Blog / Time Management

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Before we can see how Complete Data can be used in the Cloud, we need to know what Cloud Computing is. Many people use the words ‘internet’ and ‘cloud’ interchangeably but when combined with ‘Computing’ the meaning gets bigger and fuzzier.

Essentially Cloud Computing is when users move their computer hardware infrastructure and software from their local office environment to actual or virtual scalable machines in a remote location managed and supported by others.

With Cloud Computing users log into a Web-based service which hosts one or more of the programs they need to do their job. Remote machines owned by others, run the functions needed by the user. One of the functions could be Complete Data.

In a cloud computing system, there's a significant workload shift. Local computers no longer have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to running applications. The network of computers that make up the cloud handles it instead. Hardware and software demands on the user's side dramatically decrease. The only thing the user's computer needs to be able to run is the cloud computing system's interface software, which can be as simple as a Web browser, and the cloud's network takes care of the rest.

There's a good chance you've already used some form of cloud computing. If you have an e-mail account with a Web-based e-mail service like Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or Gmail, then you've had some experience with cloud computing. Instead of running an e-mail program on your computer, you log in to a web e-mail account remotely. The software and storage for your account doesn't exist on your computer - it's on the service's computer cloud.

One of the issues that needs to be considered when making decisions about using Cloud Computing is the speed of the internet in your area. If this is not great then users will experience delays when processing data. The Complete Data Server can be moved to a remote virtual machine managed by Keysoft and accessed over the internet but if the internet is slow, uses will be waiting for actions, that take very little time with a server in house, to complete. It is expected though that when the Australian National Broadband Network (NBN) is completed this mode of operation will be commonly used. Some parts of the NBN are already in place and operational but it will be up to six years before Australia is fully serviced.

In the meantime both Desktops and Servers can be virtualised in a remote location and accessed by lightweight machines eg: ipads either in or out of the office. The issue here is one of cost as the hardware and software infrastructure to support this solution is still quite expensive.

Pros:

• Reduced infrastructure costs
• Access your systems anywhere you can get internet access
• No on-site server and server maintenance required

Cons:

• Others in control of your data
• Losing your internet connection means losing access to your
• system data

In summary, Complete Data functionality will be commonly accessed via Cloud Computing in the future as improvements in bandwidth make low cost delivery and infrastructure options more commonplace.  

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