the last word

The last of the cloud disadvantages/concerns: Availability.  The reliability component of availability is one of the selling points of cloud computing, but it’s also one of the problems. If you’re selling cloud computing, you point out that your systems are highly redundant and maintained by expert technicians. If you have a more jaundiced point of… [Read More]

Another cloud disadvantage is… Performance. Cloud implementations have one strike against them from the get-go; with a few exceptions, they can’t possibly feel as crisp as their all-desktop equivalents because of network latency and bandwidth issues. Accessing your Exchange account through a browser provides an experience that looks remarkably like Outlook, but the performance is… [Read More]

Here’s something else to think about if you’re getting into coud computing: Backup. What’s backup doing on the list of cloud computing disadvantages? It’s supposed to be one of the big advantages. In theory, it is. If your comparison is to the sloppy job most home users to with backup, it’s probably an advantage in… [Read More]

Here are the first two areas of concern for cloud computing. Privacy. So your data is out there in the cloud. The cloud is an abstraction; your data is sitting on somebody else’s disks in one or more of their computer centers. Who is managing those disks? From one perspective, it’s a bunch of people… [Read More]

Cloud computing has been much in the news of late, with Steve Jobs’ announcement the other day adding a little exclamation point. The excitement is approaching giddiness. At the risk of raining on the parade, I thought I’d do a few posts on some of the downsides of cloud computing. First, let me explain my… [Read More]