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Online Computing - Is it Safe?
Now it seems that all our computer needs will be supplied via the Internet. Google has brought out the Chrome browser. The idea is that the 'chrome' browser is an operating system within a browser. You know how it goes, you do all your word processing, accounts and graphics etc. 'online'. So, all your programs and information together with your corporate information and secret information is stored on Googles 'secure' computers. (secure? ask VP Candidate, Sarah Palin)
Ok, here's the rub, what happens if a virus or DOS attack takes out Googles 'secure' servers? or a terrorist organisation damage the internet, what happens then??
Even such a simple thing as a power outage anywhere could disrupt the internet and you are then out of business because ALL of your personal and company information is locked up on Google's (or another) servers. Don't believe me? Do you remember when a technician brought down the main DNS servers through uploading the wrong updates, or the recent Ebay 'outage' because a Pakistan company did not like what Ebay was doing? that was an 'error' also.
The only people to benefit by online computer services are the likes of Google and Microsoft etal. This is all about money.
For online computing to really work, (forgoing the security issues) we need to update the Internet to the IPV6 protocol (before we run out of IP addresses) and also update the hardware. Now if Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL put there hands in there collective pockets, I will be impressed. Then and only then online computing may actually work, BUT the security aspect is a very real problem, if your home or office loses power, you are inconvenienced but if Google etal go down you are are up the creek without a paddle or worse, out of business.
- Online computing has a long way to go. ADSL internet connections are far too unreliable to have to rely upon them. What do you do if you cannot connect, go out of business?
- The other concern is when your countries Government insists on 'filtering' the internet for political or security reasons. Some countires 'filtering' slows internet access down to the point of making a slow internet connection unrealistic for online activities. The other consideration is countries such as Britain 'record' all emails for 'future reference' should that prove to be necessary, of course! Britain are also proposing to record ALL phone calls, again for the above reasons (for a period no less than six years). So, just how much of your business, personal and private do you want your Government and/or any other interested parties 'recording'?
Just because you can (online computing) doesn't mean you should. - Read This:
Gmail outage irks IT administrators
Further blow to business credibility
Iain Thomson in San Francisco, vnunet.com 17 Oct 2008
IT administrators are being hassled by disgruntled staff who have found themselves cut off from Gmail with little explanation.
Google reported yesterday evening that a "small number of customers" were having problems and that the situation would be resolved shortly. However, some IT administrators have reported outages of nearly 24 hours.
"I'm in Seattle and was wondering if anyone on the Pacific West Coast is still getting '502 Server Errors' when attempting to access some (or all) of your email hosted on Google Apps," one administrator wrote on the Google Apps message board.
"This outage has hit us pretty hard and we've been out of email for 24 hours and now business is suffering."
Another administrator wrote: "Since yesterday around 4pm my CEO cannot access his mail. He gets a 502 temporary error. I have to speak with the boss again and he's po'd. This is a mission critical issue here.
"Apparently Google mail is not very reliable. I think I would have pushed for something else before we switched if I had known the level of unreliability."
Gmail has been hit by an increasing number of outages, and this latest case will harm Google's attempts to tout itself as an online service for businesses.
Customers pay $50 a year for the full Google Apps business package and this includes a guarantee of 99.9 per cent reliability.
While no-one is suggesting that Google is approaching default on its service guarantees, the outage has angered many who are now relying on the service.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin claimed today that one million businesses are using Google Apps.
However, some observers have little sympathy with the administrators' plight. "Why are you not running your own mail server if email is that critical?" asked one poster. "Even my 16 year-old brother has his own."
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