Technology Update

Let the light pierce through the darkness Close all old accounts, turn a new leaf Re-learn that old lesson of friendship Kill nor be killed, settle for lessening Amidst us of this fossilized hatred

Technology Update

Perhaps that time has not come yet when our, Gods would listen to the beats in our hearts, peace and happiness spread their glow, perhaps we would have to force Mother Time?.

New Cure for Hassle-full Computing

Let’s face it for many being on the computer is hassle-full. Being on the computer isn’t fun and productive any more.

Whether your home or business computers are online or offline over time they seem to slow down and many times crash. Being on the computer isn’t fun and productive any more. What is it that

causes these problems?

It’s my experience that the average individual knows a lot about his/her chosen field and very little about computer repair services and protecting information stored on a home or business computer.

Most of us are looking for a simple easy way to work or play on our computer. Unfortunately, computers have become complicated, necessary tools. Yet, it seems, several months after purchasing a computer it begins to bog down and run slower. You might experience mysterious freeze ups and crashes. Once this problem turns into a nuisance, generally, the computer is taken into a computer repair service shop where it will be out of commission for a week or so and a few hundred dollars spent to clean it up.

Most people don’t understand the relationship between a slow running computer and cyber-crime. Yet, the relationship is huge. There is a huge need to develop safe computer practices and rely on

an emerging computer industry called “Personal Computer Services.”

One of the ways I like to describe computer safe practices is by comparing it to safe dental practices. We are encouraged to develop an everyday practice of flossing and cleaning teeth, right? We do this to keep the teeth clean and avoid dental problems like infection and tooth decay in the future. In other words we do this to avoid dental hassles. We want a hassle-free dental experience.

Now, when you compare best dental practices to keeping your computer running like new, you need to implement similar measures. Only this time instead of brushing and flossing you have to develop safe computer practices including purchasing the computer repair service money can buy. On top of that, you’ll also need to set up a safe practices guideline for everyone in your family.

A slow running computer or a computer that crashes frequently may be a sign of Malware (Trojans, viruses, worms, and other malicious code) on your computer. These hacker tools not only can be used to steal sensitive information from your computer they slow your computer down or even cause computer crashes. Unfortunately, traditional over-the-counter computer protection products don’t keep up with this growing problem. If they did would we continue to have these problems?

Over the last three years there’s been a huge shift from curious hackers to professional hackers creating devious methods to steal proprietary information from computers like yours. This evolving threat is costing individuals and businesses tens of billions of dollars every year. V. McNiven, an advisor to the U.S Department of treasury has stated, “The proceeds from cyber-crime are now greater than the sale of illegal drugs.

These evil hackers continue to find more devious ways of stealing financial and proprietary information. It is important that every individual, family and business have a computer repair service plan in place to protect themselves from these cyber terrorists.

You might be surprised to learn that computers that don’t go online are vulnerable through file sharing from infected flash drives, cds and floppies. These devices, when infected, can install scrambling software or logic bomb software that opens up the possibility of extortion to get your proprietary information back.

A 2007 PC Magazine survey of 42,000 PCs worldwide released last September showed the top speed killers. The problems included:

· Over 52 percent of the PCs surveyed were clogged up with spyware

· Over 60 percent of the PCs surveyed had un-optimized Internet settings slowing the Internet down and even signaling that spyware and other malware have secretly stolen portions of your bandwidth to run on your PC.

· Surveyed computers also contained an average of twelve serious registry problems per unit that may have been caused by spyware and other malware.

Incredible, many of these computers are supposedly protected by the over-the-counter products that aren’t doing what they promise to do. So how can individuals and small businesses protect against identity theft, fraud and extortion? How can they get their computers back to running like new again?

Here are six crucial steps to protecting your computer and making it fun and productive again:

1. Keep your computers patched. Microsoft has automatic patch updates. Make sure are signed up to receive them.

2. Use professional enterprise grade anti-virus and anti-spyware at the email and web gateways. Install a professional grade by-directional firewall to guard against backdoor threats.

3. Use sender-authentication technologies, such as Sender Policy Framework (SPF) to make phishing far more difficult since – In theory – phishers will only be able to send their spam from “unapproved” domains.

4. Develop and enforce a password policy. This will make passwords difficult to be guessed. Use a different password for each situation. Make sure these passwords are changed frequently. If you use one password for every web site, for example, and a phisher manages to steal it, all of your online activity is at risk. Sophos, an enterprise grade Internet Security Company, recently conducted a business poll and discovered 41 percent of the respondents were using the same password for all web sites.

5. Keep an eye on the advice from organizations promoting safe computing. Many of their web sites will list the latest threats, and give advice on how to protect your home and business against them.

6. Always report suspicious activity.

Just as important, find a computer repair service that offers “Personal Computer Services.” Your personal computer service should include online repair at no additional cost. The end result: hassle-free computing making being on the computer fun and productive again. With the right computer repair service, using computers at home and at work should be hassle-free allowing you to focus more on your home and business activities.

11 Jul 11 | Tags: Computing, Cure, Hasslefull
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Cloud Computing Technology

1. Introduction

The concept of future technology and how it should be managed should be looked at keenly in many organizations. This report will look at how cloud computing as a future technology could be managed. This report will explain the implications of cloud computing on business especially in the IT department. In this case, this report will look at the history and the current state of cloud computing, what are its effects in the changing technology, and how it will affect the management issues in organizations (Furht & Escalante, 2010).

Cloud computing is an emerging technology that is aimed and bringing all business processes at the central point. Internet is created in such a way that all processes needed in any business will be found there. In order to ease the usage of this new technology, companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have come up with new ways of creating spaces for storage of both data and software in the internet. As a result of this, managers and other business operators are relieved from the burden of purchasing and installing software, hardware, and hard discs into their computers. Cloud computing technology is bringing about the aspect of global village as one can access his/her business information at any time and place even while away from the business premises (Beard, 2008).

2.0 The History and current state of the cloud computing
2.1 definition of cloud computing

According to Miller (2008), cloud computing is a paradigm shift which denotes internet-based working out where shared resources; software and information are offered to central processing units and other mechanisms on-demand. This is a process whereby services are stored or offered over the internet in an organization. So many may use cloud working out in using online accounting and payroll services instead of venturing in accounting or payroll software (Beard, 2008).

Certainly, the cloud computing technology has been proclaimed as the way of the future despite the fact that it is very new in the Information Technology industry. Cloud computing is generally used to mean the use of internet for all needs of computers in an organization or industry. In the information technology industry, computers are used in most of the activities carried out in this industry and hence cloud computing may be a very appropriate technology here. Rather than having the information in an organization stored in discs, hardware and software; all information is stored on the internet. A good example here is the use of Google mail or the Hotmail services as these services stores all the information an organization may need in their servers. In this relation, an industry may store all its information on the Google Docs and Google Calendar as they are software sites free for use (Marks & Lozano, 2009).

Many organizations want to make benefits out of the free services provided on the internet like Google Docs. A good example here is the Microsoft and the Amazon companies where they have offered windows programs and operating systems which can be used by users to store and sell products. Through these websites, there is no need for extra storage of information in software, discs and hardware as servers are provided with services even into areas of marketing (Miller, 2008).

2.2 The current state of cloud computing

Many organizations and businesses have started the technology of cloud computing where they store most of the information about their businesses on the internet. According to Miller (2008), if cloud computing is dismissed out of hand there will be a big mistake in technology. This is because it is cheaper and allows organizations to concentrate on their main businesses. Importantly, with cloud computing there is no need of running a data center as the user will pay as he/she goes (Rittinghouse & Ransome, 2009).

Certainly, many organizations and industries are rushing to the cloud computing where as they are inadequately aware of its functioning. Vendors who have a blurred vision as afar as cloud computing is concerned are rushing to it which results to their loss of information. There are very few organizations that are currently making sense out of cloud computing. It should be noted that, there are so many statements about the cloud computing technology which are untrue. Among them as revealed by Miller (2008) are not to do anything mission critical on the internet and statements that stop people from putting sensitive information on the internet. All this information is untrue as there are numerous startups that are fully utilizing cloud computing. Additionally, there are many financial transactions which are occurring on the internet currently. In this case, it can be deduced that there are mixed confusion about cloud computing among private and organization’s businesses (Slabeva et al, 2009).

There is a lot of hope for success and failure in the field of cloud computing. As can be learnt from the early cycle for SOA, if people will not be very sensitive and serious about the use of cloud computing there will be mistakes similar to those committed previously on SOA. This will result to having a lot of garbage on the internet. In this case, as indicated by Beard (2008) the vendors who are simultaneously rushing to the cloud computing should be well informed that eventually they will have a consistent message unlike today where the message is very ‘cloudy’. Certainly, a total of 60% of all the internet users have utilized cloud computing either by storing data or used a web-based software application (Furht & Escalante, 2010).

Evidences have suggested that the state of cloud computing is strong and there are steps put in consideration to make it stronger. Businesses have grown drastically following the introduction of cloud computing. Most businesses are marketing and advertising their products on the internet rather than buying software, hardware and disc to store their information. A good example is Morgans Hotel Group which has deployed Google Apps to its 1,750 employees. Additionally, many companies have gone to Google Apps like John Diversey which is an international supplier of profitable cleaning and hygiene products. In the current state of cloud computing, most companies have moved their employees from the Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps even though there are others that are slow in changing. A very simple example which can be given in explaining the current state of cloud computing is the increasing practice of people storing their business plans and other information like list of directors in their Gmails (Beard, 2008).

In the developed countries, there are increased usage of cloud computing among companies and organizations. This has been brought about by the increased technological advancement in the field of information technology. On the other hand, developing countries have not contributed a lot in cloud computing as could be compared to the developed countries. It’s a challenge to the developing countries to exploit the opportunities provided by cloud computing in order to reduce the associated risks in allowing access to advanced information technology (Marks & Lozano, 2009).

In the current state of cloud computing storage of information is basically close calculation and hence information management is simpler than when it is in grids. On this basis, as indicated by Furht and Escalante (2010) implementation and storage of data is significantly smaller and hence effective in assignment of jobs as well as data setting and convey (Rittinghouse & Ransome, 2009).

31 May 11 | Tags: Cloud, Computing, Technology
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Understanding Cloud computing in detail

loud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices on-demand, like a public utility. The term cloud is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on the cloud drawing used in the past to represent the telephone network , and later to depict the Internet in computer network diagrams as an abstraction of the underlying infrastructure it represents. Typical cloud computing providers deliver common business applications online which are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on servers.

It is the idea of accessing files, software and computing services through the Internet instead of on your personal computer. In the simplest of terms, if your software or your files are “somewhere out there” instead of on your computer’s hard drive, you’re using Cloud Computing services. The Cloud is the Internet, and one of the primary benefits of Cloud Computing is the ability to create, update and store your files through any computer that has access to the web.In general, cloud computing customers do not own the physical infrastructure, instead avoiding capital expenditure by renting usage from a third-party provider. They consume resources as a service and pay only for resources that they use.

History of Cloud Computing Concept dating back to the 1960′s by John McCarthy, a computer scientist, brought up the idea that “computation may someday be organized as a public utility” Idea that revolutionized Cloud Computing. Many cloud-computing offerings employ the utility computing model, which is analogous to how traditional utility services (such as electricity) are consumed, whereas others bill on a subscription basis. Sharing “perishable and intangible” computing power among multiple tenants can improve utilization rates, as servers are not unnecessarily left idle (which can reduce costs significantly while increasing the speed of application development). A side-effect of this approach is that overall computer usage rises dramatically, as customers do not have to engineer for peak load limits. In addition, “increased high-speed bandwidth” makes it possible to receive the same response times from centralized infrastructure at other sites.A technical definition of cloud computing is “a computing capability that provides an abstraction between the computing resource and its underlying technical architecture (e.g., servers, storage, networks), enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.

EXAMPLES OF CLOUD COMPUTING

In addition to web-based email, some online services have started expanding their offerings by providing word processing and other office applications online. Google Docs is one example, which offers web-based word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and calendaring functions.

All you need is access to the Internet, and you can create and store files in these Cloud-based applications. Documents and presentations can be uploaded from your hard drive and stored on the Web, allowing you to freedom to access them from any computer, and collaborate with other users, without having multiple copies of the document spread around different computers.

In Cloud-based computing, there’s no software to download, and you can even store your documents online. Everything happens in the Cloud, via your web browser.

You may already be using Cloud Computing, and not know it. If you’re storing your photos online via Flickr or Photobucket, you’re in the Cloud. The same thing applies to video hosting sites such as YouTube, as well as online backup service like Carbonite.

Other software companies are already working on the idea of Cloud Computing, as an alternative to the traditional method of downloading or installing software on a hard drive. Some accounting software makers now have applications that are web-based. You simply enter a user name and password in order to get access to your accounting files. Examples of companies that do this are Quickbooks and Peachtree.

CHARACTERISTICS

There are five essential characteristics of cloud computing:-

Rapid Elasticity: Elasticity is defined as the ability to scale resources both up and down as needed. To the consumer

, the cloud appears to be infinite, and the consumer can purchase as much or as little computing power as they need.

This is one of the essential characteristics of cloud computing.

Measured Service: In a measured service, aspects of the cloud service are controlled and monitored by the cloud provider. This is crucial for billing, access control, resource optimization, capacity planning and other tasks.

On-Demand Self-Service: The on-demand and self-service aspects of cloud computing mean that a consumer can use cloud services as needed without any human interaction with the cloud provider.

Ubiquitous Network Access: Ubiquitous network access means that the cloud provider’s capabilities are available over the network and can be accessed through standard mechanisms by both thick and thin clients.

Resource Pooling: Resource pooling allows a cloud provider to serve its consumers via a multi-tenant model. Physical and virtual resources are assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand. There is a sense of location independence in that the customer generally has no

control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter)

TYPES OF CLOUD

Public Cloud

In simple terms, public cloud services are characterized as

being available to clients from a third party service provider via the Internet. The term “public” does not always mean free, even though it can be free or fairly inexpensive to use.

A public cloud does not mean that a user’s data is publically visible; public cloud vendors typically provide an access control mechanism for their users. Public clouds provide an elastic, cost effective means to deploy solutions.

Private Cloud

A private cloud offers many of the benefits of a public

cloud computing environment, such as being elastic and service based. The difference between a private cloud and a public cloud is that in a private cloud-based service, data and processes are managed within the organization without the restrictions of network bandwidth, security exposures and legal requirements that using public cloud services might entail. In addition, private cloud services offer the provider and the user greater control of the cloud infrastructure, improving security and resiliency because user access and the networks used are restricted and designated.

Hybrid Cloud:

A hybrid cloud is a combination of a public and private cloud that interoperates. In this model users typically outsource non- business-critical information and processing to the public cloud, while keeping business-critical services and data in their control.

ARCHITECTURAL LAYERS OF CLOUD COMPUTING

Software as a service (SaaS)

Software as a service features a complete application offered as a service on demand. A single instance of the software runs on the cloud and services multiple end users or client organizations. Software as a Service Defined as service-on-demand, where a provider will license software tailored Infrastructure providers can allow customers’ to run applications off their infrastructure, but transparent to the end user Customers can utilize greater computing power while saving on the following Cost Space Power Consumption Facility.

Platform as a service (PaaS)

Platform as a service encapsulates a layer of software and provides it as a service that can be used to build higher-level services. Platform as a Service Provides all the facilities necessary to support the complete process of building and delivering web applications and services, all available over the internet Infrastructure providers can transparently alter the platforms for their customers’ unique needs. There are at least two perspectives on PaaS depending on the perspective of the producer or consumer of the services:

Someone producing PaaS might produce a platform by integrating an OS, middleware, application software, and even a development environment that is then provided to a customer as a service.

Someone using PaaS would see an encapsulated service that is presented to them through an API. The customer interacts with the platform through the API, and the platform does what is necessary to manage and scale itself to provide a given level of service.

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

Infrastructure as a service delivers basic storage and compute capabilities as standardized services over the network. Servers, storage systems, switches, routers, and other systems are pooled and made available to handle workloads that range from application components to high-performance computing applications. Infrastructure as a Service Defined as delivery of computer infrastructure as a service Fully outsourced service so businesses do not have to purchase servers, software or equipment Infrastructure providers can dynamically allocate resources for service providers Service providers offer this service to end users Allows cost savings for the service providers, since they do not need to operate their own datacenter Ad hoc systems allow quick customization to consumer demands.

ADVANTAGES

Following are the advantages of cloud computing:-
1. Software as a Subscription
In a cloud, software resides on a service providers servers external to a user’s computer. In a sense users would not have to buy software for their computers because the software is loaded per use while the user is online (via a browser or some kind of connector application). The only models that would support this type of software use would be a subscription based or pay as you go model. Instead of shelling 9 for Office Home & Student, a user may pay a set fee/month; say .95/month and the user can tailor their subscription to meet their needs. This will keep users from buying software that is bundled with applications the user may not care for. A perfect example of this is the Office Suite.
2. Reduced Software Maintenance
By keeping the software in the ‘clouds’ users can reduce the amount of maintenance on their computers. Nowadays essentially every program installed on a computer has an update function that searches for the latest software changes in order to patch security flaws, correct software issues, and/or introduce new functionality. When upgrades are made to software on the cloud it does not affect the user’s computer, it would not require for the user to restart their computers, it would simply mean that unless the change affects functionality or visual elements, the user will be oblivious to those updates and their computers will never be affected by those updates. A reasonable reduction in systems maintenance would be expected as a result of this.
3. Increased Reliability
Increased reliability stems from the fact that the cloud runs on systems that are extremely reliable and provide some form of redundancy. Unless a user takes the time to setup a backup system for their files or sets up some kind of redundancy with offsite backups, etc. Users run the risk of losing valuable and sometime unrecoverable data on their computers. In the case of grid computing if a storage server on the cloud fails due to hardware or software issues, the service provider needs only to shift the load over to other servers or bring up a backup server in its place. If it occurred at a users premises with installed software a simple issue can turn to hours of technical support over the phone, costly downtime, and unhappy users and customers.
4. Increased Scalability
Running out of hard drive space at home? Looks like an additional hard drive along with a visit to a computer technician for installation will solve the problem. However in a cloud computing environment, storage is not an issue, as long as you can pay for it. Service providers need only to add servers or shift load from one server to another to accommodate for the additional use of space. The same goes for application use, instead of a small business adding additional servers to handle business transactions all they have to do is contact the service provider to let them know that they will need additional resources.
5. Cost Reduction
Costs are reduced in a number of ways. Capital expenditures are reduced because a lot of the load and storage will be shifted over to the service provider who can provide that service at a lower cost. Aside from decreased capital expenditures associated with hardware purchases, users would see the cost of software decrease due to the reduced cost of subscription software. IT staff at businesses would be reduced because the majority of the maintenance is performed at the service provider.
6. Environmentally Friendly
One of the greatest advantages of cloud computing is the increased longevity and use of older hardware used by datacenters. This in turn lessens the amount of electronic waste dumped because equipment is older and increased use of those resources. When businesses use current assets instead of purchasing additional hardware they reduce the size of their carbon footprint because it is one less server that is put into service, it is one less server that is consuming electricity .
7. Matches Current Computing Trends
The introduction of the netbooks has moved a lot of sales from computers and laptops with more powerful processors and extended capabilities to less powerful and more efficient platforms . This signals that users are looking for computers that meet their needs and are affordable. The advent of cloud computing will be able to match this trend because a lot of the processing overhead is performed at the servers and not the computer, so the need for an extremely powerful computer is muted. As cloud computing matures and more and more processing is shifted to the cloud, computers will require less processing power and will have basic functionality.
8. Portability/Accessibility
One the greatest advantages to grid computing is the availability of files and software anywhere that there is an active internet connection. This brings forth added accessibility and productivity for those that are on the road and require access to files and software. With a large number of companies looking for alternatives to employees working at the office and the increasing number of employees making up a mobile workforce. The reduction in application costs and technical support would easily continue to support this trend towards a mobile workforce that would utilize the computer grid.
9. Efficient Use of Computer Resources
The advent of virtualization has provided companies with ways to efficiently used their computer resources. Users no longer require separate servers for different applications. With virtualization multiple server technologies can run from a single server. This shift to virtualization supports the growth of cloud computing due to the increased capabilities of servers. Cloud computing would also simplify IT’s role in computer management because computers would be software agnostic.
10. Versionless Software
Versionless software refers to the elimination of software upgrade projects. Changes and updates to software would be constant and version numbers would be transparent to the user, all the user would see is added functionality. It would also give users “…access to new technology early and often rather than forcing them to wait for a final, packaged product to be shipped. ” This concept will enable the enterprise to remain in the cutting edge of technology and would reduce training costs associated with new software releases.
As one can see the case for cloud computing is quite appealing. The shift towards cloud computing would enable businesses to save money while minimizing their impact on the environments. Users would have the flexibility of accessing information from anywhere on the planet where an internet connection exists. Everyone will benefit from the increased availability and affordability of applications that were beyond their reach due to cost and complexity with maintenance and installation. Lastly the need for additional training associated with new product releases would be eliminated to due to the nature of the applications constant changing state.
DISADVANTAGES
Unfortunately, Cloud Computing might also be costly to consumers. Although some web-based apps are free, it’s expected that some applications will require a monthly or yearly fee. In the end, these fees might add up to more than what you would pay to download and install the software to your computer.
There is also the concern of not being able to work on your files when you do not have access to the Internet. Business travelers may have to take this into consideration when deciding to use software online or offline.
Security is another issue. In Cloud Computing, your files are stored on a remote server, instead of within the privacy of your own home computer. Although your data is protected by a username and password, some worry that files will be more accessable to hackers, or that glitches on the part of the software company may expose private information. The flipside of this concern is that many home computers are easily compromised, due to viruses, spyware and botnets.
Still, software companies are changing gears and giving people the opportunity to use their services online. Users are starting to reconsider their ideas of what they actually need to install on their computer, and what they can comfortably store online. Are you using Cloud Computing?
Monthly fees
Business data is stored off site.
What happens to your data if your provider goes out of business?
If the Internet is down locally then Cloud applications may be unavailable.
Encryption of data transmission and storage needs to be considered.
Training of programmers with cloud standards.
Intellectual Property stored off site.

http://techankit.com/what-is-cloud-computing/

13 Apr 11 | Tags: Cloud, Computing, detail, Understanding
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Computing Technology Industry Association Issues Call for Papers for Breakaway 2008

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the leading trade association for the world’s information technology (IT) industry, announced today that it is now accepting speaking proposals for Breakaway 2008, the association’s annual member conference.

CompTIA Logo

Breakaway 2008, the IT industry’s premier partnering and educational event, is scheduled for Aug. 5-7 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

Seven educational tracks are planned for this year’s conference:

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery: A Roadmap for Success
Marketing Successfully in a New Service-centric World
Virtualization: The Value Proposition in the SMB Market
Green Computing: Benefits to the Environment and Your Business
Evolution of Managed Services: Where Are You?
Unified Communications: Applications for Today’s Business
Data Security in a Mobile World

Additional details on the individual educational tracks are available at http://breakaway.comptia.org/call_for_papers.aspx.

Proposals for speakers should include full contact information; the educational track name; title of the proposed session; a detailed description of the session; and the speaker’s name, title, organization, and biography. The deadline for submissions is Monday, June 16.

Each year Breakaway brings together executive-level representatives from IT industry manufacturers, distributors, value added resellers, systems integrators, independent software providers, service providers, and consultants. With its strong, solutions-based agenda and compelling educational content, Breakaway brings the IT channel together as the place to go for networking, education, building partnerships, and learning about new trends in the industry. For more information on Breakaway 2008, please visit http://breakaway.comptia.org/.

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the voice of the world’s trillion information technology industry. CompTIA membership extends into more than 100 countries and includes companies at the forefront of innovation; the channel partners and solution providers they rely on to bring their products to market; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their technology investments. For more information, please visit www.comptia.org.

15 Mar 11 | Tags: 2008, Association, Breakaway, Call, Computing, Industry, Issues, Papers, Technology
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Cloud Computing Education Taken to the Next Level

There is no surprise that cloud computing education is a necessary tool for many companies and even schools. With this type of computation system that should not be confused with others such as grid computing, utility computing or autonomic computing. Even if you are not completely familiar with cloud computing, you most definitely use it on a regular basis such in computer applications like Skype. The interesting part about cloud computing is that entire systems can be set up on a renting basis. The infrastructure of your project and the access tools and applications used can be rented rather than the more commonly owned tools to get these businesses and projects running.

The Economics of Cloud Computing

With a down spiraling economy, with already cut IT budgets, cloud computing education may be the answer to many problems, especially IT financial problems. Many critics wonder if this type of computation system will really work in the long run, if it is a quick fix for a poor economy or if it will just fizzle out like other computation promises. Regardless of the suspected hype that this new system has generated, it is true that cloud computation is another form of what most people are accustomed to such as social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, email systems like Hotmail, email filtering companies and even security monitoring. These are all forms of clouds computation.

What Benefits Does Cloud Computing Have on Education?

It is no wonder why students find themselves in a bond. Not only do they have to worry about student loans and purchasing books, but they also have to spend hundreds of dollars on computer software in order to complete their assignments and prevent their computer from failing on them. With this in mind, cloud computing education allows computer users to use desired applications without the necessity of purchasing the software, the frustration of installing it or the hassle of taking up computer memory with support software. Through different cloud platforms like Software as a Service, Infrastructure as a Service and Platform as a Service, cloud computing is made possible.

Considering the money saved through these cloud applications, most speculate that the largest benefit that cloud computing has on education is its economic factor. Instead of purchasing software and infrastructures, renting prices are determined by how often and how many services are being used. All software and data are stored in a remote host which enables computers to free up space while also being accessible at any time for users. Considering the amount of resources that cloud computing offers, users can find just about any type of infrastructure, service or software that they need. This helps to cut costs for educational institutions or any type of organization or business that uses cloud computing since these organizations will no longer have to purchase expensive software for an individual or a limited small number of employees and students.

Many experts in the IT field believe in Cloud Computing education and the benefits that it can provide for millions of computer users on a daily basis. However, only time will tell if this computation system will prove to be a success in the world of computation.

07 Feb 11 | Tags: Cloud, Computing, Education, Level, Next, Taken
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GPU computing – high performance computing at its best

A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a RISC processor used in video game systems and computers for calculating the graphical output for monitors. GPUs are used at manipulating and displaying computer graphics. GPUs are a part of mother board or they can come along with video cards. Graphic accelerators are a part of GPU also. High performance GPU computing involves solving advanced computational problems using supercomputers and computer clusters. GPU computing includes all tasks that a graphics processing unit can calculate.

In GPU computing the CPU calculations are replaced by Graphics Processing Units. Migrating large scale algorithms and entire kernel onto the GPU co-processors help in arriving at the answer much faster and thus decreases the processing time. GPUs are never a complete replacement for CPUs but complementary. Parallel operation of CPU and GPU has found to increase the performance. CPU’s offload the tasks which are better performed by GPU leading to high performance computing. GPU excel CPU’s in certain computational tasks.

A GPU’s processing power is mostly used while dealing with 3D scenes and video. The GPU computing for a graphics task such as rendering a 3D scene involves many stages like vertex processing, vertices grouping, fragment processing and mathematical operations. GPU computing is also known as General Purpose Computation on Graphics Processing Unit. Acceleration of video and picture editing, artificial intelligence and physics calculations come under the tasks of GPU computing.

GPU uses Advanced Graphics Port (AGP) to communicate with the mother board of a computer. Programmable shaders capable of manipulating vertices and textures are supported by latest GPUs. Very high precision color spaces, over sampling and interpolation techniques to reduce aliasing are also supported by GPU. GPU can process multiple independent vertices and fragments in parallel. Moreover a variety of computational resources are available on the GPU.

Multi-GPU’s are also available and are generally used in high-end home computers to accelerate computer games. Multi-GPU systems use more than one GPU. An example of multi-GPU system is Nvidia which can make a PC perform 250 times faster than usual. Not only that but by making use of the CUDA architecture which is made up ofhundreds of processors cores data set can be easily crunched via the application. General Purpose computing on graphics processing unit uses a GPU to perform computation in applications traditionally handled by CPUs. Additional programmable stages are included to make this happen. The general Purpose Computing on GPU(GPGPU)has cleared new ways in diverse fields like scientific image processing, oil exploration, linear algebra and 3D reconstruction.

GP GPUs are used in computer clusters, physics engines, FFT, audio signal processing, digital image processing, bioinformatics, scientific computing, DSP, neural networks and many more. GPU computing CUDA was developed by Nvidia. AMD has announced a super computer based on GPU which will be built of more than thousand GPUs. This supercomputer will have a computing power of one petaflop. The processing power of GPUs have further increased due to the advent of OpenGL API and similar functionalities in DirectX. Intel, AMD/ATI, NVIDIA and S3 Graphics are some of the players in the market who produce GPUs. Many companies are now engaged in researches to find out the further benefits of GPU computing.

01 Sep 10 | Tags: Best, Computing, High, Performance
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5 Easy Steps to Green Computing

You can’t pick up the newspaper, turn on the television, or surf the Internet, without being bombarded by hot topics such as global warming, rising greenhouse gas emissions and the world’s energy crisis. You’re doing your part to help out by recycling and carpooling, but did you know that one of the most effective ways to improve energy management, increase energy efficiency and reduce waste starts with your computer?

According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), computers account for a relatively large portion of our electrical consumption—about 2% nationwide. The growing use of computers has caused a dramatic increase in energy consumption, which puts negative pressure on the environment. Each year consumers (and businesses) purchase more computers and put to them to use, but it’s not just the sheer number of computers that is driving energy consumption upward. The way that we use computers also adds to the increasing energy burden.

By adopting conservation practices and changing the way you use your computer, you can help make a difference in the environment – and your own wallet. If you’re ready to take the “green computing” initiative, here are a few simple tips to get you started:

Buy “Energy Star” compliant peripherals

Before you buy, check with the manufacturer or on the Energy Star web site.

Enable power management features

Thanks to the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA), personal computer systems purchased today can be easy on energy. These “Energy Star” computers and monitors can be programmed to automatically “power-down” to a low power state when they are not being used. These efficiency gains can be achieved without any sacrifice in computing performance.

The EPA has estimated that providing computers with “sleep mode” reduces their energy use by 60 to 70 percent – and ultimately could save enough electricity each year to power Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, cut electric bills by $2 billion, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of 5 million cars.

Follow these simple steps to access computer and monitor power management features for Windows.

1. First check to see that your monitor is Energy Star compliant (see above)

2. Open ‘Display’ in the Control Panel, go to the ‘Settings’ tab, click on ‘Advanced Properties’ and choose the ‘Monitor’ tab

3. Check ‘Monitor is Energy Star compliant’ box click ‘OK’.

The recommended settings are 20 minutes for monitor sleep and 30 minutes for system sleep. Remember that to save energy with your monitor’s built-in power management system, your monitor must go to sleep (shut itself down).

Turn off the screen saver

If screen saver images appear on your monitor for more than 5 minutes, you are wasting energy! Screen saver programs may save the phosphors in your monitor screen, but this is not really a concern with newer monitors, especially LCD screens. And they certainly don’t save energy.

A screen saver that displays moving images causes your monitor to consume as much as electricity as it does when in active use. These screen saver programs also involve system interaction with your CPU that results in additional energy consumption. A blank screen saver is slightly better but even that only reduces monitor energy consumption by a few percent.

When not in use, turn off the juice

Research reveals that most personal desktop computers are not being used the majority of the time they are running and many personal computers nationwide are needlessly left on continuously. Every time we leave computers or lights on we waste electricity. Burning fossil fuels generates most of our electricity and it also emits pollutants, sulfur, and carbon dioxide into the air. These emissions can cause respiratory disease, smog, acid rain and global climate change.

Consider doing the following:

o Turn off your computer and/or peripherals when they are not in use. Turning them on and off will not harm the equipment.

o Don’t run computers continuously unless they are in use continuously.

o Turn off computers and peripherals at night.

o Look for ways to reduce the amount of time your computer is on without adversely affecting your productivity.

o Unless you require immediate access to e-mail or other Internet services, break the habit of turning on all your computer equipment as soon as you enter the office each day.

o If practical, informally group your computer activities and try to do then during one or two parts of the day, leaving the computer off at other times.

o Avoid using the switch on a powerstrip to turn on all your equipment.

o If you use a laser printer, don’t turn your printer on until you are ready to print.

o Turn off your entire computer system (CPU, monitor and printer) or at least your monitor and printer when if you are going to be away from the computer for a little while.

Take proper care of your laptop batteries and dispose of them carefully

Follow the guidelines in your laptop manual, such as removing the AC adapter when fully charged, or totally discharging before recharging, to maximize the working life of a laptop battery. Many types of rechargeable batteries contain potentially toxic materials such as Cadmium, so dispose of them properly and carefully.

Don’t throw your old computer away

Globally over 35 million PC’s are thrown away ever year – yet there are many companies now recycling or reconditioning components or whole computers. Don’t throw it away. Your old computer might be worth something either to a dealer, a local school or a charity.

25 Jun 10 | Tags: Computing, Easy, Green, Steps
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Grid Computing in Distributed Gis

Grid Computing

Some consider this to be the “the third information technology wave” after the Internet and Web, and will be the backbone of the next generation of services and applications that are going to further the research and development of GIS and related areas.

Grid computing allows for the sharing of processing power, enabling the attainment of high performances in computing, management and services. Grid computing, (unlike the conventional supercomputer that does parallel computing by linking multiple processors over a system bus) uses a network of computers to execute a program. The problem of using multiple computers lies in the difficulty of dividing up the tasks among the computers, without having to reference portions of the code being executed on other CPUs.

Parallel processing

Parallel processing is the use of multiple CPU’s to execute different sections of a program together. Remote sensing and surveying equipment have been providing vast amounts of spatial information, and how to manage, process or dispose of this data have become major issues in the field of Geographic Information Science (GIS).

To solve these problems there has been much research into the area of parallel processing of GIS information. This involves the utilization of a single computer with multiple processors or multiple computers that are connected over a network working on the same task. There are many different types of distributed computing, two of the most common are clustering and grid processing.

The primary reasons for using parallel computing are:

Saves time.

Solve larger problems.

Provide concurrency (do multiple things at the same time).

Taking advantage of non-local resources – using available computing resources on a wide area network, or even the Internet when local computing resources are scarce.

Cost savings – using multiple “cheap” computing resources instead of paying for time on a supercomputer.

Overcoming memory constraints – single computers have very finite memory resources. For large problems, using the memories of multiple computers may overcome this obstacle.

Limits to serial computing – both physical and practical reasons pose significant constraints to simply building ever faster serial computers.

Limits to miniaturization – processor technology is allowing an increasing number of transistors to be placed on a chip.

However, even with molecular or atomic-level components, a limit will be reached on how small components can be.

Economic limitations – it is increasingly expensive to make a single processor faster. Using a larger number of moderately fast commodity processors to achieve the same (or better) performance is less expensive.

The future: during the past 10 years, the trends indicated by ever faster networks, distributed systems, and multi-processor computer architectures (even at the desktop level) clearly show that parallelism is the future of computing.

Distributed GIS

As the development of GIS sciences and technologies go further, increasingly amount of geospatial and non-spatial data are involved in GISs due to more diverse data sources and development of data collection technologies. GIS data tend to be geographically and logically distributed as well as GIS functions and services do. Spatial analysis and Geocomputation are getting more complex and computationally intensive. Sharing and collaboration among geographically dispersed users with various disciplines with various purposes are getting more necessary and common. A dynamic collaborative model -” Middleware” – is required for GIS application.

Computational Grid is introduced as a possible solution for the next generation of GIS. Basically, the Grid computing concept is intended to enable coordinate resource sharing and problem solving in dynamic, multi-organizational virtual organizations by linking computing resources with high-performance networks. Grid computing technology represents a new approach to collaborative computing and problem solving in data intensive and computationally intensive environment and has the chance to satisfy all the requirements of a distributed, high-performance and collaborative GIS. Some methodologies and Grid computing technologies as solutions of requirements and challenges are introduced to enable this distributed, parallel, and high-throughput, collaborative GIS application.

Security

Security issues in such a wide area distributed GIS is critical, which includes authentication and authorization using community policies as well as allowing local control of resource. Grid Security Infrastructure (GSI), combined with GridFTP protocol, makes sure that sharing and transfer of geospatial data and Geoprocessing are secure in the Computational Grid environment.

Conclusion

As the conclusion, Grid computing has the chance to lead GIS into a new “Grid-enabled GIS” age in terms of computing paradigm, resource sharing pattern and online collaboration.

14 Jun 10 | Tags: Computing, Distributed, Grid
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