Dick Cheney was right | Salon
At least Cheney made one honest statement in his career: "Deficits don't matter . . .". We need a little longer term look at the history and uses of deficit spending. This article does a good job of putting things in perspective.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tesla Motors Model S Backed by Google Founders Brin, Page
Tesla Motors Model S Backed by Google Founders Brin, Page
The newest Tesla prototype might as well be described as a mobile connection to the Cloud. The transformational change defined by multi-paradigm shifts is moving rapidly to ubiquitous computing with process following information into the Cloud. It is not a minor issue the Google is behind the new Tesla.
We will see more and more of this as very small devices are embedded in all the things around us. That has been anticipated for years. The error was thinking that these things would make everything into a "computer". Hence the surprise when PCs start to go away replaced by simpler devices that tap much greater information and processing power in the Cloud.
And it looks like a pretty cool car also! Sign up online for delivery in 2012.
The newest Tesla prototype might as well be described as a mobile connection to the Cloud. The transformational change defined by multi-paradigm shifts is moving rapidly to ubiquitous computing with process following information into the Cloud. It is not a minor issue the Google is behind the new Tesla.
We will see more and more of this as very small devices are embedded in all the things around us. That has been anticipated for years. The error was thinking that these things would make everything into a "computer". Hence the surprise when PCs start to go away replaced by simpler devices that tap much greater information and processing power in the Cloud.
And it looks like a pretty cool car also! Sign up online for delivery in 2012.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Finally Small Business IT Security
After twenty years of dealing with the lack of information security in small business things have really started to change. One of the critical benefits of full Cloud Services for IT resources comes from moving the core IT operations for SMBs to secure and fully managed enterprise data centers. Up to now the cost of maintaining IT infrastructure security has been too expensive for even fairly large businesses to handle consistently. It simply takes too many highly trained professionals to implement and maintain real IT security without completely messing up operations. So what are the specific security improvements that small business can see in Cloud Computing Services?
By moving a businesses data and applications into a highly secure environment accessable only via Virtual Private Network connections is a huge increase in security. The small business usually has little idea where their data is stored on the local area daisy chain of PCs and shared drives. Finding a critical file, not to mention the correct version of that file, can take hours. And, of course, sometimes the employees simply take the files home and then forget them. How much small business data is scattered over offices and household PCs is anyone's guess.The loss of time and missed business opportunities probably total millions of dollars every month. Outsourcing to the Cloud can pay for the subscription fees in data security alone.
A rarely understood point of security for SMBs is inherent mixing of personal and business applications and data on employees PCs in the office. This is the largest source of security holes, malware,viruses,trojans,and spam bots in the business world. Creating a distinct and Cloud based desktop file system for work files only protected by managed security policies can effectively eliminate much of this danger. Of course this only applies if the work environment is fully outsourced to the Cloud. Simply using Cloud file servers with VPN scripts on office PCs leaves the lack of security on those PCs to affect the entire business system just as it does now for most small businesses. That's why we strongly advise using both Islanda® Cloud Workstations and Servers for a complete IT outsource. The security alone is worth the money.
Using an Islanda® Cloud Desktop with software VPN client is the other great security savior. How many laptops are lost or stolen each year? How many sleepless nights, and in the worst case, careers are lost because critical files e.g.financial information gets into the wrong hands via stolen laptops? If all of our work files and applications are on an Islanda® Cloud Workstation virtual desktop it doesn't matter if the laptop is stolen. No files are on that hard drive or in that system. For work it is strictly a thin client with no local storage. Whatever personal files are on that laptop when it is run as a standalone PC is another matter but by keeping business files and applications in the data center a very large load can be taken off of each traveling employees shoulders. And if the laptop is stolen and the presentation is lost the employee needs only a script on a CD sent via an email to login to his or her desktop fomr any Internet connected PC anywhere on the planet.
Now that's security!
By moving a businesses data and applications into a highly secure environment accessable only via Virtual Private Network connections is a huge increase in security. The small business usually has little idea where their data is stored on the local area daisy chain of PCs and shared drives. Finding a critical file, not to mention the correct version of that file, can take hours. And, of course, sometimes the employees simply take the files home and then forget them. How much small business data is scattered over offices and household PCs is anyone's guess.The loss of time and missed business opportunities probably total millions of dollars every month. Outsourcing to the Cloud can pay for the subscription fees in data security alone.
A rarely understood point of security for SMBs is inherent mixing of personal and business applications and data on employees PCs in the office. This is the largest source of security holes, malware,viruses,trojans,and spam bots in the business world. Creating a distinct and Cloud based desktop file system for work files only protected by managed security policies can effectively eliminate much of this danger. Of course this only applies if the work environment is fully outsourced to the Cloud. Simply using Cloud file servers with VPN scripts on office PCs leaves the lack of security on those PCs to affect the entire business system just as it does now for most small businesses. That's why we strongly advise using both Islanda® Cloud Workstations and Servers for a complete IT outsource. The security alone is worth the money.
Using an Islanda® Cloud Desktop with software VPN client is the other great security savior. How many laptops are lost or stolen each year? How many sleepless nights, and in the worst case, careers are lost because critical files e.g.financial information gets into the wrong hands via stolen laptops? If all of our work files and applications are on an Islanda® Cloud Workstation virtual desktop it doesn't matter if the laptop is stolen. No files are on that hard drive or in that system. For work it is strictly a thin client with no local storage. Whatever personal files are on that laptop when it is run as a standalone PC is another matter but by keeping business files and applications in the data center a very large load can be taken off of each traveling employees shoulders. And if the laptop is stolen and the presentation is lost the employee needs only a script on a CD sent via an email to login to his or her desktop fomr any Internet connected PC anywhere on the planet.
Now that's security!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
How to Skip the Recession in Hawaii
Cloud Computing is a very clever way to bypass part of the recession. Banks won't lend money? They are, after all, selfishly setting on the billions that we gave them at the end of 2008 just because no one told them not to. Convert to Cloud Computing and save the cost of buying new computers. With Islanda Cloud Computing Services we can replace your aging servers and even give you a new lease on life to your aging employee PCs. How does that work?
By leasing Cloud Servers that you need at the size that you need from Islanda you convert a potential capital purchase into a low monthly operational cost. If you are lucky enough to grow you can add more memory or another server in a few minutes for a few dollars more per month. Need High Availability? We can provide close to five nines (99.999% availability). Don't need that much redundancy but would rather save some money? Our Economy Servers give you clustered redundancy but not Active-Passive fail over but the cost is a lot lower. Want to switch from one to the other? No problem. Cloud Computing is totally virtual so that means the maximum of flexibility.
And those aging workstation PCs that your employees complain about and spend all their time messing with . . . let us turn them into "thin clients" by creating Cloud Workstations. Without upgrading hardware, memory, or anything else we can give you Vista on all your employee PCs or convert you to Linux for Open Source cost savings.
And everything is managed by us as part of the Islanda Enterprise IT Solution. That gives you security as you have never had in your old office LAN, plus standardized user policies, state of the art anti-virus, firewalling all running on the newest Dell hardware with complete backup imaging. It's hard to do better than improved efficiency, security, and reliability while saving money, too.
Want to know more? Post a question and will do our best to answer.
By leasing Cloud Servers that you need at the size that you need from Islanda you convert a potential capital purchase into a low monthly operational cost. If you are lucky enough to grow you can add more memory or another server in a few minutes for a few dollars more per month. Need High Availability? We can provide close to five nines (99.999% availability). Don't need that much redundancy but would rather save some money? Our Economy Servers give you clustered redundancy but not Active-Passive fail over but the cost is a lot lower. Want to switch from one to the other? No problem. Cloud Computing is totally virtual so that means the maximum of flexibility.
And those aging workstation PCs that your employees complain about and spend all their time messing with . . . let us turn them into "thin clients" by creating Cloud Workstations. Without upgrading hardware, memory, or anything else we can give you Vista on all your employee PCs or convert you to Linux for Open Source cost savings.
And everything is managed by us as part of the Islanda Enterprise IT Solution. That gives you security as you have never had in your old office LAN, plus standardized user policies, state of the art anti-virus, firewalling all running on the newest Dell hardware with complete backup imaging. It's hard to do better than improved efficiency, security, and reliability while saving money, too.
Want to know more? Post a question and will do our best to answer.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Cloud Computing for Schools
The cost savings and efficiencies of Cloud Computing services are really important for schools as well as businesses. Since I have a long history in attempting to move schools in Hawai'i to full online curriculum delivery using cloud services (with little or no luck) it is really nice to see the school administration media strongly supporting this. Here is a link to a report by eSchool News and thanks to Jim Shon who copied me on this and has been spreading it around among our legislators: http://www.eschoolnews.com/emails/eSN/0309SpecialReport.htm
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