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Into the Cloud

cloud computing is gaining traction with business and It leaders as their data management challenges mount. By Samuel GreenGard
Step inside a typical organization, and youre likely to see business and It leaders grappling with a tangle of data management challenges. ensuring that individuals receive the information they need when they need it can challenge even the most tech-savvy company. but as cloud computing floats into the business picture, some organizations are discovering that it is possible to manage systems and data outside the four walls of the company to tap into information when and where its needed via the Internet and on an array of tools, including computers, smart phones and dedicated devices. the result: greater agility and lower costs than what might be available for more traditional It infrastructures. to be sure, cloud computing is taking the It world by storm and providing new and more efficient ways to rein in the complexities of managing hardware, software and resources.
8 february 2009 // aMD accelerate

We are seeing the lines blur between devices and functionality. the Internet and cloud computing are beginning to deliver on the promise of providing rich content in a seamless and ubiquitous way, says Michael Gartenberg, vice president for Mobile Strategy at Jupitermedia in New york city. Organizations, Gartenberg notes, are moving to an It model that delivers data on demand. that, in turn, is ratcheting up flexibility and agilityand helping organizations become more competitive. although definitions of cloud computing vary, the common denominator is that the technology taps into the Internet to manage data and It-related services. the term cloud typically refers to any and all servers and systems to which an organization or individuals seamlessly connect via the Internet. It helps build a data-on-demand computing model

that provides easier access to data and helps ensure that the most-current files and data are available at any given moment. as a result, it bridges operating systems, hardware and software platforms and devices. applications such as Google Docs and salesforce.com are among the most prominent examples of cloud computing. However, the concept also encompasses Software-asa-Service (SaaS) and Web 2.0 tools, including social networking services. these applications and services rely on the cloud to store data, which can then be viewed from a variety of devices, including desktop and notebook computers, PDas and mobile phones. cloud computing represents the next generation of Internet usage, observes Margaret lewis, director of commercial Solutions at aMD. It eliminates the need to have a one-to-one relationship with your

illustration: William Whitehurst

hardware, because your data resides in the cloud and is accessible anytime and anywhere. you simply visit the cloud to accomplish your task. Out Of the It fOg Over the last few years, high-speed connectivity, mobility and faster microprocessors have changed computing in profound ways. today theres a growing need to access data across platforms, systems and devices. add to the equation a desire to fast-track various projects and initiatives without enduring a series of complex stepsincluding setting up new servers and applicationsand its not very difficult to understand the appeal of the cloud. for sales professionals, a cloud computing initiative can put real-time dataleads, account information and sales figuresat their fingertips on a 24x7 global basis. It can help collaboration flourish and greater efficiency take hold without requiring an It department to directly manage the application. Moreover, upgrades and patches occur in the cloud and therefore can take place transparently and seamlessly. at the same time, an organization might turn to a social networking application to share knowledge. a cloud computing model can eliminate the need to constantly dial up bandwidth and servers. Its possible to scale up instantly to meet the needs of users, says Mark linton, director of communications for the application Platform Division of Microsoft. It enables the organization to approach computing resources in an extremely versatile way. Many organizations are already turning to cloud computing. according to market research firm IDc, spending on It cloud services is projected to grow from $16.2 billion in 2008 to $42.3 billion in 2012. IDc notes that cloud computing includes areas as diverse as storage, business applications, infrastructure software and application development. about 57 percent of the current spending on cloud projects involves business applications. all of this is driving a spate of industry and company initiatives. among them: Microsoft

Windows azure, which enables developers to write Microsoft-compatible software hosted on servers operating within Microsofts global data center network. Windows azure combines cloud-based developer features with storage and computational and networking infrastructure services. Quad-core aMD Opteron processors power Windows azure compute Service. the Quad-core aMD Opteron processor with aMD Virtualization (aMD-V) technology and Direct connect architecture was selected for its ability to deliver significant performance-per-watt efficiencies; successfully handle heavy peak workloads without sacrificing performance; enable massive cloud scaling; and offer a reliable foundation that helps global, Web-based cloud computing environments better manage the demands of 24x7 uptime for enterprises large and small. Windows azure takes advantage of the Windows platform and cloud computing in three primary ways. at the foundation layer, it helps organizations run applications at Internet scale on Microsoft data centers. Windows azure provides on-demand compute and storage capability to host, scale and manage Web applications, all via Microsofts data centers, linton explains. at the middle tier, Windows azure provides developer services so that an organization can write applications in the cloudincluding those that access storage and use SQl databases or the .Net framework. It offers authentication and data center security. through its live Services, it can also provide a consistent way for users to store, share and synchronize documents, photos, files and information across their Pcs, phones, Pc applications and Web sites. finally, theres the finished application layer, which includes services such as Microsoft exchange and Microsoft SharePoint. It can ramp up business content, collaboration and rapid solution development in the cloud. customers now have powerful choices and flexibilitythey can run onpremises applications, applications hosted

by partners or applications that are totally in the cloud. this can mean cost savings and greater It agility, linton says. the SkyS the LImIt regardless of the exact approach, a seamless transition to cloud computing requires planning and preparation. first, its vital to decide which applications should reside in the cloud, says aMDs lewis. typically, the best candidates are applications that need to be globally accessed or those that involve a lot of data sharing. Second, the transition to a cloud computing environment can require a shift in architectures and infrastructures. as linton puts it, Its essential to know that the application will function well and people will have access to data as they need it. finally, an organization must have adequate security in place. for organizations that put all the pieces together, the benefits can be substantial. Not only can customers, partners and employees gain access to data faster and more efficiently but they can also actand reactmore quickly. a well-designed cloud computing platform enables organizations to switch on new apps quickly, trim development costs and build greater flexibility and agility into the enterprise. It also can help them migrate to faster and better servers, including those using Quad-core aMD Opteron processors optimized for cloud services such as azure. Make no mistake, cloud computing is here to stay and will have a big impact on It over the next few years. this isnt a short-term trend, and it isnt just a hot new buzzword, lewis observes. this is the next stage of evolution for businesses and industry. cloud computing is changing how we think about applicationsas well as how they are designed and used. n

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