Client / Cloud Computing










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Client / Cloud Computing

by Brady Hicks

Docid: 00021038

Publication Date: 2009

Publication Type: TUTORIAL

Preview

Client / cloud computing is a form of cloud-based computing that is
characterized by a direct, no "middle man" connection between a
computing client (consumer or enterprise user) and a commercial
cloud-based service provider (such as Azure, AWS, Google, Oracle Cloud, or Salesforce.com). The technology, in particular, could allow users to
bypass local IT departments and engage with cloud-based providers such
as Dropbox for a mode of operation branded "shadow IT." This tutorial takes a
look
at client / cloud computing and the various considerations that its
deployment incurs.

Report Contents:

Executive Summary

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"Client / Cloud" computing is a form of cloud-based computing that is
characterized by a direct – or no "middle man" – connection between a
computing client (consumer or enterprise user) and a commercial,
cloud-based service provider, such as such as Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google,
Oracle Cloud, or Salesforce.com.

Related
Faulkner Reports
Guidelines: Migrating Enterprise Applications to the Cloud
Tutorial
Cloud Service Delivery Models & Market Leaders
Market

Significance

In particular, this capability holds a special significance in the enterprise
space as it allows enterprise users to effectively bypass local IT departments
and directly engage with cloud providers such as Dropbox, a mode of operation
branded "shadow IT."

Concerns

Of particular concern with this method, of course, is the potential to
sacrifice security for improved functionality or convenience. Of course,
advocates for client / cloud computing have become emboldened by the apparent
success of the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) movement in which enterprise users
lobbied enterprise management to allow the use of personal devices on enterprise
networks. Unfortunately, these devices – which are often of the consumer-grade
level – are frequently integrated into the enterprise infrastructure with little
IT involvement and even less IT oversight.

The Evolution of the Cloud
Computing

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The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines
cloud computing
as “a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network
access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g.,
networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be
rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or
service provider interaction.”1 While the term “cloud computing” was coined no more than a decade
ago, the basic
concept has under-girded the computer industry for the last half century. Even the
1960s-era mainframe fit the definition of a “shared pool of configurable
computing resources.”

Some of the prior manifestations that led to the current cloud-based
computing – and client / cloud deployments – are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1. The Evolution of Cloud Computing

Era

Cloud Computing Model

Description

Cloud Composition

Cloud Type

Cloud Network

1960s

Mainframe

A central enterprise
computing system, e.g., IBM’s System 360/370, serving employees
through local CRTs, e.g., IBM 3270s, and remote dial-in terminals.

Compute
resources were provisioned on a “time sharing” basis.

An array of disk packs and
other mainframe storage devices.

Private

Proprietary enterprise
network

1970s

Service Bureau

The first true cloud – and
Software as a Service – providers, service bureaus, e.g., GE and
Rapidata, provided dial-in access to specialized applications and
data.

Service bureau data
center(s)

Public

Proprietary provider
network

1970s

Minicomputer

A smaller version of the
classic mainframe computer, e.g., IBM’s 4300 line, deployed at
corporate satellite locations and connected to the corporate
mainframe.

Minicomputers enabled the
first “distributed computing” environments.

An array of disk packs and
other minicomputer storage devices

Private

Proprietary enterprise
network

1980s

Personal Computer

A microcomputer, e.g.,
Apple’s Mac, designed for individual, non-networked use.

Hard drive and removable
“floppy” drives.

Private

Proprietary provider
networks (via dial-in access)

1990s

Client / Server

A local area network
featuring a central print/file server and multiple hard-wired PCs.

Print/file server

Private

Proprietary enterprise
network

2000s

Application Service
Provisioning (ASP)

An early Software as a
Service model featuring firms like Ariba and other
business-to-business (B2B) providers.

Service provider data
center(s)

Public

The Internet

2000s

Cloud Computing – Software
as a Service

The provisioning of
commercial software applications and data, e.g., Salesforce.com and
Google Apps, via the Internet.

Service provider data
center(s)

Public

The Internet

2010s

Cloud Computing –
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS)

The provisioning of
computer infrastructure and application development resources via
the Internet.

Service provider data
center(s)

Public

The Internet

2010s

Client / Cloud

The provisioning of cloud
services directly to clients via the Internet.

Service provider data
center(s)

Public

The Internet

Current View
of Client / Cloud Computing

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The deployment of a client / cloud computing model is designed to (a) offer
an enduring model, not temporary trend, and (b) shine light on the need for
different types of security and management.

Applications

At the basic level, client / cloud computing can be used to:

  • Accelerate cloud-based and mobile technology, including smartphones and
    tablets.
  • Integrate technology across multiple platforms.
  • Migrate functions to next-gen client endpoints.
  • Develop new, more-powerful client endpoints.

Outlook for
Client / Cloud Computing

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report]

Overall, the use of client / cloud computing technology could potentially advance
utility computing, reverse trends toward desktop virtualization, and accelerate
the use of thin clients and hybrid thin clients.

Utility Computing

With the maturing of client / cloud computing, the dream of utility computing,
first articulated in the 1990s, may become reality. In its most
basic form, utility computing provides a process for accessing computing
services, as is found, for example, with Google Apps. On a more pure level,
however, client / cloud computing seems to hold the potential for future computing
services that are delivered as “utilities” such as telephone, gas, and
electricity services.

Extending the metaphor, a
user could invoke his or her endpoint device to “plug” directly into a
cloud-based infrastructure. In that respect, the current client / cloud model – in which extraneous enterprise
elements are removed and the client negotiates directly with the cloud – is
often viewed as utility computing.

Desktop Virtualization

Desktop virtualization – which is also referred to as VDI (virtual desktop
infrastructure)
– is a technology for accessing an interactive, in-screen image of one’s
desktop from any PC equipped with a high-speed Internet connection. Desktop
virtualization also permits enterprise IT staff to centrally manage and maintain
employee desktop aspects.

Today’s enterprise user often relies on a combination of on-premise enterprise and
cloud-based applications; this mixture would constitute his or her “desktop.” Whether
working from their offices, at home (as teleworkers), or on the road, employees
require access to their enterprise desktop; in other words, they require access
to the enterprise
anytime, anywhere. Since cloud applications can be accessed over the Internet, the real
value of
desktop virtualization lies in its ability to make on-premise enterprise
applications available anytime, anywhere. As more private enterprise
applications
are abandoned in favor of public cloud alternatives, and more
proprietary enterprise applications
are migrated to the cloud, the need for employee desktops is diminished.
Eventually, when all enterprise applications become cloud-enabled, the
employee
desktop is reduced to an Internet browser. When this occurs, desktop
virtualization becomes largely irrelevant.

As enterprises begin to embrace client / cloud computing – if only to reduce an
organization’s local IT investment – it is expected that the use of desktop virtualization
will decline.

Thin Client / Cloud

Another factor to consider is the use of “thin clients.” A thin client acts
as a “bare bones” computer that allows users to access applications and data
that are stored on a central server that is somewhat reminiscent of a
mainframe-era “dumb” terminal. This technology, at its core, helps to scale
an organization’s IT infrastructure. One other option cloud be the use of a hybrid thin client / cloud computing
model. This type of deployment can help extend security and improve remote user
accessibility.

Recommendations

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At a minimum, client / cloud-based deployments should emphasize:

  • Incorporating smartphones, tablets, and other devices.
  • Encouraging personal device security and backup.
  • Following business-recommended protocols.
  • Identifying trusted – versus non-trusted – services.
  • Amending business continuity plans for future cloud-based services,
    service failures, and incidents.
  • Cooperating with other public- and private-sector entities to share
    cloud-based best-practices.

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References

About the Author

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Brady Hicks is an
editor with Faulkner Information Services. He writes about computer and
networking hardware, software, communications networks and equipment, and the
Internet.

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