FEATURE: CLOUD TECHNOLOGY [KEY POINTS]
Remote applications can combine AV, personal, IT and building management data to produce an integrated system to benefit the user
Providers of AV services only need to focus on their application, without needing to address delivery and platform issues
Aiming high
Cloud technology is being embraced by the AV industry and is providing new opportunities for integrators. However, misunderstandings about its meaning and its potential remain, says Steve Montgomery
WE HEAR a lot about Cloud computing in the IT world where it has been extremely effective in increasing efficiencies and introducing cost savings within the data centres and computer services of large enterprises, such as financial services and government. Andy Boyd, vice president
of research at Gartner, points out: “Over the past few years we have seen greater modernisation of data centres and abstraction of the software from the hardware that supports it, along with convergence of the infrastructure. This is making the boundaries between the hardware more porous and enabling multiple hardware classes to converge upon each other, with simpler central management.” For these large industries, ‘virtualisation’ of the applications, data and the servers that deliver them are what has come to be known as the Cloud: remote computers whose physical location is irrelevant operating, in many cases, just as a local computer would. The benefits are widespread, encompassing security, scalability, centralised management of hardware and support
26 June 2013
services, software version control and efficiency in data collection and distribution. It also provides opportunities for collaboration,
communication and sharing of information between end users. In these big systems, Cloud computing covers both the software applications as well as content, and is distinct from a simple web- enabled service. “Cloud computing refers to the IT consumption model where IT is delivered as a service with the idea of managing and delivering applications and services for business value and impact. Companies can focus more on their business rather than running IT,” says Rob Fraser, CTO of Cloud Services at Microsoft UK. “What it means is that it gives companies the capability to be more flexible, more agile, in meeting the needs of the business through the use of a consistent platform for infrastructure, apps and data that can span an organisation’s datacentre, service provider datacentres, and the public Cloud. “The beauty of this
approach is that organisations can still keep specialised or existing business applications on premise, running their
business effectively with a mixture of both types of solution.”
BROAD MEANING Cloud technology is now being embraced in the same manner by the audiovisual industry with the objective of reaching the same goals. However there is a wide discrepancy in the
understanding of the term and the technology itself within the AV community as it is applied to this industry. To some it refers to the simple delivery of content over the internet; to others it encompasses the full spectrum of offerings, including management of remote client devices, firmware and operating system updates and server- hosted application packages. “We define the Cloud as an
abstract service – that is a service that is provided at a location entirely in the virtual domain,” says Nick Fearnley, CEO, Digital Media Projects. “If we are referring to a web service, it can be reached at a specific URL but the physical provisioning location is not known, or important. The concept works both ways, in that the service provider and consumer both consider the location and
technical provision to be unknown, potentially infinitely scalable and fully managed. Generally the provision will be made by a third party, within an organisation (as a department) or, more likely in the SME domain, externally. Abstraction of the service itself and the provisioning platform are important concepts. The idea that the 'Cloud' is non-local is unimportant.” LifeSize sales engineer
Terry French concurs: “The Cloud can be interpreted in a number of ways. In essence, it is the ability of a company or person to access a service, application or infrastructure product remotely, off premise, on a subscription or pay-as-you-go basis. These services would typically be on a dedicated or shared server resource in a data centre that is managed, provisioned and maintained by a third party.” It is this on-demand, pay-
as-you go simplicity without the capital cost and installation problems that appeals to many users as well as audiovisual applications providers. For the user, the IT overhead of application software installation, system configuration and managing
The Cloud facilitates rapid deployment of applications to multiple platforms and allows platform- agnostic solutions
Security issues can be overcome through deployment of parallel networks for less-secure applications
The Cloud enables businesses to integrate users’ own devices into corporate networks for direct audio, visual and data communication
an ever-expanding range of fixed and mobile devices is removed, freeing up valuable resources and simplifying deployment.
Cloud technology, as distinct from web-delivered or website-based
‘Cloud services are used
extensively now and will expand in the future’ Terry French, LifeSize
www.installation-international.com
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