If you are contemplating hosting some of your applications and data in one of the large public clouds, you are probably wondering what the performance and availability is like.
Up to now, the only way has been to trust the vendors claims or to sign-up to the services and test them yourself.
If you are considering hosting your application(s) with a cloud service provider …. read this first.
There are many many articles written extolling the benefits of ‘cloud technology’. However, most of these are written by a supplier or specialised consultant – meaning they aren’t independent. There are also reports written on the subject by consulting companies, but these tend to be theoretical and ‘up in the clouds’ (if you will excuse the pun) – they aren’t based on real-life experience.
What is a ‘private cloud’ ? There are many definitions, but here I am referring to the use of virtualised processing and storage technology for your companys use. This can be hosted on your site, or hosted with a service provider for your own use. Many of the points mentioned are also relevant to public cloud services.
Here are some real-life benefits of using the technology and some advice.
That shiny new cloud is just so tempting. At just the click of a button, you can move your corporate data to it and enjoy the financial and operational benefits. But wait – before moving any data to the cloud, make sure you fully understand the legal and regulatory implications of doing it, especially the jurisdiction where your data is to be located.
The issue of data jurisdiction has always been with us – it’s not a new ’cloud’ thing. However, with cloud services excitement reaching fever-pitch, it’s a good opportunity to discuss it again.
If, up-to now, your data has all been hosted by your company in the same jurisdiction and all your users are in that jurisdiction, then you probably haven’t had to think about this before. Read on ….
In 2008, Sharp Copiers commissioned a security survey. They found that 60% of the respondents were unaware that copiers stored electronic images of the copied documents. People were also not aware of, or not willing to pay for security packages offered by the major copier manufacturers. These encrypt or erase an image from the hard drive.
A recent news story is a scary reminder, after client data was found on a company’s used photocopier in a warehouse of second-hand equipment, when it was returned at the end of its lease.
Remember the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s gold” – just because you can’t access data on a faulty piece of media doesn’t mean someone else can’t.
How do you make sure that your equipment doesn’t contain any valuable company data when it leaves your premises ? Read on ….
BBC News – Jersey CI
