Category: IT

Software Vendors and the Software they Sell

While it is a fact that commercial software limits the choices that one has when it comes to customizing compared to open source, has higher chances of vendor lock-in and more licensing restrictions, these negatives however pale to the pros that such software has to offer. Software vendors like Dev4 Online, and others however continue to define and offer more advanced software when it comes to support and use. The risks of using software from such software vendors are also much lower due to its continued support, years after its release.

One point that critics point against commercial software is the lack of interest in innovation. It is often claimed that open source software is more innovative than commercial software. In my opinion, probably this is due to the fact that paid developers are restricted from using their imagination and creativity. Of course, the creative spark is in all of us, but the volunteer programmers will generally have freedom and enjoy what they do, and thus, it seems that open source is more innovative. In the real world however, software vendors have what might be called calculated innovation. In fact, products from some of the top commercial firms continue to dominate the corporate world proving that innovation is alive even in these criticized circles.

Software from commercial software vendors is offered with support and this is one reason often cited for choosing commercial software over free open source alternatives. Even when such support is not used, it usually does not matter since it is always there where needed. This is especially important when it comes to large corporate firms that need a pillow to take a tumble on when things go wrong. Commercial software vendors are more reliable as opposed to a group of 20-year olds in a basement. The safety, indemnity and warranty that such corporations offer usually provides a platform from where large firms can launch their business ideas and ventures.

How though do you survive the selection process when there are hundreds of software products to choose from? If you have limited resources of technical experts and subject matter experts, you might consider hiring a consultation firm specializing in software selection. Some basic questions though that you can ask yourself when weeding through the software vendors are: what is driving the change? Does the legacy system to be replaced have performance issues? Is it becoming expensive … Read More

How Does Cloud Computing Work?

Everyone talks about cloud computing, but not about how does cloud computing work. This is because the end user does not need to know how does cloud computing work in order to use it. You do not need to understand how does cloud computing work behind Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, and Google Docs to use them in your business. For the curious, how does cloud computing work is as simple as you want to make it, and it all extends from what the word cloud refers to.

So, how does cloud computing work? It mostly involves banks of computers working together as a single machine. It is this grid of computers that the term cloud actually refers to. This is not a new concept either. The cloud has been with us since the beginning of computers in various forms. What is different is that this collective virtual computer acts like a single machine.

How does cloud computing work with these clusters of computers? Since we are dealing with a virtual machine, the cloud computer utilizes the resources of the cluster of physical computers underneath it. The virtual computer then uses these resources to run your applications. These applications run independently of the server cluster underneath which is why you can scale the virtual computer with ease. The virtual computer and its applications are basically floating in a cloud of resources free of the physical world.

So, how does cloud computing work these server clusters to create the end user experience? To answer that, we must split the cloud into two layers. The first layer is the front-end, or public/end user layer. The front-end is what you interact with. This is the virtual machine. It thinks it is a normal computer so it acts like one. All cloud applications run on the front-end.

The back-end is where the magic happens. It is the how does cloud computing work. The back-end of cloud computing consists of the physical hardware clusters and the software that runs them. This also includes the networking technologies that connect them. These computers are designed to work together. They share resources. They share processes. They act collectively as a single machine: the virtual cloud computer. They are designed to be hot-swappable which means you can connect or disconnect them without turning them or the cluster off. If you need more resources, you just need to plug in a new … Read More