Using the "Power" of Cloud Computing with Evernote

Evernote.com is another great example of a powerful cloud computing application that has many of the benefits of cloud computing. I use Evernote to drop items into a notebook that I need to be able to access from anywhere, (iPhone or any web connected computer). Being able to access information from anywhere and via any device is a key benefit to cloud computing. The real power Evernote brings to the table, in my opinion, is OCR, making everything I upload searchable. Then I thought, why not scan in all the paper that I keep (bills, etc) and put it into Evernote. What would happen?

Update (2/21/11): After using Evernote for about a year, I've updated this article with my discoveries and experiences.  Also added new features in iPhone app released on 3/1/2011 at bottom.

A Lesson in License Cost Risk In The Cloud

I came across something recently that places a black mark on cloud computing in general.  In January of 2011, MOZY, a network backup provider, significantly changed their pricing.  In fact, it’s so significant (and just a bit strange) that some MOZY customers will see renewed billing that can be double or 10s of times higher than they were paying.  MOZY’s unlimited storage for backup was just $6/month but when MOZY discontinued the unlimited plan and put a 50GB cap on that price plan, users with 100s of gigabytes of backed up data are now looking for a new home (or deciding to pay a lot more).

Amazon Ramping Their Cloud Teams

If there was any doubt about Amazon being serious about elastic cloud computing and their S3 storage service I think the recent article from Dice News will help answer that.

This week, Amazon has some 700 openings posted on Dice, primarily in Seattle. Many are in Amazon's cloud services divisions, including Web Services, Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (S3). The skills most in demand are development, design, engineering and Java.

I read this as a positive trend in cloud computing growth. In summary, “game on”.

Read more about this at Dice News.

Online Invoicing In The Cloud

I recently started moving more of my business into the cloud. The business cloud application examples I’ve written about so far are more related to office productivity - word-processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. I took my small business and put its invoicing into the cloud by using the software as a service model (SAAS). Although I used ZOHO Invoice to do this, I’ll quickly discuss ZOHO along with others in it's class, like FreshBooks.

By utilizing this model, I’m saving money on software, can work from anywhere (they even have an app for the iPhone), and I look more professional. In addition, I can have multiple users, and I don’t have to deal with software licenses, upgrades or hassle that comes with installing off-the-shelf applications like this. The solution integrates with Google apps and has cool PayPal integration making you look good and boost productivity. While I was finalizing this post, ZOHO released a full accounting module that would of course include invoicing.  (Updated 6/20/11)

Google Draws a Line, Microsoft Stumbles

Google Announces New SLA

Google drew a line in the sand when it announced on January 14, 2011 some changes to its service level agreement (SLA). First, the SLA will no longer have an "out" for planned downtime. Customers will receive SLA credits for any downtime - planned or unplanned. Google claims to be the first major cloud provider to eliminate maintenance windows from its service level agreement.

Previously, Google did not count periods shorter than 10 minutes as downtime. That meant that even though short outages could add up to hours over a long enough period of time, the company had no obligation to compensate users. Google is ending that policy and will now credit users for any amount downtime, no matter how brief.

9EC4C12949A4F31474F299058CE2B22A

Per pandasecurity.com,  "if we take the CYBERCOM mission statement and calculate the MD5 hash value for the text, we arrive at  9EC4C12949A4F31474F299058CE2B22A hash on the seal."

CYBERCOM Mission Statement: USCYBERCOM plans, coordinates, integrates, synchronizes and conducts activities to: direct the operations and defense of specified Department of Defense information networks and; prepare to, and when directed, conduct full spectrum military cyberspace operations in order to enable actions in all domains, ensure US/Allied freedom of action in cyberspace and deny the same to our adversaries."

MS Upgrade as an Example of How Bad an Upgrade Can Go

This month’s botched upgrade to Hotmail by Microsoft is an example of one of the risks of cloud computing that I’ve written about in the past, but Microsoft took it to a whole new level. This article from InfoWorld is almost comical in cruel sort of way. It’s ironic that Microsoft was suggesting that people turn off other Micorosoft client side apps, like messenger to fix the issue. I doubt this was their vision for cloud computing. When I wrote about the risk of receiving an upgrade that you might not want or like, I wasn’t really talking about upgrades that actually start breaking things and turn into a nightmare for your support staff. This is an indication that a cloud service provider isn’t fully mature.

Wave Bye Bye

When you look at Google Wave, and the fact that Google is pulling it, I don't think so much about failure as I do about Google continuing to build intellectual capital (IC).

They were brave enough to take a chance at re-inventing how people collaborate and work together, it wasn't accepted by enough users and is being pulled by Google, but in the end, Google wins.

Do You Know Where Your Data Really Is?

Something new to think about when moving into the cloud... location. You should probably know the physical location of your data when moving your compnay into the cloud. Physical location might impact the legal & regulatory aspects of moving to the cloud. More specifically, what country does the server reside in? Although I don't have all the answers regarding the specific legal and regulatory aspects that having your data in various countries may have, it's reasonable to postulate that there is most certainly risk here. For example, the US has very specific laws regarding search and seizure of computers and the information they hold, but these laws no longer apply when your data resides outside the US. I won't name countries here but many governments wouldn't hesitate to march into a data center, confiscate equipment and ask questions later. The point should be clear, understand where your data is kept and, if not in the US, understand the legal as well as business continuity risks. If you are a multi-national company it becomes more complex.
- Chris Claborne

Voice As A Cloud Service

I've never really thought of phone service as something that you can move to the cloud until reading a white paper from Polycom and Broadsoft. Companies like Onsip, Vocalocity and others are doing this today and market it as "Hosted VoIP". I don't typically think of phone service when I think cloud computing but when comparing it to the advantages of cloud computing, it's a good fit.

A Disturbance in the Cloud

Did you feel it? There was a disturbance in the cloud on June 1st. Hosting.com went down for about 45 minutes. Hosting.com hosts over 65,000 web sites and is a growing cloud computing provider.

Challenges & Risks of Implementing Cloud Computing

(Updated 10/25/2011)
After writing about the benefits of cloud computing, I mentioned that it’s not without some risk and downsides. Cloud computing presents a strong case for cost savings, new capabilities, flexibility and speed, but to do a proper return on investment (ROI) analysis, you need to evaluate the risks and costs associated with implementing cloud computing for your organization. This article describes risks and disadvantages of moving to “the cloud,” how to mitigate those risks, and identifies issues relevant to your provider choice and implementation plans. In addition, there are topics that may not qualify as risks or disadvantages of cloud computing, but that may require an assessment of the impact on your organization. An evaluation of the risks and impact is an important precursor to decision-making regarding whether to make the move to “the cloud” and who you select to provide ”cloud” services. In fact, thinking about and addressing these issues should be part of the planning process for any deployment (cloud or not). Critical components of such planning should include technology, personnel, business process and company culture. Moving to “the cloud” requires not only considerable planning, but possible unexpected financial investment.

Google Analytics, A Free and Powerful Cloud Service

Google Analytics is a free service that you can use from Google to get usage statistics on your various web sites. It’s not only free, it’s powerful, and it’s another example of a cloud based services. I use it on all of my web properties where I can. Analytics can help you not only understand how people are using your site but help you improve sales, increase revenue from advertising, lower support costs, increase customer satisfaction, find dead pages and more. Understanding how people get to and use your site can have huge benefits to large and small sites. This article will explain how it works, features of Google Analytics, how to implement it on your site and a look into why everyone doesn’t use it.

Benefits of Cloud Computing

Updated 8/24/2012
Let's review the benefits of cloud computing. The core focus here will mainly be on cloud application deployment (sometimes known as software as a service or SAAS), like SalesForce.com for customer relationship management or Google Apps, for Office productivity. Cloud computing can also provide tremendous benefit by serving as a "platform" for custom development, like Google App Engine, which I will address in future articles. Cloud computing is in an evolutionary period in business computing, much like the migration from mainframe computers to desktop then to PC LANs, cloud computing is a major disrupting technology in business. This isn’t a bad thing; it’s just different and brings tremendous benefit. Companies that can adapt will benefit and get the jump on their competitors by reaping the benefits earlier. If you want an intro to cloud computing read my article, “Primer on Cloud Computing”.

A Quick Review of "The Big Switch"

Quick review of the Book

The Big Switch

"The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google"

by Nicholas Carr (Author)

Book Description

An eye-opening look at the new computer revolution and the coming transformation of our economy, society, and culture..

From Amazon:

A hundred years ago, companies stopped producing their own power with steam engines and generators and plugged into the newly built electric grid. The cheap power pumped out by electric utilities not only changed how businesses operated but also brought the modern world into existence. Today a similar revolution is under way. Companies are dismantling their private computer systems and tapping into rich services delivered over the Internet. This time it's computing that's turning into a utility. The shift is already remaking the computer industry, bringing new competitors like Google to the fore and threatening traditional stalwarts like Microsoft and Dell. But the effects will reach much further. Cheap computing will ultimately change society as profoundly as cheap electricity did. In this lucid and compelling book, Nicholas Carr weaves together history, economics, and technology to explain why computing is changing—and what it means for all of us.