Cloud computing to account for higher share of supercomputers
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 11:39:11 AM
As necessity is the mother of invention, cloud computing seemed to come at the most opportune time possible, when many enterprises and national governments are looking for ways to reduce expenditure to adapt to a faltering global economy. With success from the beginning, cloud computing has emerged as one of the most talked about technological advances in the past 10 years.
PCWorld recently reported that cloud-based systems will likely represent a large proportion of the world's supercomputers in the near future. The source cites some of the current biggest providers of cloud services as having already set the stage for more widespread use of the technology to host their most advanced and widest-reaching systems.
Experts have long cited the cloud's inherent ability to centralize data originating from a variety of regions and people, which the news provider notes is one reason why it is such a strong option for supercomputer use. The operator could then provide access to chosen individuals, and further save money on paying the provider per amount of use, leaving the cost of maintenance to the vendor.
Centralizing data that can then be accessible anywhere in the world is the same strength National Security Agency Cyber Command commander General Keith Alexander cited as a strength for national defense purposes. By utilizing this benefit, high ranking officials in the military, as well as law enforcement, can more adequately oversee operations and personnel over a large range of space.
As for cloud security, General Alexander stated that security would likely be tightened as a result of transitioning from traditional systems, which have proved to be lacking in data safety in recent years, to new and improved IT infrastructures.
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, 44 data breaches have resulted in the exposure of more than 10 million sensitive records in the military since January 1. This could signify a desperate need for a major overhaul of IT equipment and policies, which the government seems to be alleviating with the widespread deployment of cloud computing systems.
PCWorld notes that beyond supercomputers in the cloud, certain analytics applications and mass-data processing platforms will be at the forefront of cloud-only adaptations. Additionally, the news provider projects many programs, hardware and other IT aspects to no longer be available outside of the cloud in the near future.
-McAfee Cloud Security
