Looking up at the Cloud

Cloud computing may be an abused word, but it truly is worth all the hype that surrounds it. Let me explain to you why it makes sense. The first and foremost is the implementation. The data is stored on the cloud, which means that the data is external. You really don't know where it is stored and need not be worried about this aspect, because the data is guaranteed to be there. Although the uptime cannot be 100%, it's pretty close. Data is synonymous with thoughts. An average human thinks at least 40,000 thoughts in a day. These are not wasted, but stored as Akashic (Sky) records. Today we don't know how the brain accesses this information. But somehow we are connected to this database, which is online always.

The second area of concern is the security. On a public cloud, the data is quite secure, but hackers can percolate in this setup, as we know from the recent attacks on Sony. We have been having clouds like gmail, yahoo mail etc. which have not been compromised. For data that needs regulation or compliance, a private cloud is the solution. For other low priority applications, they can very well be shifted to a public cloud. CRM, Payroll are some of the applications which match this requirement. A private cloud gives a sense of ownership and a public cloud a shared approach. For many of the users a hybrid cloud presents the best solution. Most of the thoughts that happen to us are readable by everyone (and I don't just mean human brains) but connections like a prayer happen over an encrypted line. In this context this is synonymous to public and private cloud.

Till now I have been talking mainly about SaaS. (Software as a service) There are many other kinds of services. One of them is IaaS. (Infrastructure as a service) In this typically, we get the fine tuning control of the infrastructure where our applications and data are hosted. To make efficient use of our information we have to virtualize it. This simply means using CPU and Storage effectively to their fullest. To live our life to the fullest, we need to balance the following aspects: Physical, Emotional, Social and Spiritual. A conscious approach to this is needed which will in turn achieve virtualization. Thoughts can be controlled totally by us. When that is done we become aware, like conscious adhering to standards like green.

For those of you who have sunken costs into existing applications, the cloud may seem a formidable solution. Do not worry. Take it as it comes. If you really feel that some aspects of the cloud can be put to use, go ahead, and give it a shot. But remember, there may be quacks, who would, want you to, part with your hard earned money. So read the prospectus carefully before you sign on that dotted line.

May it rain forever …

Guru30