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The Cloud of Clouds: Amazon Web Services

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Amazon Web Services is a cloud-based service hosted by Amazon.com, which provides numerous tools for web-based businesses. The service’s primary function is to help businesses of any size compute and store data.

Solutions available to both businesses and consumers include:

  • Application Hosting
  • Backup and Storage
  • Content Delivery
  • Databases
  • E-Commerce
  • Enterprise IT
  • High Performance Computing
  • Media Hosting
  • On-Demand Workforce
  • Search Engines
  • Web Hosting
  • Media and Entertainment
  • Life Sciences

Let’s say you run a small business that is rapidly expanding. You probably already have a basic website, and perhaps a local or national company to handle your data traffic. But when your traffic is suddenly growing exponentially and you find yourself needing more bandwidth, that’s where Amazon Web Services comes in. Their cloud is ready and waiting to handle whatever your clients can throw at it.

But what really makes Amazon’s cloud stand out from the rest is that it isn’t just a “server.” The features listed above include software and other tools that allow developers to work seamlessly with Amazon’s platform. They have created a service that almost any business can plug into, right out of the box.

Security is paramount. Amazon states: “In order to provide end-to-end security and end-to-end privacy, AWS builds services in accordance with security best practices, provides appropriate security features in those services, and documents how to use those features.” More here.

Google has applications and user-friendly web services that we, as employees or consumers, use on a daily basis to administer, communicate, and organize information.

Apple has their proprietary platform, and they make certain code open to developers who create games and software for iPhones and iPads.

Amazon Web Services provides cloud-based platforms and software, which makes it possible not only for businesses to function, but for developers to create exciting new technologies. That’s what makes their cloud the cloud of clouds.

Robert Siciliano, personal security expert contributor to Just Ask Gemalto. Disclosures

Cars in the Cloud

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People love their cars. My 80-year-old mother-in-law goes nutty at the thought of not being able to drive. “Take my car and you take my freedom,” she says. I understand where she is coming from. Personally, I don’t like to drive. But I do like riding my Harley!

Many consider cars synonymous with freedom. Cars allow you to go places and have experiences that you otherwise wouldn’t. That’s why it’s so exciting that cars are now being equipped with lots of new features, including technology that can essentially meld your car with the Internet!

Ford recently unveiled the Evos, a car that learns your driving preferences and uses its Internet connection to provide traffic information and other useful details. It can tailor the suspension and driving modes based on your driving style and ability. It can also detect the driver’s heart rate. The Evos is a concept car, but Ford plans to release a similar model within the next several months.

OnStar offers “RemoteLink,” an application for your iPhone or Android, which allows Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, or GMC owners to view real-time data including fuel range, gallons of gas remaining, and lifetime MPG, lifetime mileage, remaining oil life, tire pressure, and account information. Chevrolet Volt owners can view their car’s electric range, electric miles, MPG, and the battery’s state of charge, as well. Users can also remotely perform certain commands, such as unlocking doors, with this application.

The New York Times reports that Google “has been working in secret but in plain view on vehicles that can drive themselves, using artificial-intelligence software that can sense anything near the car and mimic the decisions made by a human driver.”

The benefit of this technology is the potential for Internet-connected vehicles to communicate through the cloud, working in tandem to prevent accidents, conserve fuel, and facilitate a more efficient flow of traffic.

Sounds like a big stretch from my heavy old 1970 Chevy Impala!

Robert Siciliano, personal security expert contributor to Just Ask Gemalto. Disclosures

How the Cloud Will Change Technology

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You may have noticed that over the last decade, computers have grown faster and more powerful, with more RAM, bigger hard drives, and improved processors. This is made possible by the development of better, cheaper technology, coupled with a corresponding need on the part of consumers and corporations. It has also come in response to software developers, who have continued to introduce more complex and demanding programs.

Then, “the cloud” came along, and software such as office programs, contact managers, editing programs, and data storage went virtual, no longer requiring local computer space and speed.

As a result, old, slower PCs have a new life, and new devices like mobile phones, netbooks, e-readers, and tablets rely on the cloud to function as fully portable productivity tools and entertainment centers.

One of the cloud’s most significant impacts so far has been in music. Since the digitization of songs, we have seen dramatic changes in devices and hardware for music consumption, as well as in distribution mediums.

Last year, a Gartner report predicted that cloud-related spending would reach $258 billion by 2020. It accounted for $28 billion in 2010. This rapid increase should prompt investments in related technologies, applications, and services to account for 45% of all IT spending.

In the short term, as the cloud grows, more jobs will be created. In the long term, however, it is likely that many of the smaller administrative tasks that are currently performed on local PCs will take place in the cloud, managed by big companies along the lines of Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and even AT&T and Verizon.

The cloud will encourage the development of identification technologies designed to authenticate individuals online and via mobile and card technologies. The advantages and sheer connectedness facilitated by the cloud and our complimentary devices will ultimately allow for a more seamless and secure digital life.

Robert Siciliano, personal security expert contributor to Just Ask Gemalto. Disclosures

Signals of PC Failure and Contingency Plans

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Has your computer ever refused to turn on when you hit the power button? Or maybe it turned on, but only to display a blue screen? The best (really the worst) is when you’ve been working on a document or presentation all day, and your hard drive crashes.

If this has yet to happen to you, you’re likely overdue. The following signs indicate your computer may be close to death:

  • A blue screen is often a sign of a driver conflict or hardware issue. When your formerly fully functional PC displays a blue screen informing you that a serious error has occurred, it could mean total failure, or require a simple reboot.
  • Lengthy start up or shut down times may mean that your computer is overwhelmed by too much software, or particular programs are not shutting down properly. Or it could mean that motherboards or hard drives are not long for this world.
  • If you hear strange noises, like beeping, whirling, or grinding, during startup or when computing, this may be a sign of hardware failure.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Like a Boy Scout, be prepared. Here are a few things to keep in mind to prepare you and/or avoid issues with your computer.

Back up your data. There are many options for real-time automatic backups to the cloud, as well as for local backup. Combine both, and you’ll never lose your data.

Back up your set-up.  A great way to do this is by using something like Belarc Advisor, a free program, to take a snapshot of all your software and serial numbers. Set a monthly reminder to take two minutes and do this manually. It will provide an easy guide of what to install when you replace your computer.

Replace your personal computer every two to three years. If you are a casual user, you can ignore this. But if you’re on your PC for four or more hours a day, it will need to be replaced eventually. And setting up your new PC will be far easier to do if the old one is still functioning.

Computers are like shoes. They wear out, and replacing is preferable to repairing. And like shoes, once you break your new computer in, you’ll be happy.

Robert Siciliano, personal security expert contributor to Just Ask Gemalto, discusses hackers hacking hotels on CNBC. Disclosures