Emerging Issues for Cloud Comnputing

Attacking Mobile Computing Platforms

One benefit of using the Cloud is that computing is no longer tied to a physical location and machine. In this untethered environment, if you have a sufficiently robust device, i.e. a smartphone, you can have an office wherever you are.

Of course, this also means that these smartphones are the new targets of virus and other malware. In a recent report, malware creators seem to favor Android. The assumption is that Android app is not a tightly curated platform whereas iPhone's is.

On the business front, what is interesting to ponder is what is the best curation strategy for a given stage of a platform's growth. On the technical front, does the combination of Cloud and Smart device allow a new way of protecting again and recovering from malware?

When Geography Defines the Boundary

Export control allows a government to restrict the export of items, information, and software it deems sensitive. In the old days of physical shipping, there is a form and approval process if an item is on the export control list.

Cloud computing, on the other hand, removes the geographic boundary that defines the where and how export control can be enforced. This is a brand new territory for both policy makers and technologists.

On the face of it, any particular use case may not be difficult to address. But, a robust universal framework that will encourage the innovative and commercial motivation on one hand and the imperatives of national security and foreign policy on the other will require an in-depth discussion.

Virus for smartphones: https://www.mylookout.com/mobile-threat-report
Export Control in the Age of Cloud Computing: http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2011/0725_cloud_computing_villasenor.aspx

Office Redefined in the Age of Cloud and Mobile Computing

Not your Daddy's WordStar

Office productivity tools have come a long way from the days of the Wang Labs (assuming you even know what that is in reference to.) MIT's Tech Review has a series of articles on what constitutes an office in today's mobile and cloud computing world. A global and flattening global nature of interaction, ubiquitous and instantanious accessibility, and how to better define and protect data are some of the oft-heard observations.

These observations also lead to some interesting questions.

Roll Up a Flattened World

In a flat and global world, while it is true that people from different corners of the world can be part of the same virtual team, it is also true that virtual team is difficult to manage. Although cloud and mobile computing have made life easier. From a business perspective, how to get a team to perform at a high productivity level remains an art.

In other words, now that people are collaborate across oceans, does mobile and cloud computing offer new opportunities to close the physical distance?

Going Off the Grid

The convergence of mobile and cloud is accidental. For the early cloud folks, the emergence of a touch based device was not expected. Similarly, mobile designers only considered tapping the vast processing and storage power of Cloud as an after-thought. As users become more comfortable using smart mobile devices as the primary "office computer", how to address the productivity needs while offline will become an issue.

Adding more processing and storage on the mobile device can only get you so far. What is not clear is what are the buseinss policy tools. For example, what data can you take offline to protect privacy and security. What if several people are working on the same document, can you take it offline and work on it?

The Rise of the Virtual Office: http://www.technologyreview.com/business/38169/page1/
Tiny, Cloud-Powered Desktops: http://www.technologyreview.com/business/38171/?nlid=nldly&nld=2011-08-04
How to Secure the Virtual Office: http://www.technologyreview.com/business/38170/page1/

A Familiar Path for Mobile OS?

What used to be the Boring End of Software

Who knew?! Operating Systems (OS) used to be the most boring part of the software world that mainly divided into the PC/Wintel camp and the Unix derivatives (server, Mac) camps.

Vital, yes. Sexy, no.

Alibaba's Aliyun

While Apple's iOS and Google's Android are duking it out on both install base growth and patent infringement skirmishes around the world in a "proxy war", Alibaba's Aliyun mobile OS is almost a breath of fresh air. Not to suggest that Alibaba of China is not an 800 pound gorilla in its own right, but I, for one, am thankful for a new twist in the development.

It is still too early to know what impact Aliyun would have on the global stage. But, one can be fairly certain that China market alone will make it a player to contend with.

Mobile Computing Ecosystem

It is also interesting to see the recent media blitz on mobile computing in Asia by Eric Schmidt of Google which he dubbed the "Mobile Revolution." Given the pressure that HTC and Samsung are getting from Apple for their Android phone, it sure is good to have a very high level and publicly visible support from Google.

What I find interesting in the Schmidt piece, however, is his suggestion that Android, as an open platform, should be the preferred choice for the rest of world because of its low cost and inter-operability. I cannot help but wonder if this is implicitly suggesting that, like the PC world, the future will consists of the cool people on iPhone (like designers wearing only black and using Mac) and a much larger user base on Android Phones (i.e. the rest of us folks on PC).

I suspect, a good deal of this potential outcome depends on what the local telco around the world have to say about it.

* Alibaba's Aliyun: http://allthingsd.com/20110728/look-out-android-and-ios-here-comes-alibabas-aliyun/?mod=mailchimp
* Schmidt's Mobile Revolution (in Chinese): http://www.businesstoday.com.tw/v1/content.aspx?a=W20110701225&p=1
* Schmidt's Mobile Revolution (in English): http://asiancorrespondent.com/60334/googles-schmidt-hails-the-real-mobile-revolution-in-asia/