are you lost in the cloud?

Individual Effort

Technology Consulting

[email protected]

Are you lost in the Cloud?

Howard Burpee

Professor of Computer Technology at SMCC

And

Principal, Individual Effort LLC


[email protected]

207.321.1638

Individual Effort


[email protected] Slide 2

Today’s talk:

The content of this presentation can be

downloaded at: http://www.howardburpee.com

Please ask questions at any time.

Oh, and by the way, please don’t turn off

your cell phones… I love to hear the

different ringtones.

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What is this cloud thingie?

The cloud defined:

◦ Moving services normally performed on a

local system (server or client) onto a remote

system.

◦ Email: But haven't we been doing email in the

cloud (via a web page) forever?

Yes, but now businesses are giving up their own

servers that managed the company email and

subscribing to cloud based email servers.

Microsoft's Office 365 and Gmail

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The cloud defined:

Other services that have moved into the

cloud:

◦ Backup:

Automatic, encrypted, on the system, and encrypted

when stored in the cloud.

Carbonite is a well know brand used by users and

small businesses.

Fee based

◦ Document management:

Google docs (free) and Office 365 (fee based).

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The cloud defined:

Other services that have moved into the

cloud:

◦ Storage:

Sky drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud.

Free

Cloud storage accounts will usually place a folder

linked to the online storage space on your desktop

which will then synchronize between the local and

online folders.

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Why would you move your "stuff" into the cloud?

A business can save money by not having to maintain their own servers.

◦ Server costs include: space, power, and personnel.

Cloud based backup services provide businesses and consumers offsite backups in different geographic area.

◦ This provides security for the data in case of a disaster.

One of the primary benefits of cloud based document storage is that the data can be accessed from anywhere there is an Internet connection.

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Why would you move your "stuff" into the cloud?

Users are no longer required to be in the

business network.

Cloud based data can also be accessed by

any device.

◦ Desktop, laptop, smahtphone, tablet.

Cloud based documents can easily be

shared with others.

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Why would you not move your "stuff" into the cloud?

Security:

◦ Consumers and businesses are afraid that the

servers storing their data might be hacked

and their data compromised.

These are legitimate fears. It has happened.

◦ Cloud based backup services, such as

Carbonite, are very unlikely to be breached as

the data is highly encrypted.

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Security:

◦ If your company's customer records that are

stored in the cloud get hacked, who is

responsible for remediation?

You are responsible for your customer's data

remaining confidential.

Is the company you are paying for the cloud service

responsible for some of the costs involved when

the data is hacked?

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Availability:

◦ Have you ever lost the Internet connection

from your home or office?

◦ If everything is in the cloud, what do your

employees do when the network goes down? Billy Backhoe accidently digs up a fiber optic cable in New

Jersey.

◦ If all your business documents are in the

cloud, who is backing them up?

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Scroogled?:

◦ The companies don't really "read" the emails and

documents. Rather, they scan the data for words.

This is data mining. The data they have mined is used to

sell advertisements, often specific to the user based

upon the data mined.

◦ Mining the data also identifies common threads

among all users.

◦ This is how we get "What's Trending" on the

Good Morning America show every morning.

◦ Fee based cloud services for businesses are not

mining the data.

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What do you do now?

Choices:

◦ So, what do you do? Do you take your stuff

into the cloud?

You pays your money and you takes your chances.

A quote I attribute to Popeye…

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One more cloud thingie:

The coolest service that you can get in

the cloud is Google Voice.

◦ In a business environment this is called

Unified Communications (UC).

A free service from Google. You may have to apply.

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The coolest thing:

Google voice. You get to choose a phone number. This can be setup to spell something.

Includes the ability to: Set to ring on multiple different phones: home / cell / work

at the same time.

Voice mail capabilities that will email you the voice mail converted to text, and will text you the voice mail also.

Allows you to send texts when logged in to your account.

Very cool, but… I have tried to use this number as an emergency contact number where it will send a text to my cell and it has sometimes taken several hours for me to receive the text.

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Moving on…

Please remember, questions at any time.

Now that we've got our head out of the

clouds... let's talk about a new computer.

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It’s time for a new system:

If it's time for a new business system, you need to talk to your boss.

For yourself, should you buy a Mac, a PC, a Chromebook, a tablet?

◦ First, desktop or laptop?

◦ Laptops are great, but very hard to repair, and subject to more dangers than a desktop (droppage, spillage, etc.).

I never recommend purchasing an extended warranty for a desktop, but I always recommend one for a laptop. Insurance for droppage, spillage, etc. is also available.

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It’s time for a new system:

Second, Mac or Windows?

◦ Apple make a superior computer, but....

They are at least three times as expensive as a

basic, equivalent, Windows based system.

They are not as impervious to viruses and other

malicious software (Malware) as most Mac users

assume.

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Mac or Windows:

Windows computers are considered to have more problems, but...

◦ You can buy three for the price of one Mac.

◦ There is much more technical support available just because they are more common systems.

◦ There is much, much, more free software (applications, utilities, etc.) available for Windows systems.

◦ They are much more likely to be the systems you use at work, so it makes more sense to use them at home.

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Chromebooks?:

Google is now competing in the laptop market with a system called a Chromebook

◦ These systems are laptops, usually smaller sized, with the Chrome operating system created by Google.

◦ They come with "everything" you need, but are limited to services provided by Google (Google docs, etc.).

◦ They are also advertised as including anti malware software and automatic updates.

I saw one at Sam's Club with a 13" screen for $229!

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Oooh, I want a tablet:

But you say "I want one of those tablets

that do all that magic stuff they show on

TV!"

◦ Tablets are great, if you don't actually need to

do any work on one.

◦ Versions:

Apple iPad (new version coming out this week).

Microsoft Surface (also new versions coming out

this week).

The business version of the Surface, the Surface Pro,

is around $900!

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Oooh, I want a tablet:

Samsung Galaxy tablet

◦ This, and many other tablets from other

manufacturers, runs the Android operating

system which is also made by Google.

The Android OS also runs on many smahtphones

and has at least as many "apps" as the Apple

devices.

I recommend a tablet after you have

purchased a full blown laptop or desktop.

are you lost in the cloud?

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