Legal aspects of the cloud

In our previous blogs, we have discussed many of the benefits the cloud has to offer. The cloud is a great tool for individuals and businesses. For example, students can benefit from the great selection of applications to manage their schoolwork effectively. Where as many businesses can utilize services cloud venders have to offer to administer and develop projects among the organization. Simultaneously, a business can take advantage of the storage services being offered to retain customer sensitive information.

  With the new improvement in technology, businesses need to take extra steps to safeguard their assets, specifically referring to their data. It is very critical for businesses to consider the legal issues that may arise at any point. It is a company’s best interest to have a binding legal document implemented, such as a legal service agreement, at the time of signing with a cloud vendor.

The legal service agreement should be very clear and specific to include topics targeted to the company’s needs. The first topic to consider is the data and intellectual property ownership. Since data is stored at a remote location by the third party company data theft is more likely to occur. The data must be protected and encrypted to insure how much data outsiders can manipulate. Stipulations should be noted so it’s clear that the client owns the data. In addition, is very important that at the time of termination of the contract all data copies should be destroyed and ownership should remain the clients.

Under service availability, one of the main concerns should be when, where and how the information will be accessible. What will happen if the provider goes down? How will the service change overtime? Businesses must ensure the data usage remains the same over time no matter how many other businesses are being run by the same provider.

Lastly, a company should be aware of the security and privacy clause. A breach of warranty should always be established to secure customer sensitive data. In addition, an indemnity or monetary remedies should be provided to compensate for any third party IP right violations, such as copyrights or trademarks.

Source:  http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/tech-decision-maker/legal-issues-to-consider-with-cloud-computing/

Blog 8: Cloud Computing for Small Businesses

By Alex Barkley

As advantageous as cloud computing can be for personal users (such as students like us), cloud computing and storage has become increasingly beneficial for small businesses. As every entrepreneur knows, small businesses starting with little capital can find it extremely challenging to enter, compete and excel in the market because of overhead costs and expenses. Businesses in almost every market need to utilize IT in order to stay successful in today's society. They can also expect to invest in their online presence through their website and mobile apps. What does the Cloud mean to small businesses and how can they benefit from it?

Most likely the biggest difference the Cloud can make for small businesses are the cost savings it can provide. Before cloud computing, businesses had to invest large sums of money to initially setup their infrastructure. Server room hardware took up space and time to complete (as well as employees to manage the servers). Moving servers from on-site to the Cloud can completely eliminate startup costs for businesses initializing their data storage and applications. After that, cloud computing costs a fraction of what traditional database server rooms can costs as far as management and upkeep goes. According to Lizetta Staplefoote, blogger for the cloud company Rackspace, having a custom website built for your business could cost between $5000 - $1000. With website building applications hosted in cloud servers, however, developing costs can be a fixed monthly rate of as high as $20 and as low as no cost at all. 

Cloud servers also offer great flexibility to small companies who need their infrastructure to grow as their data and server traffic increases. The cloud doesn't go offline when your on-site servers do, so it's available for access even in the case of outages. Cloud services stretch beyond data storage into CRM tools that small businesses can use to gain knowledge of their new customer base. Look for cloud-based SaaS to increase in the near future.

Here's a link to Staplefoote's infographic, containing so pretty interesting info on cloud computing benefits for small businesses: http://www.rackspace.com/blog/hosting-to-storage-why-the-cloud-is-a-big-deal-for-small-businesses/

Staplefoote, Lizetta. "Hosting to Storage: Why the Cloud is a Big Deal for Small Businesses." The Rackspace Blog & Newsroom. Rackspace, 07 Feb 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

Apple iCloud VS. Google Cloud

By: Ryan Shoaf 

Cloud computing has played a growing role in the tech industry for years, and has recently become part of our daily computing lives. Smart phone devices have dominated this attention with their push towards using the cloud. With the importance of the cloud many consumers face the major decision in buying a phone which uses Apple iCloud on iOS, or the Google cloud system used on Androids.

Apple iCloud

The iCloud was fist debuted on the iOS 5 operating system, and has flourished since them. Apples main goal in introducing iCloud is to make it easier to get all of your content to your Apple devices without having to do a manual transfer. What I found most important about the iCloud was the set up of  a new device. When purchasing a new smart product it is frustrating trying to transfer your contacts, music, photos, calenders, and pretty much any content you have on your device when iCloud you can simply enter your Apple id in the initial setup, which will then install your previous content on your new device.

Google Android

While Apple has held most of the recent buzz with their release of the iCloud, Google has been miles ahead in this technology.  Google is capable of easily storing your contacts, and settings for as long as there has been Android devices, they also offer apps such as Google+, and Google music  which allows you to store photos, music, and other content over a cloud, which is all linked to your Google account. Google's cloud system including web based apps is much more advanced when compared to iCloud, simply offering more applications that operate on the system.

In Conclusion

In my opinion I feel that the Google Android cloud system is more advanced, but the Apple iCloud appeals more to the main stream with its ease of using one system that has a perfectly natural integration into your device. Google being an Internet company has more of an advantage with its App development allowing them to make various cloud based Apps that fit different needs, but to me Apple has mastered the clouds integration into your Apple device.

Work Cited:

 http://www.intomobile.com/2011/10/03/cloud-comparison-apple-icloud-vs-google-vs-windows-live/

Blog 6: Evernote

Last week we discussed the cloud program Dropbox and its uses. This week we'll talk about another useful cloud program, Evernote. Since its inception since 2008, Evernote has become widely popular among students, teachers and professionals. Slightly similar to Dropbox, Evernote specializes in note-taking and archiving. If you are the type of person that loves making lists, or leaves post-it notes lying around everywhere, Evernote can help you out. Evernote has several distinguishable features that students could take advantage of, many of which can easily accommodate the modern student's lifestyle.

For starters, Evernote is a cross-platform app, meaning that everything you use is synched across all of your devices: your phone, computer, tablet, etc. For instance, if you are at school and you create a note on your tablet, it will be accessible on your phone in the car and will be ready and waiting on your computer when you get home. Evernote is compatible with several operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, OS X, Android and Google Chrome.

One of the key characteristics of Evernote is keeping up with all the things you tell yourself you need to remember throughout the day. Users can create not just text notes, but notes with pictures, voice memos, and entire web pages to review later. You sort or collect these notes into folders (which you can tag, comment, or share) and create notebooks to house specific folders. Having such a comprehensive archive means students can separate their coursework references and objectives from any of the random things they experience or think of that they want to remember later.

Evernote can be a student's best friend. With email integration and the ability to share your notes with others, a student can complete an entire research project like a professional. A user can store receipts, recipes, important documents and memos that they'll never have to struggle looking for again.

I encourage those who have poor organizational skills to try Evernote. The more you use it, the more your life is simplified. Below is a video from Evernote's website: www.evernote.com.

2013 Evernote. Evernote Corporation, n.d. Web. <www.evernote.com>.

Pinola, Melanie. "What's All the Fuss About Evernote?."Lifehacker. N.p., 29 Nov 2012. Web. <http://lifehacker.com/5964285/whats-all-the-fuss-about-evernote-why-do-people-use-it>.

Blog #5: DropBox

Dropbox is a free cloud storage service that lets you bring all your personal information into one place. With dropbox you are able to store your pictures, documents, music and videos in all of your devices. Without the use of e-mail or usb drives you are able to synchronize your laptops, PC's and even mobile devices by creating folders compatible with any software. Dropbox is compatible with iOS, Windows, Mac, Android, Linux and Blackberry. If any of your devices go missing, you will always have access to your information.  In addition, this flexibility only makes it easier to  

share folders among friends and family. 

For those of  you who fear that our information is unsecured just floating around in the "cloud," dropbox keeps your files safe with 256-bit AES encryption and two-step verification. With the use of algorithms, Advance Encryption Standard (AES) encrypts every document. As an encrypted document, the file is protected by a password. Without the password, no one will have access to your personal information. This assure us that our information will not be lost or misused by unauthorized users.

Dropbox not only provides the common users with storage and sharing benefits but it is also available for business purposes. Businesses can benefit from the simplicity of file sharing among departments, vast amount of storage and even day to day management.

For those who are interested, here is a Dropbox tutorial:  http://youtu.be/OFb0NaeRmdg

Work Cited:http://www.aescrypt.com/