Cloud Computing and Web 2.0 the Objective

Cloud Computing and Web 2.0

The objective of this study is to explain the business uses of cloud computing and Web 2.0 and to explain how organization use these tools, the technology required to use these tools, the benefits of cloud computing and Web 2.0 and the limitations of each.

Web 2.0 is reported as being "primarily associated with websites and web tools that promote interactive collaboration such as Wikipedia, Google Apps, YouTube and social networking sites." (CPA Practice Advisor, 2012, p.1) Tim O'Reilly, noted to have originally coined the phrase Web 2.0, stated that "one of the apparent indicators of the success of such a site is that 'the more that people use it, the better it becomes'." (CPA Practice Advisor, 2012, p.1) According to Web 2.0 Guru, Cloud Computing "a computing paradigm in which tasks are assigned to a combination of connections, software and services accessed over a network. This network of servers and connections is collectively known as "the cloud." Computing at the scale of the cloud allows users to access supercomputer-level power. Users can access resources as they need them." (2012, p.1) The concept of Cloud Computing is stated to be "at a higher level, reflecting many more things that we do (or can do) involving remotely available information, programs and computing infrastructure." (CPA Practice Advisor, 2012, p.1) Cloud Computing is defined by academics at the University of California Berkeley as "both the applications delivered as services over the internet (SaaS), and the hardware and systems software in the datacenters that provide those services." (CPA Practice Advisor, 2012, p.1) Reported to be a primary component of Cloud Computing is what is referred to as "utility computing." (CPA Practice Advisor, 2012, p.1) Utility computing is such that rather than users having programs that are subscription-based assess (SaaS) it is reported that "organizations, corporations and other entities can also buy access to virtual machines, storage space and even datacenters, allowing them to rapidly expand their own IT capabilities in very little time, but without the infrastructure and maintenance investment." (CPA Practice Advisor, 2012, p.1)

Cloud Computing, Web 2.0 and Business Tools

It is reported that Cloud Computing has been "the byword for different businesses today. Cloud Computing is such that has as its emphasis "the enterprise. As businesses today require more collaboration in real time without any geographical consideration, cloud computing became a viable option as this will provide real time interaction in business process. It offers the portability to different users without having to constantly require the local gadget for certain installations." (Krill, 2012) Cloud computing benefits cited include:

1. You receive secure, managed hosting at very inexpensive costs.

2. You do not need to purchase additional hardware as your space requirements grow.

3. Your server will have offsite backup in case something goes wrong.

4. If something does go wrong, you can get the support of your service providers. (Dedicated Server School, 2012, p.1)

Web 2.0 is reported to have been used "for many years long before cloud computing became popular in the software development industry. But instead of defining Web 2.0 about the components it requires, Web 2.0 is more about the interaction the user will receive." (Krill, 2012) Web 2.0 has as its emphasis "different online applications" combined with providing the user freedom to connect and reconfigure their online environment (Krill, 2012) Otherwise and specifically stated is that Web 2.0 "is more about the interaction between users." (Krill, 2012) Stated as classic examples of Web 2.0 are "the different online social networking websites." (Krill, 2012) Users are enabled connection while attempting to reconfigure their own experience based on personal preferences. Web 2.0 still makes a requirement of hardware support although centric to Web 2.0 is "interaction of online application[s] with the user." (Krill, 2012) Benefits of Web 2.0 is reported to include: "Web 2.0 applications are free and therefore help to narrow the digital divide (Tsekhman, 2008). Low cost production is possible for the consumer/producer (Hargadon, n.d.)K-12 schools are challenged by shrinking budgets as they face inadequate infrastructures, student hackers who compromise networks, and the inability to accurately classify content in real time. "Securing Web 2.0 for K-12 & Higher Education." n.d cited in: Instructional Design, 2012)