Ideas….

I’m considering writing a presentation proposal for NERCOMP 2010.  What I would like to talk about are two aspects of cloud computing that aren’t regularly focused on:

1) What exactly is cloud computing
(because we should all be on the same page before talking about something)

• defining the overall concept
• discussing SaaS, Iaas, Paas (and providing examples)
• public v. private cloud
• current “trends” in cloud computing
  • the demise of the operating systems
  • creation of cloud standards

2) How can IT use it beyond outsourcing email

• testing out new software
• storage
• improving upgrade processes
• development

additionally how will this impact IT departments

• less focus on technology
• more focus on user experience
• more focus on process and project management
• increase to production timelines
• a faster pace of “academic business”

3) What are the benefits to creating an Educational Cloud

• lowering the cost of the cloud services that are currently offered
• collaboration on projects
• sharing ownership of computing resources
  • software
  • platforms
  • infrastructure

I don’t know if I can fill 50 minutes all by my lonesome.  I’d like to have a session that is more meeting and less presentation.  Maybe getting users to participate via polls.  I wonder if I could make the session a mini unconference of sorts.  Maybe start off with a definition and then ask the audience to raise their hand if they have done any of the points outlined in #2 part 1  above.  Have them come up and talk about what it is that they did and how it impacted them (using ideas in #2 part 2 as a jumping off point)  in 5 minutes or less.  I could come up with a back up plan just in case no one raises their hand.

I could then wrap things up using with a push for creating an educational cloud based on the ideas outlined in #3 above.

hmmm…thoughts…flowing…through…head…

Please provide comments or opinions on these ideas.  If you think its an AWFUL idea and that NERCOMP might explode, let me know.  Or if you think it’ll explode in a good way, let me know that too.

Today I’m going to CloudCamp and it’s nerve wracking.  Why?  Well I’m a female and if you look at the list of attendees…there aren’t too many of us.

I’ve been to conferences before.  At ALA though there are TONS of women.  At Code4Lib I had friends there (both male and female), so that eased the lack of females (but only slightly…I still had the nerves).  But at CloudCamp Boston, I’ll know no one and I’m not going to lie, I thought about not going.  In fact this idea isn’t something new to me.  Being a female in technology has stopped me from going to other things too. That’s right, I’ve chickened out and not gone to things I really wanted to attend because I’m too nervous.

Seems strange right?  But it makes sense when you think about it, I mean how comfortable would you be at a bridal shower, or a baby shower, or in the lingerie department if you were a male.  Not so comfortable.  Well that’s what its like for me going to a technology conference.  And I could throw numbers at you on the lack of women in technology, but most likely you’ll think about it for two seconds and know that its the truth.

So what are my issues about going to these conference? Well I’m sure some are the same that men have.  Do I know enough to hold my own at this thing?  Who am I going to sit with?  Blah blah blah.  But here is the difference; in the back of my head I always hear one of my old coworkers who tried to explain to me why a guy in an IT department was so rude to me:

None of us were particularly popular.  And I’m sure when he looks at you he sees that girl that rejected him in high school

I know he was trying to tell me to brush him off…afterall, the guy he spoke of was a jerk that ended up in a server farm in order to stop his interactions with the public.  But that comment has resonated with me throughout most of my jobs.  It has made me feel like I HAVE to know enough to hold my own because if I don’t, they will just dismiss me as nothing but a girl.

So there it is, my fear laid bare for all of you to read.  But now that I’ve written it I feel a bit better about going tonight.  I’m sure I’ll know just as much as everyone else there.  And I’m sure I’ll find some really nice people to sit with.  And I’m sure no one will be mean to me (assuming the jerk from the server farm isn’t there….).

It looks like Amazon Web Services is moving into the hosting market.  They’ve set up something called reserved instances.  Essentially you pay a one time fee and then get a significantly lower hourly usage rate ($0.03/hour as opposed to $0.10/hour).

When Amazon first came out, it wasn’t cost effective for me to host my website there (in truth it still isn’t cause I have a friend that gives me a deal).  But now it is; Reuven Cohen over at Cloud Interoperability Magazine writes:

In doing the math, @ $0.03 a hour, a small reserved EC2 instance will cost you about $262 a year for the uptime, and $325 for the reservation or about $48 dollars a month. Compared to about $876 a year or $73 a month using an on demand instance (not including storage and bandwidth).

Like I said, its still not cheaper for me, but the thought of being able to do whatever crazy scheme I want on a server sure is enticing.

So if you hate your hosting provider (I hear lots of people whining about Dreamhost), perhaps you should consider switching.