What Exactly is This Cloud?
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This hardware is typically owned and operated by a third party in one or more data center locations.
In short, cloud computing enables a shift from the computer to the user, from applications to tasks, and from isolated data to information that can be accessed from anywhere and shared with anyone. The user no longer has to take on the task of data management; he doesn't even have to remember where the data is. All that matters is that the information is securely in the cloud and thus immediately available to that user and to other authorised users.
Inside the cloud - In cloud computing, a network of computers functions as a single computer. This network exists in the cloud of IP addresses that we know as the Internet, offers massive computing power and storage capability, and enables wide-scale group collaboration.
Individual users connect to the cloud from their own personal computers or portable devices (such as Apple's iPhone or iPad). To these individual users, the cloud is seen as a single application, device, or document. The hardware in the cloud (and the operating system that manages the hardware connections) is invisible.
This cloud architecture is deceptively simple, although it does require some intelligent management to connect all those computers together and assign task processing to multitudes of users. Each cloud uses various monitoring and metering functions to track usage so that resources are apportioned and attributed to the proper user(s).
Understanding cloud services - Any web-based application or service offered via cloud computing is called a cloud service. Cloud services can include anything from calendar and contact applications to word processing and presentations, to business applications, including but not limited to PMS, CRM, CRS and POS. An individual user runs the application over the Internet, typically within a Web browser. The browser accesses the cloud service and an instance of the application is opened within the browser window.
Once launched, the web-based application operates and behaves like a standard desktop application. The only difference is that the application and the working data remain on the host's cloud servers. On the downside, cloud services can only be accessed when a user has a live Internet connection; they're not suited for instances where no Internet connection is available.
Why is cloud computing important?
For developers, cloud computing provides increased amounts of storage and processing power to run the applications they develop. Cloud computing also enables new ways to access information, process and analyse data and connect people and resources from any location anywhere in the world. In essence, it takes the lid off the box; with cloud computing, developers are no longer boxed in by physical constraints.
For your hotel's IT department, cloud computing offers more flexibility in computing power, often at lower costs. With cloud computing, IT departments don't have to engineer for peak-load capacity because the peak load can be spread out among the external assets in the cloud.
And, because additional cloud resources are always at the ready, companies no longer have to purchase assets (servers, workstations and the like) for infrequent intensive computing tasks or new hotel openings. If you need more processing power, it's always there in the cloud - and accessible on a cost-efficient basis.
For a hospitality organisation's end users, cloud computing offers all these benefits and more.
An individual using a web-based application isn't physically bound to a single computer, location or network. Their applications and data can be accessed wherever and whenever. They don't have to copy every document and file when moving from office to home to remote location. Gone also is the fear of losing data if a computer crashes. Documents hosted in the cloud always exist, no matter what happens to the user's machine.
And then there's the benefit of group collaboration, for both individuals and organisations.
General managers and other key personnel can collaborate on the same documents, applications and projects, in real time. It's a whole new world of collaborative computing, all enabled by the notion of cloud computing.
For everyone concerned, cloud computing does all this at lower costs, because the cloud enables more efficient sharing of resources than does traditional network computing. When you tap into the power of the cloud, you get supercomputing power at personal computer prices - something that offers particular appeal to hotel companies in today's economy.
Ted Horner
E Horner & Associates
