30-04-2012, 12:39 PM
cloud computing
Cloud-computing.pdf (Size: 407.6 KB / Downloads: 106)
Introduction
According to Gartner’s Hype Cycle Special Report for 2009, “technologies at the ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations’ during 2009 include cloud computing, e-books… and Internet TV, while social software and microblogging sites…have tipped over the peak and will soon experience disillusionment among enterprise users”. Is cloud computing also heading for the trough of disillusionment?
Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing
The great advantage of cloud computing is “elasticity”: the ability to add capacity or applications almost at a moment’s notice. Companies buy exactly the amount of storage, computing power, security and other IT functions that they need from specialists in data-center computing. They get sophisticated data center services on demand, in only the amount they need and can pay for, at service levels set with the vendor, with capabilities that can be added or subtracted at will.
Virtualization and Private Clouds
Virtualization of computers or operating systems hides the physical characteristics of a computing platform from users; instead it shows another abstract computing platform. A hypervisor is a piece of virtualization software that allows multiple operating systems to run on a host computer concurrently. Virtualization providers include VMware, Microsoft, and Citrix Systems (see Table 1). Virtualization is an enabler of cloud computing.
Applicability
Not everyone agrees, but McKinsey has concluded1 as follows. “Clouds already make sense for many small and medium-size businesses, but technical, operational and financial hurdles will need to be overcome before clouds will be used extensively by large public and private enterprises. Rather than create unrealizable expectations for “internal clouds”, CIOs should focus now on the immediate benefits of virtualizing server storage, network operations, and other critical building blocks”. They recommend that users should develop an overall strategy based on solid business cases not “cloud for the sake of cloud”; use modular design in all new software to minimize costs when it comes time to migrate to the cloud; and set up a Cloud CIO Council to advise industry.
Applications in the Pharmaceutical Industry
In the pharmaceutical sector, where large amounts of sensitive data are currently kept behind protective firewalls, security is a real concern, as is policing individual researchers’ access to the cloud. Nevertheless, cheminformatics vendors are starting to look at cloud options, especially in terms of Software as a Service (SaaS) and hosted informatics. In bioinformatics and number-crunching, the cloud has distinct advantages. EC2 billing is typically hours times number of cpus, so, as an over-generalization, the cost for 1 cpu for 1000 hours is the same as the cost of 1000 cpus for 1 hour.
Cloud-computing.pdf (Size: 407.6 KB / Downloads: 106)
Introduction
According to Gartner’s Hype Cycle Special Report for 2009, “technologies at the ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations’ during 2009 include cloud computing, e-books… and Internet TV, while social software and microblogging sites…have tipped over the peak and will soon experience disillusionment among enterprise users”. Is cloud computing also heading for the trough of disillusionment?
Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing
The great advantage of cloud computing is “elasticity”: the ability to add capacity or applications almost at a moment’s notice. Companies buy exactly the amount of storage, computing power, security and other IT functions that they need from specialists in data-center computing. They get sophisticated data center services on demand, in only the amount they need and can pay for, at service levels set with the vendor, with capabilities that can be added or subtracted at will.
Virtualization and Private Clouds
Virtualization of computers or operating systems hides the physical characteristics of a computing platform from users; instead it shows another abstract computing platform. A hypervisor is a piece of virtualization software that allows multiple operating systems to run on a host computer concurrently. Virtualization providers include VMware, Microsoft, and Citrix Systems (see Table 1). Virtualization is an enabler of cloud computing.
Applicability
Not everyone agrees, but McKinsey has concluded1 as follows. “Clouds already make sense for many small and medium-size businesses, but technical, operational and financial hurdles will need to be overcome before clouds will be used extensively by large public and private enterprises. Rather than create unrealizable expectations for “internal clouds”, CIOs should focus now on the immediate benefits of virtualizing server storage, network operations, and other critical building blocks”. They recommend that users should develop an overall strategy based on solid business cases not “cloud for the sake of cloud”; use modular design in all new software to minimize costs when it comes time to migrate to the cloud; and set up a Cloud CIO Council to advise industry.
Applications in the Pharmaceutical Industry
In the pharmaceutical sector, where large amounts of sensitive data are currently kept behind protective firewalls, security is a real concern, as is policing individual researchers’ access to the cloud. Nevertheless, cheminformatics vendors are starting to look at cloud options, especially in terms of Software as a Service (SaaS) and hosted informatics. In bioinformatics and number-crunching, the cloud has distinct advantages. EC2 billing is typically hours times number of cpus, so, as an over-generalization, the cost for 1 cpu for 1000 hours is the same as the cost of 1000 cpus for 1 hour.