At 12:56 PM 31/05/2013, Nick Ross wrote: >Isn't it the case that all current services are on the internet >already. While the cloud makes them more easily accessible, it's >likely to have better security than a zillion government servers >which are poorly maintained, no?
In my limited knowledge, just thinking logically, there would be yes/no answers to that. If you collect 'all' your data in one place, it is more at risk if the security is breached. Distributed data doesn't have that risk unless all the security employed across the range of servers are equally low. If you rob Fort Knox where all the gold is, you're going to win bigger than trying to hit a bunch of different banks. But Fort Knox is strongly secured in the scheme of things. As we have seen, though, nothing is impenetrable, even when the stores are managed by those with the highest attention to security. Which risk is less? At a minimum, I'd be looking at back-up strategies that didn't rely solely on the one cloud storage provider or would be looking into their diversification of back-up services. It doesn't solve the breach of data into the wild, but it at least means you can't be totally locked out or at the mercy of a single source for access/recovery, like the poor schmucks how were held to data ransom of thousands of dollars in their local office practices. >As for raw costs, the efficiencies of cloud must be vast compared to >maintaining and supporting and updating local infrastructure. This takes a bigger brain than mine. Someone is going to have to pay for the power consumption (did you see the story about the power consumption of Bitcoin as well as the compute power? Incredible.). Someone is going to pay for the hardware capital costs and the system support. Yeah, there is probably a sharing cost, but there is also a profit margin that will need to be covered. Hence my question about shortterm charging models versus long term return and cost recovery costs in subsequent contracts. Just look at what has happened with the electricity industry costs in Victoria after privatisation or the run-down copper network for comms. Pay me now or pay me later. There is no such thing as a free cloud. I just don't know the real economics of it. The business case, the business case! Has anyone looked at it with an eye to these questions more than the forward estimates costs? >Am doing a lot of radio on this today, so any thoughts are welcome! Hope that helps. Jan (just a curious bystander with no skin in the game in Queensland, but felt a large jump in electricity in Victoria this quarter) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia [email protected] blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ business: http://www.janwhitaker.com Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth. ~Madeline L'Engle, writer _ __________________ _ _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
