Archive for the ‘Connectivity and Acess’ Category

The Benefits of the Hybrid Cloud

Friday, April 20th, 2012

Cloud computing is very popular these days. The cloud is essentially a group of remote servers where people can store and access their data. People can store music, powerful programs, and important files in the cloud. As information kept in the cloud isn’t stored on personal computers this saves tons of computer memory. The result of this is that people gain access to more data without having to use up space on their computer, which often can slow it down.

Not All Clouds are the Same

However, not all clouds are the same. There is the public cloud, the one with which we are most familiarized. But then there’s the hybrid cloud as well. As its name implies, the hybrid cloud is a combination of two different types of clouds, the public cloud and a private cloud.

To provide a hybrid cloud, an organization may store some of their client’s more important or current data in-house and store older, archived, and less crucial files in the public cloud. They may also use the public cloud to store huge programs while keeping confidential information in-house.

The Hybrid Cloud Approach Makes Sense

Taking a hybrid cloud approach to data storage permits businesses to take advantage of the space-saving features of the public cloud without also exposing their sensitive current data to third-party providers. Put simply, the hybrid cloud provides businesses with protection, cost-savings, and efficiency.

It’s little wonder, then, that a great number of organizations today are moving toward a hybrid cloud approach. There is way too much data floating around today for smaller businesses to properly store. At the same time, businesses in today’s competitive environment don’t want to expose company secrets and sensitive consumer data to either their competition or hackers. The hybrid cloud could allow businesses to accomplish both feats.

If I were to be totally honest, I’d have to admit to an internal struggle about wrapping this article up on such a simple note.  The cloud is a complex suite of options that offers an almost infinite number of options, and even this explanation of a Hybrid Cloud is extremely simplistic.  But, in an effort to keep things simple and keep this article short, let’s stick with this description.  If you’d like to discuss this further, please call the number at the top of the page and we’ll talk.  Or, simply post your questions/comments here and we can delve deeper.

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The Life Impacts of Constant Connectivity

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

Do you remember a time when you took your dog for a walk without texting, or watched a game with your friends without checking your email? It was called downtime and it was healthy for you. In this age of connectivity it appears as though that may be a thing of the past. Today having our devices with us at all times is not unusual, but is it healthy?

It’s extremely hard to argue that our gadgets—our smartphones, tablets and laptops—haven’t made our everyday life simpler. We can make dining reservations as we drive down the highway. If we’re lost, we can find directions on our smartphones. If we need recommendations on how to deal with our child’s fever, we can find medical advice by tapping the screen on our iPad.

But are we paying for this connectivity more then just monetarily? As we are always connected, we rarely, if ever, are alone with our ideas. Lots of people have wondered if this is negatively affecting the philosophical, pensive, aspect of humanity.

That is not a question we’ll explore here, but it’s something to think about. A more pressing question is, what is being continually plugged in doing to our health?

Always being connected takes its toll, whether it’s for work or for play. The human body needs time to rest, and not just when it’s asleep. If you find that you have trouble with being away from your phone, or have anxiety about not checking your mail, it may be time to shut off your devices.

While being connected helps grow relationships online it can harm ones offline. When you’re out with your friends and family members it may be good practice to unplug. It’s just too easy to text and check your email, forgetting to give the ones around you the attention they deserve.

If you are one that always has their gadget in their hand, think about how your life may being impacted by it. Try leaving it at home one day, or turning it off on the weekends. You may find that you are considerably more laid back because your brain is not focusing on more then just being present.

I know that some of this my be quite controversial and even difficult to swallow, but I would encourage you to try to “unplug” every once in an while.  What are your thoughts on the subject?

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Protect Your Data by Being Aware of Security Challenges

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

Technology is ever changing, and cyber-criminals will be ever adjusting to it. Recently, MIT’s Technology Review published an article concerning technology security threats that we should be aware of in 2012. As many of us devote a significant amount of time online, being familiar with these threats can help protect valuable data.

Stolen, Spoofed Certificates

One problem that the article mentioned is stolen or faked certificates. When you log into a website, your bank for instance, the traffic is encrypted with a “certificate”. This proves that the site can be trusted. The faking and stealing of these certificates was a popular strategy used by cyber-criminals in 2011. This can give them access to confidential information.

A Common Security Mechanism in Trouble?

Sites use certificates as a security measure more than any other means. If these are no longer viewed as trustworthy it could affect everyone, from the consumer, to the large company that is charged with protecting your information.

Another crucial security challenge that we should be aware of is “hacktivism”. “Hacktivism” is the combination of the words activism and hack. Groups like Anonymous and LulzSec target businesses that they feel are either guilty of wrongdoings or just wish to prove the companies have lax security. Whatever the reason, Technology Review says we should expect groups like these to continue their “hacktivism” well into the future.

Home Automation

The growing popularity of home automation also presents security risks in 2012. As Technology Review writes, a growing amount of automation systems connect alarm systems, thermostats, lights, and even the locks to homes’ front doors to the web. Consider the damage that hackers can do if they break into these systems.

All-in-all, the expansion of technological capabilities and our greater consumption of these technologies are creating additional opportunities for others to exploit them.  I make my living, and truly enjoy, using technology and I’m not trying to scare anyone.  But I do want make sure that you are aware of the vulnerabilities and do what you can to protect yourself.  If you need help, call the number above and we’ll see what we can do.

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The Connected Car: Good or Bad

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

As the world becomes more connected so do our cars. Cars such as the Audi A6, Ford Edge, and the Lincoln MKX allow people to surf the web when in their front seat. People may now, stream music, get up-to-date traffic information, but is all this access the best thing while driving? Generally it’s exciting to see technological advancements, however, when it comes to our safety on the highway can there be such a thing as too much connectivity?

Challenges of the Connected Car

The connected car is a bit worrisome. It’s well known that drivers become distracted when they text or chat on cell phones while driving. This leads to accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 80 percent of all traffic accidents involve some variety of driver inattention within three seconds of a crash. If texting and cell phones are distracting to drivers, think of how distracted motorists will be when either they or a passenger is watching streaming video of a cat slipping off a counter top.

Does Tech Distract Drivers?

Obviously drivers ought to concentrate on driving, and several things like eating, talking on their phone, even talking to a companion within the car can be a distraction. These distractions may bring about serious accidents. This reason is in part why the idea of having more connected cars doesn’t automatically make people jump for joy.

Browsing the Web Inside Your Car

Personally, I’m not a big fan of additional regulations but this might be an area in which some regulation is in order.  Left unchecked, individuals will soon have the capacity to stream YouTube videos, Google an answer to a question, and correspond via social media sites in their cars. Maybe the next step should be to increase the self-driving aspects to cars; but perhaps that would detach us even more to the world around us.

As we said before, we usually consider advancements in technology as a great thing, however, the potential negative impacts that connected cars could have make us stop and think. While having these tech features in our cars improves enjoyment on the road it’s important that they don’t become a disruption to the driver.

What are your thoughts?  I’d love to hear them!

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How the Cloud Supports Creative Collaboration

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

The cloud has become advantageous for many businesses. Because of the massive amounts of information that can be stored in the cloud and the prevalence of tablets in our lives, creative businesses have greatly benefited. The cloud gives people in creative industries an edge they didn’t previously have. It may not be obvious how creative businesses have improved due to the cloud, so here are just a few ways they have changed.

Portfolios
You once had to transport heavy portfolios when meeting with clients.  Those portfolios were limited to the amount of work you could carry within. Portfolios, when stored in the cloud, are not limited to physical size. You can organize your past work into categories that fit the needs of different clients. By accessing your portfolio quickly on a tablet, you can share your work more easily and this can lead to more opportunities.

Creative Collaboration
Collaborating used to be limited to people around you. This meant that professional people across the globe did not have much possibility to collaborate on a project. If they were a part of the collaboration process, it meant sending large files back and forth, which produced duplicate copies and a slower working pace. When files are store in the cloud, you can work on them simultaneously and update only one copy. Tablets allow you to pull the project up anywhere and work on it, so creative inspiration is not stifled.

Brainstorming
Mind mapping is a great way to brainstorm and when done in conjunction with the cloud, the quantity of people that can give their input is not limited. You can access these files on tablets, work with local colleagues, and update the shared file for everyone. These elements break down the distance barrier that has limited idea brainstorming in the past. When the mobile capabilities of tablets are paired with the cloud, creativity can happen with anybody, anywhere at anytime. 

I’d love to hear about your experiences with collaboration via the Cloud.  Feel free to comment below.

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Why Buy a Tablet?

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

Tablets seem to be everywhere right now. From the launch of the iPad last year, a huge amount of attention has been focussed on tablets. Where Apple lead, others normally follow, and just as Google are snapping at Apple’s heels with their Android smartphone operating system, they are now doing so with tablets too. The latest version of Android – Honeycomb – is designed specifically to support tablets. So if you’ve been swept up in the tablet excitement, but can’t quite decide whether you should take the plunge, read on.

What’s the point?

Well, to be honest, there isn’t one. Just as there isn’t really a point of owning a laptop or a smartphone, when you could just do everything on your home PC. But that is spectacularly missing the point. Tablets aren’t for everyone, but for many they can be a highly useful way to bridge the gap between a laptop and a smartphone. A tablet allows you to watch and share videos and articles very easily, and because it’s so portable, you’re much more likely to have it with you at exactly the times when you’d want to do those things – such as long train journeys or when you’re in the pub with friends. You can easily send emails and use social media on it, and while of course, you can do those easily on your smartphone too, the larger screen and keyboard make it simpler. It is with these kinds of social applications that tablets really come into their own. A smartphone is useful as a personal device for emailing and surfing, but it is not easy to share. A laptop allows you to work on the company accounts and type using a proper keyboard, but it doesn’t have the easy responsiveness and small size that a tablet does. A tablet can also be used to ‘level up’ or ‘level down’ in terms of functionality. A keyboard case can help transform a tablet into a mini laptop, and they can be used to make calls like a phone – especially video calls.

What to look for

There is a bewildering choice of tablets now on the market. The main decision when buying is really whether to go for the iPad, one of the Android tablets, or something else.

The iPad is still the top dog as far as many people are concerned. It works brilliantly well, is easy to use and has a wealth of applications available for it via the Apple store. Like everything Apple make, it is a slick and powerful product which is hard to criticise. However, where it falls down for some users is its lack of flexibility. For example, you can’t choose to use common browsers such as Chrome or Firefox. As with smartphones and computers, this is the choice Apple give you: go for their well-tested, well-designed product but be stuck with their choices, unable to customise.

If customisation is important to you, then an Android device might suit you better. Android are masters at allowing people to make the user experience their own. The difficulty with that is that Android tablets are not as stable as iPads. There’s no right or wrong answer here: it really does just come down to personal preference. The Samsung Galaxy is generally thought of as the best of the Android tablets. It’s very sleek and light, and hard to fault for flexibility. The Motorola Xoom is up there with it too.

The most popular of the other tablets on the market are the Blackberry Playbook and the Kindle Fire. Both have 7 inch screens, rather than the 10 inch of most of the other top models. The Blackberry is powerful and useful, and the small size means that it is more portable than some of the bigger models. However, it simply doesn’t have the range of apps the other tablets do. The Kindle is designed both to replace the current Kindle reader, and to offer something different: the ability to surf and download, just like a standard tablet. It is more basic than the other tablets, but it is also much cheaper. It is intended for people who want a simple tablet without all the bells and whistles, and that’s what it does very well.

 

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How Accessing Entertainment has Changed

Friday, October 7th, 2011

Entertainment industries have had to evolve in the past few years as we have gained more access to music, movies and television from online sources. Physical stores are disappearing as these businesses open online stores. Examples of these are Blockbuster, Borders, and, the iconic Virgin
Megastore in Times Square. Online storefronts have become a great option for consumers as well as business as there are fewer overhead costs, which give customers more options for less. Here are some examples of ways that access to entertainment has changed.

Independent and chain music stores have been affected by the increased access to music the Internet provides and many have had to close. Instead of buying entire albums, sites like Amazon, MP3 and iTunes allow people to buy single songs for mere pocket change. Musicians have followed suit by selling or giving away their songs on their websites. Music has gotten so affordable that we have started to see the price of concert tickets increase so the record industry can turn a profit.

Online music streaming has also become very popular. Sites such as Pandora, Grooveshark  and Spotify are free and let people customized their stations with less commercials than traditional radio stations. If you chose to upgrade, you can get your music with no commercial interruptions. Many people use these services to test out music prior to buying it and sometimes choose them in place of purchasing music. Most Internet connected devices can access these services anywhere at any time.

EBook Readers are also a hot item these days. Digital versions of books can purchased for much less than their physical counterparts found in brick and mortar bookstores. Because these digital books can never sell out, sites like Amazon have seen tremendous success, whereas classic shops like Borders are closing their doors forever.

Rather then pay a large monthly fee for satellite or cable TV, many people use services like Netflix and Hulu to stream tv shows and movies.
The competition in the TV industry to keep viewers and gain ad revenue has pushed many networks to make recently aired episodes available from their website and on handheld Internet enabled devices such as a smartphone.

Gaining instant access to our entertainment through the Internet has made it easier and cheaper for both the consumer and businesses. You have probably heard that Netflix recently raised their prices and split their service offering into a streaming only offer or a physical DVD offer. Will this change help or hinder them? We will have to wait and see.  The outcome of this experiment may just entice other online business to follow Netflix’s example and we may see more prices rise.

How has the recent changes effected you and the way you utilize these online entertainment options?  I’d love to hear your comments!

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Constant connectivity is changing how we receive information

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Connected products are generally thought of as tablets, smartphones and laptops. These devices offer a quick and dependable connection to the Internet and other such connected devices. However, even more gadgets fit into the connected cannon, like HDTVs, gaming consoles and even most Blu-ray players.

Access to the Internet is, relatively speaking, easy and the information found online is easier to access. Traditionally, information was gathered through research and manual searching that required a large amount of dedicated time in order to find enough useful information. With an increase in connectivity, all we have to do is type a search query into Google using a smartphone. How has the way we consume content changed now that from almost any location, we can access an almost endless library of knowledge?

Faster Access of Information

Locating specific information can be done almost instantaneously with the help of the right device. Content was once delivered in hardbound books, but now it’s offered on websites, wikis, blogs and email. Because so many devices can access the Internet, finding the information you need is no longer a matter of locale. This makes the researching process much faster and allows for content to be consumed more quickly.

Faster Generation of Information

Content generation is simply a matter of supply and demand. Because content is so much easier to consume with connected devices, there is an ever growing need for more content. The answer to this, of course, is faster content generation. As most connected devices can also be used to upload new content, online content and information is being generated and published faster than ever.

High Rate of Communication

The time and effort needed to communicate has decreased due to the speed and connectedness of modern devices.
Because of this, information can now be communicated from user to user at a much higher rate.  For example, a YouTube video with interesting content can go viral in a matter of minutes. Users can share the video through Facebook, Twitter, Google, email, HTML embedding, Internet enabled TVs, and even texting!

How have connected devices changed the way we consume content? Speed, speed and speed. The rate at which content is generated, consumed and then disregarded is almost staggering. Information is easier to access than ever before, and at impressively high speeds. What we decided to do with that information is entirely up to us.

So, how do you feel about this almost continuous connectivity?  Do you live for it or grow weary of just how tethered to such things as work you have become.  I’d love to hear your comments.

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Access Restricted: Censorship worldwide

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

As technology grows we become increasingly more connected as a species and our access to information is expanded with every new connection. Authorities worldwide have differing views on how this increased access to information will affect the citizens of their countries and how to approach it. Some governments loosely regulate the flow of data. Some restrict access to various forms of content.  Others choose to have total control over the content people are exposed to.

The countries below approach the idea of censorship with different levels of severity when restricting Internet, cell phones, and other forms of technological communication.

The United States – The US employs minor censorship of the Internet and other technologies. It is illegal in the US to use cell phone jammers for private use however, in some instances, federal officials can.  Recently in San Francisco, an anti-police brutality protest was foiled when transit officials turned off power to cellular towers around the BART. This unprecedented mass shutdown inflamed the general public and instigated a government investigation as to the legality of the measures taken by the transit officials.

China – Chat rooms and private screens are highly monitored by the government in China and many websites are black listed. Go to this link to see if your website is blocked in China.

North Korea –North Korea is considered one of the most technologically censored countries on the planet. The government has control over all computers with access to the Internet. Only three websites can be accessed in North Korea and they solely contain academic information.
The police heavily monitor the few chat rooms allowed. This high level of censorship has created a huge black market for cell phones in North Korea.

The socio-political reasons behind the amount of restrictions vary as much as the courses of action different governments take. Here are a few reasons that are often given:

Reasons why censorship is necessary

  • Censorship can protect the safety of the public
  • Censorship can prevent youths from being exposed to inappropriate content
  • Censorship can protect social unity and national glory
  • Censorship can prevent disturbing the social order
  • Censorship can protect national security

Reasons why censorship can be dangerous

  • Censorship violates the natural right of self-expression
  • Censorship can prevent people who have an emergency from getting help
  • Censorship can lead to ignorance of the world and other cultures
  • Extreme censorship can lead to social upheaval
  • Extreme censorship can lead to an oppressed and uneducated society

Barney Warf, a professor at the University of Kansas, published a definitive study of the geography of Internet censorship in the December issue of the academic journal, GeoJournal. He believes that, ultimately, the more globalized a country becomes, or strives to become, the harder it is to regulate the amount of information the public has access to. The answer to the question of whether technological censorship is appropriate, is situational. We will continue to see the issue arise as the world gets increasingly more connected and as the flow of information becomes harder to control.

You can read this article about Professor Barney Warf and his study.  I know censorship is a touchy subject but I’d love to hear your thoughts!  Feel free to through your two cent’s worth in the hat and comment below.

 

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