoGrid and Mosso.

Unlike the virtual private networks (VPNs) that organizations set up for their own employees’ use, cloud computing increases transparency when network problems arise. For example, when a company’s internal network is up and running, those with access to it from home, at a branch office or on travel can tap into it from remote locations. When the corporate network goes down, however, remote users are cut off from the network without knowing why or how long a fix will take. Employing a cloud computing service takes the work of network reliability off the shoulders of an organization’s information technology department while ensuring access to corporate information technology assets.

Patrick Kerpan, chief technology officer, CohesiveFT, says that cloud computing allows organizations to switch from spending large amounts of capital on hardware and software that must be refreshed every five years to paying on an as-you-go basis for access to the latest technologies year round. Depending on the amount of usage, this approach can save organizations money and boost reliability while offering employees access to up-to-date capabilities. Cloud computing can reduce the workload for an organization’s information technology department without negatively impacting operations as well, Kerpan says.

Cloud computing service agreements enable organizations to serve their customers better by taking advantage of large servers during peak workload periods—certain times of the year, for example. This eliminates the need to purchase large quantities of hardware that may lay dormant the majority of the time, he explains.

This paradigm shift from the purchase-what-you-need model to access-as-a-utility was predicted by many technology experts more than a decade ago, but the capabilities to bring it about did not exist until recently, Kerpan says. Today, his company ranks cloud computing as a world-changing capability in the same league with the introduction of personal computers and the Internet.

Despite the multitude of benefits, Kerpan admits that cloud computing poses some challenges. One of the biggest among them is security. The majority of cloud-computing services provide security measures; however, this means that the security of an organization’s data is in the hands of the providers rather than the organization itself.

Kerpan’s company offers an alternative. Late last month, the firm introduced VPN-Cubed to the marketplace. The encrypted VPN-enabling product provides customer-controlled security inside a single cloud, across multiple clouds, and between clouds and private infrastructure. As a result, users are not limited to a single cloud provider or data center.

With VPN-Cubed, users establish their own security perimeter for cloud-based assets. “VPN-Cubed acts as an encrypted local area network in a single cloud and as an encrypted wide area network across multiple clouds,” Kerpan explains. Consequently, cloud-based clusters appear to be part of one physical network, he adds.