FEATURE: CLOUD TECHNOLOGY
supporting software and delivering real-time and stored content. French explains: “They can engage with a third-party provider to deliver that solution for them in an OpEx model, either as a dedicated or shared service. An organisation doesn’t have to invest in housing for a server room or in IT expertise. Cloud services are used extensively and will expand in the future, allowing fast access to new types of devices as the underlying operation and connectivity is handled by a third party. “If you take smartphones
as an example, the device is only a small part of the experience; their power and ability to deliver rich collaboration is through the applications and services available via the App Store, which are generally Cloud- based. This applies to VC applications such as LifeSize Connections. This solution offers users the ability to access video from anywhere, securely traversing firewalls and with the ability to meet with up to nine parties, including non-registered visitors on a buy-as-you-use basis.”
The Cloud encompasses the idea that the underlying platform is infinite, scalable and managed, and service providers of apps need not concern themselves with such things but instead should focus on functionality.
As well as providing simplified access to a wider range of user devices, Cloud systems can be managed remotely. “One of the key benefits of Cloud-based administration or management of solutions is that they can be controlled from multiple locations,” says Mike Cuckow, sales director, EMEA & Asia Pacific at Cabletime. “No longer does the control have to be centred in a headquarters, it can be done on the road, from home, from another country. This is very liberating for organisations.”
SECURE SERVICE? However there are security issues with all Cloud-based systems that are of concern to these organisations, particularly in the age of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) where employees expect to use their own smartphones and tablets for their business and personal services. Cuckow continues: “Customers are administering their content scheduling through the corporate Cloud, but lack of security is holding this back. Corporate customers need security guarantees and if they can’t get them, they will set up their own corporate Cloud. This has meant that for all the advantages this concept offers, there are disadvantages which at the very least are time- consuming to counter.” Davies also cites this as a
‘Gaining a degree of accessibility
beyond anything previously possible makes Cloud
technology incredibly
advantageous’ Rick Kukulies, NuVo
www.installation-international.com
hindrance to the deployment of Cloud services: “Users are becoming far more relaxed about using the web for data storage and services through applications they have on personal devices; however some IT departments are still reluctant to deploy this type of software within their highly secure networks. The simple solution to this is to deploy an entirely separate, parallel network and this is being done by a number of large organisations. An added advantage is that video distribution can be bandwidth-hungry, depending on the format, and in this way does not adversely affect the in-house core data network.” Residential AV applications also utilise the Cloud for audiovisual delivery. “Savant’s Ambient Intelligence application runs Apple OSX and can be registered as a user device in Apple’s iTunes in the Cloud. Any audio or video content acquired on
any device automatically appears on any other and can be distributed around the home through Savant automation systems,” explains RGB
Communications chief technology officer David Webster. “This is an extremely powerful and simple way of acquiring content, either through iTunes or directly from disc and distributing it via the Cloud to all devices owned by a user within and outside the home. It is ideal for second homes and yachts, providing a common library of content throughout. It is also being installed as a music service in hotels and leisure facilities. “Savant is already working
on extending the range of Cloud-enabled services that gather information from a variety of online sources about a homeowner’s lifestyle and location to determine and set the operation for a home automation system. It will analyse their diary and GPS position to set the heating, monitor previous arrival patterns to switch on lighting and make decisions without the user having to program or adjust the controller – all based on intelligence passively garnered from Cloud data. Ultimately we might expect this to be linked to power utility companies so that they can control power- hungry devices remotely without adversely affecting the homeowner.”
“Of course, the technology isn’t perfect at the moment,” concludes Rick Kukulies, VP of engineering at NuVo Technologies, whose residential audio players feature Cloud services and synchronisation. “The way Clouds work, bandwidth issues and even the
popularity of the technology can be a strain. But it’s hard to see these issues as a con. Ultimately, gaining a degree of accessibility beyond anything previously possible makes Cloud technology incredibly advantageous, and I think it’s here to stay. It will undoubtedly continue to evolve into a higher- performing technology.”
www.cabletime.com www.crestron.com www.dmpip.tv www.gartner.com www.lifesize.com www.microsoft.com www.nuvotechnologies.com www.rgbcomms.co.uk www.visiosign.com
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