Cloud Computing - Web based word editing First commonly used App

In cloud computing based applications the Web based Word is the first commonly used application. In this the word application is not installed on your local desktop or laptop machine. Insted this is available on cloud server. Therefore you don't need to have costly Microsoft office application installed on your local machine.
Also the word document that you create is stored on the servers in the cloud. So wherever and whenever you need this it is available for you.

 

This is very useful when you want same word document to be shared and updated by multiple users spread across the globe. This kind of collaboration is not possible when you have document on your local computer or on your office computer. Also one very useful application of web based word application is that you can not lose your work. It is saved and is available for you even when you close the browser or shut down your computer. You can show it to your customers if internet connection is available.

 

Best of all most of the web based word applications at present are available for free. It is very useful for small businesses and casual users. In general these applications have most of the commonly used features of Microsoft Word application.

Is web based Word Processor right for you?

Before you start using a web based word processor or a cloud service, you need to ask if this is the right service for your need.

Here are some of the uses, where this holds a promise.

Beginners: If you are a new user and just starting the word processing then web based word is a right choice for you. Google Docs will be a good choice to start learning. Though this has a limited functionality and is a good place to begine with.
Casual Users: If you are a modest user then web based word is a good choice. If you are just writing some memos and letters then look for this solution with the assumptions that these letters and memos are not sensitive to privacy and critical to your business.
Access at Multiple Locations: If you need to access your document at multiple locations and too frequently then web based solution you can look for. Storing your document in cloud gives you flexibility to access the document even when you forget to carry your laptop.
Document Collaborators: If you share and collaborate on your documents for editing the data on the document then web based word processing is one good solution to your needs.

As I have discussed so far who should use it, it is also fair to write who should not use this service.
No Internet Users If you have limited access to internet then you should not opt for this service as the minimum requirement is that you should have access to fast internet connection.
Sensitive Documents: If your documents are sensitive in nature with respect to your privacy or business then you should not opt for this service. In that case storing document on your computer with restricted access will be a better option. No matter what Internet is not 100% secure.
Highly Formatted Document If you like to have fancy formatting on your documents or love macro based formatting then web based word is not the right choice for you. Having word copy installed on your local machine will be a better choice for you. Also if you like to have fancy printouts then also web based word is not a good choice.

Cloud Computing - A Technology or a Buying model

In my last post I have written about the "Cloud Computing" and who should use it.  But let us see if this is a technology or a buying model. Cloud computing is all about computing outside of your firewall and sharing the resources. I will not classify this as a Technology. Here SaaS as technolgy plays an important role.

Long time ago when electricity was invented there was no concept of public distribution of electricity. Every home was having it's own electricity producing machines. Then came the concept of "Electricity Grid". And electricity was distributed to each home at a cost effective manner.

Cloud computing is similar to the concept of "Electricity Grid" and "electricity distribution". Here the computing power is available in the form of many computers and servers working as grid and available in cloud. The data (electricity) is distributed and made available to your need via internet.

The concept seems simple and public appealing. However there are still issues remaining of pricing. Here pricing of this service is the key. As the software applications that you will be using depends on the need and quality of the application. At present most of the applications are available as free service. But it is becoming more challenging for companies to develop a sustainable revenue model.

While this concept can help many of the small businesses to use the technology in a simple manner without investing too much into technology infrastructure. However this also pose a significant risk of your data and documents being stored outside of your organization boundaries.

I will still consider this more like a Buying model than a technology. Coming years will tell us if this will be a sustainable business model in a technology world.

Cloud Computing - What is this all about?

Now a days everyone is talking about Cloud Computing. It is a hot buzz word right now. But what does it mean to you and your business let's examine.

What is Cloud Computing?


In a traditional form of computing the documents that you create are stored on to your desktop or on server. Though this can be shared among the computers connected on to networks. To open these documents the software must be installed onto your local computers. Each of your operation is PC centric.

In cloud computing the software programs that you use are not stored on your local computers but are accessed using the Internet. These programs and your files and data are stored onto servers that can be accessed via Internet and you can use them whenever and wherever you want it. That means your word document or your business presentation can be stored on the server and whenever you need it to open you can do it on your local computer without having to install MS Word or PowerPoint on your local computers. That mean your PC is not so important to save or access the document.

That sounds excellent and money saving. But let us examine it little more. Is it for everyone?

You should not think about it if..

You don't have broadband Internet connection. As you know in Cloud computing the computing is done outside of your firewall. The minimum requirement for you to use the cloud computing is that you should have access to Internet.

You should not use it if privacy and security of your document is a concern. The biggest concern for the use of Internet is the data security. Though companies are claiming that their networks are secure but this is a true fact that Internet is not 100% secure. As your file and documents are stored out side of your home or office (on to the servers of your service providers) you are not guaranteed for the security. Though the service providers are claiming that data is 100% secure but still their are cases of data theft around the world.

In my next post I will be writing in detail about the cloud computing. Various collaboration models and applications.

A Communication Technology Like this - No Cell Phone

I am a technocrat and believe in high technology. But recently I was reading one article and then started giving a thought about this.

Have you ever given a thought "Why do some people talk loudly even when they are standing very close?". Or some time you get a feeling or message that someone very close to you is in trouble and you start crying. I got an amazing answer while reading a book by one saint. Many of you may not agree on this, but I suggest you give a try and then make your decision.

Actually for a healthy body both heart and mind should work in sync. If either of these is not working person is considered dead. When two bodies are talking to each other both of these human organs start working together and start communication. When two people start differing on a particular topic the distance between the two hearts increases. The Mind thinks that the other body is at distance and forces voice to go up so that a distant body can listen. The volume goes up and up with assumption that two bodies are far apart because the distance between the two hearts is increasing.

On the flip side of this, when two hearts are really close to each other, the volume is low because the mind thinks that two bodies are very close to each other. You can observe it when you are communicating with someone very close to you (your wife, girl friend, mother or anyone else). The other person understands your feeling even without speaking a word. This communication is so strong that even in a crowded area the other person understands it and communication takes place.

When two hearts are really very close to each other, their mind communicates well with each other even without cell and person gets the feeling on the other side. In some of the cultures we have some similar stories, where people were able to communicate with each other using only mind and hearts.

It looks like in the evolution process some where human lost this ability. Can we practice this to get back this ability?

After Y2K a Year 2020 Problem ??

We all have seen the Y2K problem when we realized that computers may not be able to respond correctly in year 2000 due to date related problem. Now we are entering in a decade long problem that may not be solved by computers or computer programmers only. After year 2000 we have seen significant amount of work going out of US. But employers are not so worried about IT work only, they are also worried about the shortage of work force in other business process areas.

From 2010 US is entering in a decade long problem of retiring work force. Look at this graphics given. Significant amount of work force entering into retirement and post retirement age. This is a wide spread problem and not only an IT problem. 2.3 Million teachers will retire during this period. Many of doctors and nurses will also come into this group of people. That will further put stress on health care system.

With aging people prefer to do office work than the work that requires physical stress. This was one of those driving factor to move the production facilities out of US. And US has seen a growth in service industry during this period. Now the next decade pose a significant amount of challenges for US corporates as well as young generation.

Though some of the corporates have supplemented their workforce by outsourcing their IT and business processes but there are still many organizations that are not yet prepared. The transfer of knowledge and preparation of second layer of leadership and management are the challenges of today.

Managing a more global team requires a little different management skills, a deep understanding of different cultures, and socioeconomic status of various countries.

Outsourcing is one possible solution to supplement the workforce that it will also have significant amount of long lasting negative effects on society in terms of lower buying power, poor motivation among the younger generation.

Virtual Reality - An emerging Technolgy

Virtual reality is a technology that allows users to interact with a computers simulated environment. In the past few years we have seen certain games based on this technology. But all this were based on visuals. But how about interacting with computers when you see, hear, feel, speak, taste and smell together.

Yes now technologies have made possible to interact with computer with all five senses. Though there are still some challenges in terms of feel and smell but many researches are taking place that may make a lot possible. Some devices have already been designed that can simulate a smell electronically if you wear them while operating computers.

With this technology possible it will help schools and institutes to create more interactive, virtually real learning environment. Consider you are learning to cook something on computer and you can virtually smell and taste the food. Many of you may argue that it is not going to happen.

This research has recently shown some hope and promise and will give a new era in Web. This can be used in education, training, tourism, medicines and gaming and recreation industry.

Some of the challenges at present are the size of the equipment people to wear to get this experience. Those challenges are being addressed by the companies that are producing them.

We are still some years away before we can see these technologies being available commercially. Though the solution is still in research labs but we can hope some positive results in coming years and we can see certain products and solutions in market.

Cordless Electricity - A possible future

An old idea that electricity needs wire to travel. That is going to change in near future. The idea of cordless electricity is not a new concept. It was tried century ago. The researches are going on and few companies claim that we are only 3 to 5 years behind when solution will be commercially available.

You may be surprised that to use your computer or laptop or even kitchen appliances, you may not need wires to connect to electrical outlets. You can power your laptops with magnetic field.

Actually the idea was tested by Pittsburgh based company in 2003 on a LED 1.5 miles away from the electrical outlet. Though there are some unanswered questions are still there like effect of magnetic field on human body exposed for a longer duration of time. But hope with time we will have a solution for this also.

If the solution is successful it will force changes to many businesses including electric cars to look into their products and redesign.

Present IT Job Market

In present economy there have been many job losses not only in IT but in other sectors also. IT industry in US has reached to its maturity. It may not see any more exponential growth in US market. Now the organizations are looking for the most optimized use of IT in their business.

10 years ago the people who supported the idea of offshore/outsourcing are now arguing aginst this. Though outsourcing has definitely given various advantages to many of the corporations not only in terms of IT cost but with the growth in the sale of their products overseas.

If you look at the CocaCola revenue contribution only 20% comes from US. GM and Ford have lost its market share in US but have gained in India and China. It is mainly because of IT outsourcing. It was a win-win situation for the business.

With the current economic crisis, the companies are forced to further reduce the IT cost. Now there is trend when companies are talking about the gain upfront before they outsource. This is called as outcome based outsourcing. In the latest news articles India's Wipro and Infosys have accepted that their 30% of oursourcing contracts are not only based on service level agreement but also on outcome based agreements such as increase in sales and profit margins.

This will force even the India and China based companies to find alternative cost saving measurements either in terms of lower wages or improved performances.

In coming years US may see more IT job losses and this time it may be not be only in programming and operations but in high value like Architects and software designers.