By David Tondreau, Chief Technology Officer
Cloud computing technology makes heady promises of accessible and reliable IT solutions. It conjures up visions of ITopia: near-universal access to data and next-generation knowledge management systems to help solve our problems-available at costs in the thousands, not the millions. I can’t wait to see how these scenarios develop, and I’m working to realize the cloud’s potential for expanding the delivery of health care information, especially to traditionally underserved populations.
But as we scan this promising horizon, sometimes the cloud darkens. For example, last October, Microsoft and T-Mobile had to announce that for customers using Sidekick devices “contacts, stored photos, and other information are probably gone forever, due to a technical glitch with Microsoft’s servers.” This was obviously an unwelcome development for someone like me and millions of other people who’ve added integrated mobile technology to their way of life. I’m just glad the glitch wasn’t worse.
The Thunder Rolls…
Like a brief cloudburst, the Sidekick issue quickly faded from the news cycle, in part because actual losses of critically important information were relatively small. Life goes on without that cute picture of your Shih-Tsu as the background for your mobile phone display; many of us already routinely save our customers’ phone numbers in Outlook. But what if the next glitch costs you the electronic copies of your child’s immunization record? And what if that glitch happens just before you arrive at the emergency room to have your son or daughter treated for a nasty gash from a rusty, barbed wire fence?
With the use of mobile devices on the rise, we’re increasingly “out there” with our need for uninterrupted security on a frontier that can turn inhospitable overnight. If that makes you feel somewhat vulnerable, you’re not alone. It’s clear that in order to realize their enormous potential, cloud computing networks (and especially cloud solutions for health care) must be designed and built to provide continuity of service. This is a critical requirement for selecting both vendors and solutions. In the short term, since we’re dealing with an unreliable cloud, our options are limited:
- Back up important data.
- Get acquainted with the services that are available.
- Compare providers.
- Try to select the vendors who can protect your information during outages.
In technology, we sometimes look for divine inspiration-answers from “those in the know” that will help us make all the right choices. NASA’s chief information officer, Linda Cureton, once defined the cloud as “part silver lining, part silver bullet, part bull.” The point she was driving home is that technology doesn’t just “happen.” It’s planned. Whether you want to develop cloud solutions or implement a social media strategy, the effort depends on multiple, coordinated components, not a silver bullet.
No one solution will solve our technological ills, anymore than a single treatment will cure all cancers. No single technology is a replacement for well-conceived, well-orchestrated, well-executed strategies to solve problems. In many ways, that makes people the most important asset in successful IT delivery. Cloud networks will advance when people with a proven track record for success, and equipped with the most modern technology, are inspired to explore multiple approaches. That’s ITopia.
Tags: Cloud Computing, data, information, IT, knowledge management, Linda Cureton, Sidekick, technology