Gartner Cycle Analysis for Cloud Computing - Essay Example

Gartner Cycle Analysis for Cloud Computing Name of Institution: Course Name: Course Code: Course Tutor: Introduction Cloud computing as a new term in the field of IT has lacked a standard definition, leading to a continued attribution to utility computing. Maybe this has been so since cloud computing borrows so much of the on-demand characteristic of utility computing. This paper focuses on cloud computing by providing categories of cloud computing and its growth trend using Gartner Hype Cycle 2012. Looking at the development process or path cloud computing has take and its current state future beyond 2012. Overview About Cloud Computing Definition According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), cloud computing is defined as: “Cloud computing is a model for enabling 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.” (NIST) A distinguishing factor between these two is the control that users have over the computing infrastructure. In cloud computing, the enterprises involved have little expertise in the technology apart from that they can utilize the resources available hence no control at all, on the other hand, on utility computing the users sign in for resources and are aware of what is available, hence a full control granted to them. Characteristics There are three characteristics of cloud computing. The services are elastic where the customer is served according to customer’s demand and ability. For instance services of hosting the resources can be for an hour, a month or a year. Everything is managed by the service provider while the consumer only needs to have a laptop or a desktop computer to access the services. Cloud computing has been accelerated by its benefits. It has enhanced innovations because of the virtualization and distributes computing, high speed internet connectivity (searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com). Categories There are several categories of cloud computing. The first one is where the public get to sell their services freely on the internet which is referred public cloud. Amazon and Google are the largest public cloud computing service providers where users from the public domain can access. Private cloud is a characteristic where the organization offering cloud computing services host their resources with limited access from the public. A virtual cloud is where the public cloud is created to be private hence; public resources are used to create private cloud virtually. Scalable and easy IT services and computing resource are the main aim of cloud computing regardless of the characteristics of the cloud services. Cloud computing is the recent trend in computing which is technological advancement in data storage. The services of cloud computing are divided into three main categories: the infrastructure as a service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). The internet in the flow diagram is represented with a cloud symbol hence the cloud computing. There are much news on cloud computing being brand as ‘the biggest thing since the start of web’. Google is offering hardware services where developers upload their Python codes then they run the application. Cloud computing is compared to utility services such as electricity and water hence referred to utility computing. PaaS is a service offered in terms of software and product tools which are provided by the host company. Applications are developed by the providers then hosted in their platform where customers access those applications via the internet. Software is installed in a client machine via the web portal or a gateway. GoogleApps and Salesforce.com (Force.com) are an example of Platform-as-a-service. The standards for data exchange and standards for data portability currently some developers are still protecting their software and platform. The software-as-a-service in cloud computing is a model where the software product and the client interact via the front-end portal such as a web. The vendor supply hardware infrastructure and the software where multiple users access their products via a portal simultaneously. The user can access the resources and data from anywhere because the vendor or the service provider hosts everything. Cloud Computer And Gartner Hype Cycle 2012 About Gartner Inc. Gartner Inc. is an organization that leads in information technology research and advices various companies in making their decisions on different technologies. They give insight into technology issues from the emerging technology and a prediction of the future state with a given technology. According to their report of 2009 they defined cloud computing as: “…the latest super-hyped concept in IT. Although cloud computing is about a very simple idea, – consuming and/or delivering services from “the cloud”, there are many issues regarding types of cloud computing and scope of deployment that make the details not nearly so simple.” (Gartner’s Hype Cycle Special Report, 2009) Hype Cycle Gartner Hype Cycle analysis for cloud computing resulted from the high demand from the customers, hence service providers had to come up with the innovative services, which has taken internet technology by a storm. Introduction of new technology in the market results in over-enthusiasm, or the ‘hype’, and the dissatisfaction or disappointment which, happens in such scenarios, Gartner characterizes these behaviors using Hype Cycles. Hype Cycle also illustrates how and when the technologies go past the hype, where tangible or practical benefits are realized, and the technology becomes accepted widely. According to a special report for 2009 by Gartner, Cloud Computing as internet technology was established to be at the Peak of Inflated Expected phase of the Hype Cycle. Given that it had gone beyond Innovation Trigger phase, which is an important event that attracts the attention of press and interests, cloud computing has gone through the Positive Hype phase to reach its peak. Gartner predicts that the next event for cloud computing was the Trough of Disillusionment after going through the event of Negative Hype. The step that the technology was going to experience is a predecessor of Slope of Enlightenment and Plateau of Productivity in this stage the Cloud Computing technology’s benefits will be evident and technology will be accepted widely. Gartner’s Hype Cycle in 2009 had 2 to 5 years forecast for the technology to be widely adopted by the clients. Managed services are illustrated on the Hype Cycle, indicating that the Trough of Disillusionment has already passed, and the technology is now in the Slope of Enlightenment, on approaching the mainstream adoption on the Plateau of Productivity. The following predictions were made by Gartner in their report about Cloud Computing: There will be 90% of infrastructure as a service included in non-traditional service providers in the vendor evaluation phase by 2011. Within the same 2011, 40% of IT infrastructure as a service will be purchased by early technologies instead of spending on capital. By 2012 at least one-third expenditure on business application software will not be for product license but as a service subscription Cloud computing will be an essential service in e-Business About 2012 Change in any dimension of life calls for creativity and new thinking, a desire and a drive towards innovations. Cost-benefit effectiveness has been a major challenge to most organizations and more so small enterprises in the adoption of technology, no wonder most of them are still lagging behind in technology. To overcome this challenge, search for a technology that solves this challenge has for a while been an international dream of a technology that could achieve cost-benefit effectiveness. A practical example in 2012 that can help understand what the cloud is; an aspect of cloud computing called cloud composition, where a private cloud is allowed to utilize the resources of a public cloud for a given time is Skype. When skyping on a laptop or any hand-held device, the user is totally ignorant of the so many devices supporting this technology that have made the communication possible. In the real sense, however, Skype constitutes of many network components such as servers, switches, routers, encoders and decoders. This cloud computing technology has been on the rise in 2012 indicating a possibility of more appreciation of technology in other business aspects. With the prediction, that beyond 2012 Cloud Computing will be important in the consumption of IT service by the customers compels one to ensure that Cloud Computing infrastructure is implemented in their business application software (Neal Weinberg, 2009). Google and Amazon are making big business in cloud computing server. The technology is in Plateau of Productivity past the Slope of Enlightenment. Conclusion As cloud computing is becoming popular and adopted by many organization to reduce the maintenance cost, infrastructure cost which expensive for the organization the services as becoming essential as predicted by Gartner in 2009 special report. Cloud computing is the biggest thing and technological trend in e-business. Many organization and individuals, because of the uncertainty, such as fire breakout and virus attacks, want to keep files where they believe they are secure and accessible anywhere. For any technological advancement, there are barriers to it. Licensing of the cloud computing service providers, it monitoring over the network, security of data stored in the virtual machines. References Gartner’s Hype Cycle Special Report for 2009, July 31 2009 Retrieved May 30, 2012, from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Neal Weinberg, 2009, Network World, Cloud Computing: Hot technologies for 2009, Retrieved May 30, 2012, from < http://www.networkworld.com/supp/2009/outlook/hottech/010509-nine-hot-techs-cloud-computing.html> Search cloud computing 2007, Cloud computing, Retrieved May 30, 2012, from Read More