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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Cloud, Mobile, and why Network Optimization is essential

When discussing "Cloud Computing" and "Mobile Computing" it's starting to get difficult to have a discussion about one without in some way talking about the other. Also, I think they may turn out to be the endpoints of the same organism (we'll let the terminal equipment manufacturers and cloud providers sort out which is the head end and which is the...). Before getting too deep allow me to standardize on some definitions around the terms "Cloud" and "Mobile" for the purposes of this discussion, and take giant, complex, difficult concepts and boil them down to easily digested techno porridge:

"Cloud Computing" or just "Cloud": We'll go ahead and use the NIST definition here: 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.gov – Computer Security Division – Computer Security Resource Center". Csrc.nist.gov

"Mobile Computing":  Taking a computer and all necessary files and software out into the field. Definition courtesy of US Bureau of Land Management http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/bea/Glossary.html#m

I'm intentionally using broad definitions of both Cloud and Mobile because that is exactly what our customers and partners are doing. What specifically a person means by either "Cloud" or "Mobile" is going to depend on a wide variety of factors including location, application, public or private sector, industry, role, etc. The above definitions do an admirable job of rolling the multitude of variants up into an easy generalization that captures the essence of each. They are also at a high enough level that the intrinsic tie between Cloud and Mobile should be readily apparent. We can highlight the synergy by reducing the definitions one step further:

"Cloud" : Easy, on-demand access to applications and content hosted somewhere else.
"Mobile": Everything you need to run applications and look at content wherever you are.

A match made in heaven. And a headache in the making if ever there was one. Although it's easy to see where Cloud Computing and Mobile are closely aligned, some may miss the remarkably important piece that's missing. If the apps and content are hosted somewhere else, and you're accessing them from wherever you are....HOW are you accessing them? Via a network of course. But, which network? Does it have enough bandwidth for your needs, is it all yours or shared, is it safe and secure, do you know anything about it at all? The network is an essential element for both Cloud and Mobile, neither will work without one, but is a little difficult to define well here. We'll call it the "network", now giving us:

"Cloud" : Easy, on-demand applications and content hosted somewhere else.
"Mobile": Using applications and looking at content wherever you are.

"Network": How Mobile things connect to Clouds.

The fantastic opportunities that Cloud and Mobile have to offer are only accessible if there is a network connecting them. The network must be sufficient to carry the content users are requesting, consistent enough for transactions to be completed, and assured enough for reliable connectivity and data delivery. Because we've already defined Cloud as being "somewhere else" but haven't said where, and we've defined Mobile as being "wherever you are" but not where or how, the actual characteristics of the network remain unknown. This are exactly the conditions that users face every day from wherever they are. The vast majority of users connecting to applications or content do not have a detailed knowledge of the network they are using to connect themselves to the computing platforms and content storage they are accessing. If those users are connecting from anywhere other than their workplace, they may know their connection only by the marketing brand delivering it: Verizon Wireless, WiFi by AT&T, Boingo, T-Mobile Hotspot. Clearly the network is the critical bridge and if the user can't provide actionable information related to the character and capabilities of the connection we must rely on platforms, applications, or content to provide it without user input. This is the principle reason why WAN Optimization technology is essential for Cloud Computing and Mobile, both require network connectivity in order to function and neither can rely on user input or single-sided configurations to ensure successful and efficient operation.

Circadence WAN Optimization for Mobile http://bit.ly/fjXYt4 and Cloud http://bit.ly/i7O0Oy

1 comment:

  1. This is a good post. I'm definitely going to look into it.Really very useful tips are provided here.thank you so much.Keep up the good works.

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