Link to audio here.
I've linked this piece here because it gives an interesting introduction to the idea behind cloud computing, not to mention how it could be used in the government. Sooner or later I would like to discuss Cloud Computing in another post, but for now give it a listening to and tell me what your responses are.
It's clear that the term "Cloud Computing" has "crossed the chasm". That means it's now in the hands of all sorts of non-technical people who are gradually destroying its original meaning.
ReplyDeleteGoogle Docs is not cloud computing any more than Excel is Windows. The correct technical term is "Software as a Service" (Saas), which is just not as fun to say.
There's a French article which explains the difference:
http://tinyurl.com/7jwbwb
But I can summarize it with a small excerpt:
- Infrastructures : Cloud Computing
- Usages : SaaS
Someone also makes a good comment on the NPR page that it's not an all-or-nothing choice for the administration. I think documents which require secrecy and guaranteed authenticity will not be stored in cloud servers. There me some opportunities to experiment with collaborative documents in certain agencies where transparency is beneficial.
Green web hosting companies power their servers through renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Working online without any paper trail may seem green, but if the servers of a hosting company are emitting CO2 then the purpose of going green is defeated. ssd vps
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