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mediaplanet takes full responsibility for all content in this independent supplement distributed within the daily telegraph Working together How cloud is helping the RNLI save lives An efficient option Why cloud is the smart choice for your business CLOUD COMPUTING No / Febr ’10 Steps to making the most of cloud Security matters Get better data protection for your business Trade secrets Industry leaders give their advice Your questions answered Hear from the top experts in cloud Flexible business How to scale up your capacity now make your business work for you Looking forward: Your comprehensive guide to effectively implementing and developing cloud computing in 2010 2 · february 2010 An independent supplement distributed within the daily telegraph Challenges The cloud is an evolution in computing technology which offers companies an opportunity to run applications beyond their own server rooms but businesses still need to take responsibility for their data Why cloud makes good business sense for 2010 A lthough ‘cloud computing’ is relatively new, the concept of sharing computer services has been around for decades, and the technologies that enable the cloud such as virtualisation, hosting and software as a service (SaaS) have been available for some time Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computer services over the Internet, as an alternative to running software on your own computer or data centre Within the IT industry this topic is complicated by too much jargon and too many vendors with differing definitions to help categorise their particular implementation as cloud The BASDA trade group is trying to look beyond terminology to focus on examples of how our members are helping real businesses transform the way they work with this technology What is ‘cloud’? Taking responsibility The cloud gives users the flexibility of mixing and matching the most appropriate services from their service providers They can be accessed 24/7 from any Internet connected PC or mobile device, making collaboration with customers and business partners that much easier Cloud providers share capacity and support resources across a community of users, and economies of scale result in lower cost of ownership compared to traditional systems Services are usually provided on a monthly subscription basis, and can be easily scaled up or down as necessary The IT headaches of managing the infrastructure or keeping software versions up to date are all handled for you Cloud providers gear themselves up for continuous operation and will offer a comprehensive service level agreement,with guaranteed levels of availability in advance of the typical in house IT set-up While the cloud offers significant advantages over onpremise it does carry potential risks to be considered You must carry out due diligence to ensure steps are taken to safeguard your data in terms of availability, security, privacy as well as legislation like the data protection act Customers need to consider data ownership, and access rights for migration if anything goes wrong at the supplier It is important to realise that cloud computing is a natural evolution of technology, rather than some new thing to be avoided out of hand Although some organisations will embrace the cloud, others will adopt a ‘hybrid’ approach using these services to extend rather than replace existing systems The shared data centres of the cloud can also offer a greener approach to IT Jairo Rojas, Director General, Business Application Software Developers Association My best tips Use it to your advantage Think of Cloud solutions as “hybrid” or as extensions of your existing systems rather than as replacements Define a strategy Organisations should consider working through industry bodies and trade associations to influence the agenda on a sector basis rather than as individuals - demystify the cloud topic to avoid some of the current market confusion We recommend Put to work How developments in cloud computing are helping the RNLI to save lives Page 10 “This technology is already a proven life saver.” Head in the clouds? p 04 Security matters p 12 The top things you need to consider before adopting cloud Make your business safe before taking it global We make our readers succeed! Cloud Computing, february 2010 Country Manager: Willem De Geer Business Developer: Darren Clarke Sub-editor: Danielle Stagg Responsible for this issue Project Manager: Christopher Emberson Phone: 0207 6654410 E-mail: christopher.emberson@ mediaplanet.com Distributed with: The Daily Telegraph February 2010 Print: The Telegrah Media Group Mediaplanet contact information: Phone: 02076654400 E-mail: info.uk@mediaplanet.com With special thanks to: · FEBRUARY 2010 an independent supplement distributed within the dailystep telegraph news Scale up your capacity in an instant ■■Question: What can the cloud offer my business today? ■■Answer: Flexible hosting which can be turned on and off is available now and standards to allow data to operate in rival hosts’ clouds will come soon Moving applications and data beyond the confines of the corporate server room and in to the cloud affords massive financial savings, offers previously unimaginable flexibility and brings the type of applications that were once the preserve of enterprises in to reach of more modest SME budgets This is not to say that keeping mission critical applications in the corporate server room or within a trusted host’s guarded network will come to an end.However, a new age of computing is emerging where web sites and applications can be launched in minutes on the cloud on servers that can be rented for weeks or months, rather than bought up front Flexible scale This is one of major advantages which Mark Taylor, Director of Microsoft’s Developer and Platform Group, believes is of most appeal to business that are already using cloud computing “The cloud lets you set up a presence all around the world for very little cost compared to the huge expense of setting up servers and infrastructure yourself in multiple data centres,” he says “It’s giving SMEs global geographic dispersion for a cost they could only have dreamed of previously Plus you can scale your presence up and down so you can add extra capacity for a particularly busy time, such as when year end accounts are announced, you can increase capacity and then take it down afterwards “It’s all on a pay as you consume model and saves a fortune compared to increasing capacity permanently in your own data centre Although you need to anticipate and reserve that extra capacity in the cloud at the moment, I believe we’re moving to a stage where services will just be Mark Taylor Director, Development and Platform Group, Microsoft elastic and expand as they’re needed with people just paying for extra capacity automatically as it happens.” Standards needed The main hurdle which cloud operators will need to overcome, though, Taylor believes, is opening up rival operators’ systems so the cloud runs along the same principles and business models no matter who is managing the hosting “It’s very early days but there needs to be a lot of work done on standardisation,” Taylor points out “There are not only different offerings out there around pricing but also people are going to wonder what happens if they want to move their data There are different cloud services and you can’t just pick up your application or data and just move it around between them “I think this area of standardisation and portability is a huge issue where the service providers have to improve and it’s also an area of opportunity for third parties to provide platforms which allow the same application to work with more than one cloud service.” sean hargrave info.uk@mediaplanet.com see the possibilities an independent supplement distributed within the daily telegraph G Cloud could save more than £1bn The Cabinet Office is investigating how the cloud be used to cut ICT costs and simplify and speed up online interaction between government and citizens sub news It is not only businesses that are being attracted to the flexibility and cost savings of cloud computing, the Government has given the new approach a major role in its new ICT strategy it believes will save more than £3.2bn Trials of a Government Application Store started early this month which, it is hoped, will lead to a common platform for civil servants to access applications that could eventually be hosted, alongside other software tools, in the cloud The apps store, it is believed, could save the Government £500m by 2020 The proposed cloud service, or G Cloud as it is being referred to, is expected to account for around half of the proposed £3.2bn total savings The massive cost reduction should come mainly through drastically reducing the number of servers and supporting infrastructure the Gov- no bounds Cloud computing allows for great flexibilty and offers businesses a truly global presence Photo: istock photo Ian Osborne Director of the Digital Systems Knowledge Transfer Network at Intellect ernment requires Ian Osborne, Director of the Digital Systems Knowledge Transfer Network at Intellect UK, is one of a large team of volunteer experts who are advising the Cabinet Office on the G Cloud He believes the next five years or so will see some very interesting initiatives as officials decide what the final service should look like “Ordinance Survey has already shown how it uses cloud to service a peak of 9m users,” he says “So it’s going to be a very useful tool for departments to manage peaks in traffic, such as HMRC at the end of January “A lot of sensitive data may not be suitable for the cloud, because of security concerns and different departments would have to still keep their records separate to comply with data protection and privacy laws “Nevertheless, the G Cloud is a very exciting opportunity to save the Government a huge amount of budget.” For citizens, Osborne believes, one of the biggest advantages of the G Cloud could be allowing different departments to share non-sensitive data so paper work is reduced and processes sped up – rather like an existing service which allows stored passport photos to be used for driving licences Read more on the web: www.intellectuk.org/saas2009 ! How you keep your head above the Cloud? As with all innovations in technology there are disparate views about the benefits to be gained and the risks involved Boxwood are ideally placed to draw out the issues that face companies moving to cloud computing Our people work closely with people like you People who care deeply about business performance People who have the spirit to challenge and the openness to change For more information about how Boxwood can help turn your business vision into reality, call 020 3170 7240 or visit www.boxwoodgroup.com february 2010 · TOP TIPS Know what to consider, when ■■ Before putting a service up in the cloud businesses must consider the regulatory framework which their data must adhere to If it needs to be stored within geographic boundaries, this can be accommodated, but it needs to be stipulated and will almost certainly increase costs ■■ The same goes for security Never assume you are being given a secure server, insist on security and service level agreements (SLAs) if these are important to you It will push up the cost of the service but is better than hoping or assuming you have the level of protection you require ■■ Always remember that if you are in the public cloud you will normally not have control over whose information is stored on the same server If this is a big issue, and security is a prime concern, you may wish to discuss private cloud solutions with vendors · february 2010 An independent supplement distributed within the dailystep telegraph news consider security Question & Answer Jesper Frederiksen Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Clearswift ■■ Can business trust the cloud? The benefits are numerous but arguably the biggest barrier to adoption is security concerns, so unfortunately, it would seem that businesses don’t trust the cloud There’s no reason for this if organisations have the correct security solutions in place.And by security solutions, I don’t mean ‘lockdown’; I mean a security solution which is flexible and tailored to the specific demands of each business, something which gives organisations the confidence to embrace the benefits of cloud-based solutions The key issue is not security of the cloud itself but ensuring the exit and entry points between your business and cloud-based services are watertight ! secure your data & By ensuring the right people are getting in or staying out, your business is more secure Cloud provides great opportunities for improving productivity Photos: istock photo Get safe on the cloud with the right service mix ■■Question: Is the cloud safe to business in? ■■Answer: Security can be added to cloud services and operators are working on a common metric for measuring security “The number one barrier to adoption of cloud computing is assurance.” news If there is one concern that all businesses should be fully aware of before they consider taking advantage of the cloud, it is security Corporate server rooms are normally encased by a strong firewall to ensure that only the people who are supposed to have access to data and let in and the remainder are locked out This is the mainstay of business computing and so the suggestion that the corporate server room should be slimmed down, or even replaced, by a move in to cloud servers raises serious security issues Pick a level As with any computing infrastructure there are several options available to companies and security is central to the eventual decision an organisation opts for At the simplest extreme, the speed of renting space on a server within just a few minutes and a few clicks of a mouse is normally the most prone route to the cloud It is typically taken by companies that want to de- Giles Hogben Networks Security Policy Expert, ENISA velopment new applications in the cloud without the delay of commissioning their own server or who want to host public information, such as a website.Here there is a clear trade off between low cost, instant access to server space and the level of security on offer At the other extreme, however, there are IT specialists who can ad- vise on bespoke security measures as well as cloud providers who can offer varying levels of security on servers in the cloud but, of course, this will increase the cost of a project Standard metric As ever with the cloud, though, there is little standardisation and so a group of consultancies, regulators, Facts ■■ 94% of more than 1000 security professional recently told trade show InfoSecurity Europe that the one reason they or their clients were not committing to the cloud are concerns over levels of security ■■ in companies also revealed in a survey run by InfoSecurity Europe that they intend to spend more budget in the year ahead securing cloud services as well as applications run through a Software as a Service model ■■ The NHS certainly believes cloud services can be secured It has just signed a five year cloud security deal thought to be worth around £6m ■■ Hence the latest advice given out at the recent Westminster eForum on the cloud by the Information Security Professionals Organisation is to switch from labelling the cloud as not safe to making it secure because the technology is being adopted regardless of individual member’s concerns cloud providers and security businesses have came together at the start of the month to work on a global Common Assurance Metric (CAM) This resulting system of security scores is hoping to get around the problem that most measures of security protection are normally linked to particular bespoke products and so can make rating applications time consuming and offer a result which cannot be easily compared to other products The group of experts is expected to have the outline of the CAM ready by the end of the year When it is complete it will allow security vendors and cloud operators to have their services rated so potential clients can make informed decisions based on an industry-wide standard According to Giles Hogben, Networks Security Policy Expert at the EU’s information security agency, ENISA, the global standard is a welcome move “The CAM work is essential,” he says.The number one barrier to adoption of cloud computing is assurance – “how can I know if it’s safe to trust the cloud provider?” This is a problem for providers too - answering a different security questionnaire for every customer is a huge drain on resources.” sean hargrave info.uk@mediaplanet.com ■■ Are security and regulation driving private clouds? Without a doubt, I would say that data security and regulation is a key focus for private cloud providers Perhaps what has made the cloud security debate rage so fiercely is the fact that potential issues or breaches could be potentially catastrophic Plus relying on highly centralised cloud solutions, with data being stored in a different country, creates significant challenges for business as they struggle to comply with additional legislation Local solutions can help businesses overcome these challenges, along with private clouds ! ■■ What comeback does a business have if there is a security breach in the cloud? The protection businesses can call upon in case of a breach is all down to the contracts it has in place with their cloud provider The service level agreements,the course of action they will take, the level of information about breaches and ability to investigate varies greatly on the provider I would strongly encourage businesses to obtain the service level agreements they require before committing to a cloud provider ! · february 2010 An independent supplement distributed within the daily telegraph An independent supplement distributed within the daily telegraph inspiration step Question: How can companies encourage their IT departments to be more flexible at the same time as offering budgetary savings? Answer: Talk of the cloud has moved beyond rousing conferences speeches and is now a major issue in the board room cloud circle’s best tips use it to your advantage Cloud can turn talk into action leader to leader A couple of years ago businesses were talking about the cloud before carrying out limited ‘toe dipping’ pilots last year Now, this year, is going to be one where real life projects are going to be launched and, in Emma Taylor’s words, the cloud is going to start to be used widely as well as talked about Hence at the end of last year The Cloud Circle was set up as an independent members’ organisation for potential clients and experts to network and discuss best practice One of the big issues overhanging the industry is that people are not sure yet whether the cloud is as transformational as computing experts believe it to be In fact,when the Cloud Circle surveyed more than 200 leading businesses at the end of last year, one in five felt it was just hype, a quarter believed it be ‘the real deal’ and just over a half were yet to decide Real experience As more businesses take to the cloud and take advantage of its speed,flexibility and low cost, Taylor is convinced the benefits will become clearer for all to see “The people who are using the cloud today tend to be using it as toe dipping, they’re seeing how they get along with using it before they anything more major,” she says “It’s very hard to get people to talk about projects they’re working on because things are sometimes a little bit sensitive A lot of companies see their early pilots on the cloud as giving them a competitive edge and so they don’t want to shout about it “This year, though, I think we’re going to get a lot more real life use of the cloud which will lead to a lot more case studies which will convince people that it really can live up to the hype.” Little and large So far, in Taylor’s experience, it has been companies at either end of the spectrum who have adopted cloud computing, or at least used it for specific projects to see what they can learn “We’re seeing mass adoption by startups, particularly in e-commerce, where february 2010 · “They can see the attraction of having a large, flexible infrastructure which can expand or contract with their needs.” Emma Taylor The Cloud Circle they can instantly see the attraction of having a large, flexible infrastructure which can expand or contract with their needs,” she says “At the same time, large enterprises are using it, not across the entire company but on a department by department basis for specific projects “One of the big attractions for them is that it’s so much quicker and more flexible It can take months within a large enterprise to requisition a development server but with the cloud you can be up and running in minutes “Also companies that need to expand for a particular event, or which have seasonal peaks - such as the travel or insurance industries - they’re starting to experiment with the cloud because they want to scale up and down in response to market demand.” Security key Of course there are still legitimate concerns over regulation and security in the cloud, although Taylor believes some of these will start to be addressed as more companies, of all sizes, take to the cloud Richard Hall CEO, Cloud Origin and Cloud Circle advisor Do your research Be careful who you deal with I’d suggest that companies should work with people with a track record and when they’re looking for an operator to host their services and applications in the cloud they go for somebody that’s put a billion in to it rather than a couple of million The big operators are likely to have a better service and offer greater scale “Security is an obvious concern for companies but we’re finding that businesses are looking in to setting up private clouds for sensitive material,” she says “Many are also looking into a public or even hybrid offering so they can pick what information is public and which is protected better “When you’ve got huge companies like Glaxo Smith Kline and, of course, the Government looking into and starting to use the cloud, it should make companies realise that security concerns can be addressed.” Hence, with a strong push from the board room for IT to make savings wherever possible, the drive to move more projects into the cloud is going to build up considerable momentum in the year ahead,Taylor believes Companies are looking to IT to become more agile and cost effective and this is exactly what the cloud offers and delivers Be prepared Be sure you know what you are getting Many companies may buy a cloud service without realising that they have very little in the way of security or a guarantee of service These can be provided with the right partners Plan ahead For new projects, give the cloud serious consideration because it is so much simpler and quicker to set up than the formal process inside large companies of requesting a server This usually means nothing can happen on new projects for a couple of months or more Capture headline A leading advisor for the Cloud Circle, Richard belives in researching the cloud before you jump SEAN HARGRAVE Photo: The cloud circle info.uk@mediaplanet.com – the cloud with a golden lining If you are looking for the next Skype, Google or eBay, then turn your attention to London-based EGS The company recently followed these three power-houses into the Red Herring Top 100 after being named among Europe’s top private technology enterprises EGS is one of the Cloud’s quiet success stories But, while it lacks the glitz of some dotcom businesses, the company has generated headline news by making multi-million-pound savings for large organisations Put simply, EGS reduces its customers’ operating costs dramatically by automating back-office business processes via the Cloud In areas such as corporate purchasing and invoice processing, EGS replaces inefficient and expensive manual processes with Cloud-based alternatives enabling technology to the work in a fraction of the time and for a fraction of the cost It’s known as ‘Business Process Automation’ or BPA EGS teams with trade bodies and partners, such as BT and Capita, to help ambitious organisations achieve multi-million pound savings In some cases, the end-to-end processing of a single ‘transaction’ can be reduced from £50-60 to just pennies As an example, one of EGS’s customers will save £2.5 million by 2012 through the automated management of hundreds of thousands of supplier invoices using EGS’s Cloud-based tools “We automated our first transaction in 2001 Several billion pounds worth of transactions later, we feel as though we really understand Business Process Automation,” says Peter Whent, Chief Executive at EGS “We have accrued decades of experience in our field It’s that expertise that goes into our award-winning Cloudbased platform that 40,000 users across more than 120 organisations rely on to help them save millions of pounds a year.” The urgency for businesses to make savings during the economic downturn has meant a surge in interest in EGS For some, it’s their first foray into Cloud-based business process automation For others, it’s about overcoming stubborn obstacles that have derailed previous attempts “With our approach, companies more than save costs,” adds Peter Whent “They accelerate performance and create stronger relationships with suppliers and partners, while delivering a better service to their customers Everyone benefits.” COMPANY FACTFILE Private Equity owned EGS Group Ltd was started in 2000 Services: e-Marketplace, e-Purchasing, e-Invoicing, Automated e-Invoice approval, Automated e-Invoice workflow, Electronic data capture for paper invoices The company owns its technology Contact: 020 7539 2828, email info@egsgroup.com Web: www.egsgroup.com Address: EGS Group Limited, Baird House, 15-17 St Cross Street, London, EC1N 8UW 10 · february 2010 An independent supplement distributed within the daily telegraph Inspiration step Question & Answer Richard Prodger Technical Director at AWS, the company behind the MOB Guardian push the boundaries ■■ Are there any data concerns with rescue information in the cloud? One of the potential problems with the cloud is that fishermen might not want their rivals to know where they are via a public cloud system, so we ensure they are identified as a number that only our system can identify them by ! to the rescue Cloud-based technology is helping the RNLI react to emergencies even faster Photo: RNLI Cloud’s scalability saves lives for less ■■Question: Can the cloud prove robust enough to host emergency services? ■■Answer: The RNLI is certainly hoping so It is testing a cloud service to see if it could help save lives at sea “This technology is already a proven life saver” how we made it Many people can talk with authority on how the cloud can transform a business but very few can tell you have they are using it to save lives However, at the RNLI the cloud is currently being used to run a system that warns when a person has fallen off a small fishing boat or has an emergency situation The Man Over Board Guardian (MOB Guardian) is being trialed in the cloud, on Microsoft’s Azure service, in addition to being hosted in a conventional data centre The ultimate aim, when it has proven resolute enough, is to switch the data centre to act as a back up to the cloud service and then potentially switch off the data centre service altogether How it works The MOB Guardian system works through a fisherman wearing a pendant that is in Bluetooth, wireless contact with a sensor on the boat As soon as the person goes underwater, Peter Bradley Operations Manager, RNLI and contact with the sensor is lost,an alarm is raised via satellite and the stricken sailor’s position is tracked via the on board GPS (satnav).This offers crucial protection for lone fishermen “Longer fishing vessels are already monitored and have safety systems installed by law,” explains Peter Bradley, Operations Manager at the RNLI “This technology is already a proven life saver because it not only alerts us to an incident, it tells the rescue crews where to find the person, so they can go straight to them.” Bradley explains that the purpose of mirroring the service in the cloud, before hopefully migrating it fully, is to reduce the cost of “on premise” servers and offer greater scale for Facts on the mob guardian ■■ The Man Over Board Guardian (MOB Guardian) system is primarily targeted at fishermen in boats shorter than 15m Longer boats are already covered by legislation that requires they carry similar emergency equipment ■■ Aside from revealing when a person has fallen in to the water, the system also has an emergency button which can alert the RNLI One boat recently, for example, used the facility to warn it had an engine fire and needed assistance ■■ Each MOB Guardian system on a boat can work with up to four pendants However, most fishing boats under 15 metres are normally crewed by a single person, two at the most ■■ The system is only activated when the boats go out of port and sends back regular positioning information If an update is not received the system flags up the anomaly which could mean, in the worst case scenario, the boat has turned over or sunk less money “At the moment it’s run traditionally on servers in a data centre and has a capacity of 10,000 boats,” he says “The problem is to add an extra one boat above that, we’d need to add the same infrastructure again and double up, with capacity for another 10,000 boats That’s very expensive, so by putting this service in the cloud we’re going to be able to save a lot of money at the outset but then also we’ll be able to scale up without huge upfront costs.” Cost is very important for the RNLI because of its charitable status The MOB Guardian service is currently heavily subsidised and the emergency service needs to be able to offer it to fishermen (and perhaps other small boats in the future) at an affordable price as possible The recession has hit fishermen hard and, as Bradley surmises, “if a fisherman’s going to put their hand in their pocket for anything at the moment, it’s going to be to mend their nets” Hence,to save lives,it is imperative the service can be run as efficiently as possible so the final cost can be brought down sean hargrave info.uk@mediaplanet.com ■■ Does the cloud help data concerns? Actually, it does As the system hopefully rolls out to new countries there is the potential for problems over where data is hosted A lot of authorities require data about their citizens, companies or authorities to be kept within their country.With the cloud we can set up the services with servers in specific countries or continents so we not have any regulatory issues It was the ability of Azure to offer a choice of tying where data is stored and the application hosted to geographic regions that attracted us to the platform ! ■■ Why place the service in the cloud? By using the cloud, we’re far more flexible.We can take extra capacity as and when we need it and we can make sure that extra capacity is in the right part of the world If we were going down the traditional route we’d need to keep on putting in place a series of infrastructures, in each territory, that could take 10,000 users With the cloud we can this a bit at a time as we need to It’s a lot more efficient and affordable ! ■■ What if the cloud were to fail? We’re testing the service now to show that it can be as robust and reliable any alternative because this is obviously a huge concern for an emergency safety device such as the MOB Guardian, you can’t have it failing In fact, we think, if anything, the cloud could be more robust because it could be set up so if one server goes down another cloud server could take over This kind of back up would be far cheaper in the cloud than locating the service in more than one traditional data centre ! an independent supplement distributed within the daily telegraph february 2010 · 11 Inspiration Tips raising the BAR Making waves Following developments in cloud, the Man Over Board Guardian (MOB Guardian) system not only notifies the RNLI of an incident, but allows them to pinpoint someone’s location The GPS-based technology is saving lives as well as cutting costs, a vital aid to the charitybased organisation a leap forward A boat is launched after the alarm is raised Fishermen wearing pendants can rest easy knowing their locations are being logged The RNLI team can remotely monitor GPS signals with off-site servers Photos RNLI/istock photo 12 · february 2010 An independent supplement distributed within the dailystep telegraph news Going mobile? Look at standards and security first consider logistics ■■Question: Is the cloud going mobile or are there obstacles? ■■Answer: There is lots of interest in the mobile cloud but competing standards and security concerns are an issue Modern business is mobile and so it is inevitable that the major next advance for the cloud is to tailor services for mobile phones, or more particularly, smartphones With computing giants Microsoft, Apple and Google all vying to make further inroads on Blackberry’s dominance in smartphones, it is unthinkable that cloud applications will remain mainly limited to PCs and laptops However, first, two major obstacles have to be overcome; proprietary platforms and security The former is arguably the one giving IT teams the biggest headache Specific applications can be written for each of the various platforms, but which one should an IT team chose? David Akka, Managing Director of Magic Software believes the question will lead companies to consider publishing applications on platforms which can then publish to multiple standards, rather than write a different application for each standard “It is difficult enough already for IT teams to chose which cloud provider they go for because there are several large operators with different Secure, at a price get up and go Cloud allows for business to be conducted on the move, but it’s an Photo: Thomas Maier option which should be carefully considered platforms,” he says “Then, if you add the complication of several different smartphone platforms, you can see it’s going to give them a real headache That’s why I believe mobile is really going to en- courage businesses to develop applications first of all on a single platform which can then publish that application on the competing cloud standards as well as the smartphone handsets they want it to run on.” Facts ■■ The mobile market is complicated by various vying platforms from rival operators, meaning that although a single application can work on all computers it will need to be rewritten for every type of smartphone ■■ This leaves companies wondering which platform is the best choice for their employees or for the consumer market they are intending to reach ■■ Latest figures from Comscore show that Google’s Android mobile platform is gaining users, doubling its market share in the last quarter of 2009 ■■ The dominant platform, at 42% of the market, is still RIM (Blackberry handsets), followed by Apple on 25%, Microsoft Windows for Mobile 19%, Palm 6% and Android 5% ■■ The figures suggest the Blackberry’s dominance could soon be overcome by the iPhone and that Palm will very soon be overtaken by Google’s Android platform In the field,the feedback from mobile application specialists is that there is increased interest in hosting applications in the cloud, so long as security concerns can be overcome JeanPhilippe Bechade, CEO of Mobile Distillery, claims this is now possible, although it will impact the cost of the service In fact, as if to prove the point, the company has just helped a client launch a cloud service through which people can send money to relatives abroad through a mobile phone “The cloud is indispensable for companies who want to launch a service and then grow their capacity as the service takes off,” he says “So as business and consumer activity is moving to the mobile phone we’re getting a lot of interest which we think will start to be turned in to commercial activity this year, like the money transfer service “Obviously security is a big concern, particularly if you’re dealing with something like money transfers “We can add security to services but clients need to be aware that it accounts for around a third to even nearly a half of a project’s cost.” uk SaaS brings flexibility and savings Cloud computing is helping to open up a far more flexible and cost-effective era of buying and accessing software applications Traditionally software has been housed within a company’s server room and distributed around the office Key staff could be given access to the tools they need outside of the office but generally they would need to be on a specific laptop, usally with the required software installed There have already been widespread moves to get away from this through a new model of Software as a Service (SaaS) Instead of relying on a client company to put the applications on their server and then shut it down every time it needs updating, the tools’ developer behind the tools hosts the service Access to the applications can then be given through a passwordprotected internet site which users can log on to from any computer they like, wherever they are in the world The approach not only offers far more flexible access but also allows users to have access charged by the week or month rather than as a permanent ‘seat’ This radically reduces the cost, making top tools available for SMEs sean hargrave sean hargrave info.uk@mediaplanet.com info.uk@mediaplanet.com “Calling for Change: Isn’t it time you put your Telephony in the Cloud as well as your IT Applications?” NewVoiceMedia’s telephony solution is delivered using cloud-based technology, which provides the functionality of an on-premise solution at a fraction of the price We help companies such as Berry Bros & Rudd, Kingston University, SHL Group, Thomas Cook and Wokingham Borough Council to bring uniformity and increased efficiency to their customer interactions “NewVoiceMedia’s solution has revolutionised how we deal with our customers” Sarah Barrow, Customer Service Manager, Wokingham Direct Visit www.newvoicemedia.com or call 0800 280 2888 to discover how your business can benefit from our Cloud Based Telephony An independent supplement distributed within the daily telegraph february 2010 · 13 Inspiration Tips business transfer Keep data safe when on the move Following changes in modern business practices, organisations now need to be more aware of threats to information security Mobile technologies such as smartphones, bluetooth and laptops mean companies could be more at risk from data breaches However, cloud still offers fantastic opportunities for businesses on the move, especially if that direction is up data process Thanks to a growing cloud presence, data is now easier to share- and to intercept Every-day appliances, such as mobile phones, now pose as a potential risk to your business’ data Photos: istock photo 14 · february 2010 An independent supplement distributed within the daily telegraph panel of experts Ron Brown Director Cloud Computing, EMEA, CSC Hugh Scantlebury Director, Aqilla Jon Dakin Director, Boxwood Question 1: How is the cloud transforming business, and why? ■■ Better pricing control - pay per click provides predictability of IT costs which are synced with business growth and allow a CAPEX to OPEX transition ■■ Freedom -establishing environments to support initiatives can now be done in relatively short times with flexibility around sizing, up or down This provides agility to the business ■■ Enhanced collaboration - between the business and its employees, partners and suppliers The cost benefits of cloud-based applications are well documented but I believe that flexibility is one of the most compelling reasons for their adoption Downtime through travel can be reduced and teams can work with colleagues even when they’re away from the office, transforming business Accountants,for example, can work more efficiently, collaborating with clients and working through data without even having to leave their office The conventional model of all IT services being delivered by an in-house function is shifting The cloud allows users to buy all forms of IT services from around the globe, real-time, offering low costs as well as the best-in-class innovation and capability For those entrepreneurial executives keen to exploit modern technology they are no longer constrained to the legacy architecture, skills and processes of their in house capability Question 2: What are the main factors holding back cloud adoption? ■■ Fear of the unknown - uncertainty around security, service level agreements, new commercial and engagement models and unclear risk profiles ■■ Readiness - inability to be a good cloud-buyer Existing operating models are tuned for managed services/product procurement New IT skills, evaluation techniques and architectures are needed ■■ Confusion - from hardware and software vendors with their current revenue models under threat Caution about cloud solutions mirrors that of other technologies that are now mainstream, including the web, email and even Microsoft Word This is often driven by fear of lost control and security so, when considering the options, particularly if you’re outsourcing core systems and data, it pays to be prudent You must always ask potential partners detailed questions about security and the guarantees they offer for things like availability Effective IT delivery is essential to survival so sourcing that delivery from 3rd parties requires a great deal of trust Managing multiple complex supply chains and extended relationships where the real risks can’t be fully outsourced will require new legislation, business models and management skills Building in redundancy and fail safes will help but most businesses will feel it is far better to be a fast adopter than an early adopter Formulation of cloud strategies within enterprises as case studies emerge from early adopters and the response of hardware and software vendors becomes clearer The invention of new business operating models to take advantage of the increased agility, leading into new collaborative models as community clouds are deployed Data management is likely to become a focus area with accurate data segregation being necessary to fully leverage ‘cloud’ I think we will see the takeup of the cloud grow dramatically throughout 2010,partly driven by mobile devices that have larger screens, such as the iPad.Our recent research shows that 82 per cent of UK finance professionals already use some sort of web-based applications in the workplace,and from April 2011 it will be compulsory for all businesses to file both company accounts and tax returns in an electronic format, which can only deepen the trend Question 3: What developments should we be expecting this year, and beyond? The experts talk! Cloud services will be fuelled through continual demands to reduce costs This will drive greater risk taking Already we are seeing some FTSE100 companies experimenting with services such as Google desktop managed services However, old lessons will be relearned, specifically that a well thought-out enterprise architecture is a ‘must have’ if you are to fully exploit the range of technologies available and that includes the cloud 15 16