Healthy Living Wellness It: Comparison Cloud Computing Together With Desktop Applications (Part Two Of 3)

This post is a continuation of the debate virtually the pros together with cons of Cloud versus Desktop computing, which starts at this link.

The cloud computing practiced I've been debating responded to my comments past times writing:

We are merely from dissimilar camps of software thinking. I have got a CS marker from a college that taught on Unix machine non desktop together with my entire experience is working alongside enterprises systems non desktops I was an early on adopter of Java together with attended the commencement Java i where the mantra was "The Network is the computer". Eric Schmidt CEO of Google is doing his best to brand this happen. Yes they are looking to the hereafter but Microsoft seem to live on stuck inwards the past.

I reply:

Yes, nosotros are from dissimilar schools together with hence have got real dissimilar points of views. We both run into the value of networks alongside you lot focusing on networking computers inside an firm ("behind the firewall"), together with me from the perspective of enabling information commutation betwixt "disparate islands of information" owned/controlled past times (a) vastly dissimilar organizations together with individuals alongside vastly dissimilar communications (from continuous broadband to occasionally connected dial-up) together with (b) widely various information needs (including linking hospitals together with clinics, private clinicians across all healthcare disciplines, world wellness institutions, interrogation organizations, every bit good every bit private patients).

And piece I am discussing the value of novel applications that exercise electronic mail to enable all standalone (desktop/laptop/notebook) computers to have got publisher together with subscriber functionality (i.e., they have got server-like functionality that enable P2P information transmission), the technology I'm proposing bespeak non live on Microsoft based since it tin exercise whatever sort of automated spreadsheet grids together with electronic mail (although I produce recollect the MS Office suite is currently the best, or at to the lowest degree the most ubiquitous, but OpenOffice or other tools could live on used instead).

The conversation continues…

In response to my comment: "Since in that place are concerns virtually the safety of information stored inwards the Internet cloud, people may experience to a greater extent than secure if they have got consummate command over their private information (such every bit personal wellness information), which is stored inwards encrypted information files inwards their ain computers together with other computerized devices," he wrote:

Cloud is merely every bit prophylactic or safer than business office machines nether desk. You tin merely accept i home

To which I reply:

It's truthful that no affair what solution is deployed, safety must live on taken seriously. Examples of Cloud safety risks tin live on establish at http://tinyurl.com/ykv6s6o together with http://tinyurl.com/lzr3gg; it's goodness that many people are working hard to handle those risks. My indicate is that storing a patient's wellness tape inwards an encrypted information file residing on a local hard disk (hard drive) is much less complex together with costly than securing the Cloud. This is peculiarly truthful when information has to live on shared alongside people exterior an enterprises firewall.

In response to my comment: "Total cost of ownership is minimized since in that place is no bespeak to rely on expensive key servers, databases, together with server administrators," he wrote:

The cost [of expensive key servers, databases, together with server administrators] is amortized, that is the point. And unmarried machine are much to a greater extent than expensive than firm (depending on the size of staff).

To which I reply:

I assume you're comparison a sparse versus thick/fat clients. With total powerfulness PCs continually coming downwards inwards cost (many merely a few hundred dollars), the cost departure tin live on minimal. And alongside the PC, you lot larn the added benefits of fewer server requirements (a thick customer server does non require every bit high a bird of surgical operation every bit a sparse customer server, resulting inwards drastically cheaper servers); offline working agency a constant connectedness to the key server is oft non required; meliorate multimedia surgical operation (thick clients have got advantages inwards multimedia-rich applications that would live on bandwidth intensive if fully served); to a greater extent than flexibility (on merely about operating systems software products are designed for PCs that have got their ain local resources, which are hard to run inwards a sparse customer environment); using existing infrastructure (as many people similar a shot have got real fast local PCs, they already have got the infrastructure to run thick clients at no extra cost); together with higher server capacity (the to a greater extent than piece of job that is carried out past times the client, the less the server needs to do, increasing the issue of users each server tin support) [see http://tinyurl.com/yl7tqxw]. And when it comes to exchanging information alongside people beyond an enterprises firewall (e.g., connecting alongside an independent clinician's EHR or patient's local PHR), the sparse customer is non an pick for the remote individual!

In response to my prior comment: "All the information tin live on accessed anywhere/anytime, fifty-fifty if in that place is no Internet or other network connections," he wrote:

?? no network, are you lot talking sneakerNet? You tin produce the same alongside servers but....

To which I reply:

No, I'm non talking virtually handing a disk to someone. What I am talking virtually using an encrypted delimited information file, stored locally on a PC HD, which contains all the information needed on a patient (or on multiple patients for an aggregate report). No network, no problem. And when in that place is fifty-fifty a momentary resumption of the network, an electronic mail alongside an attachment containing a portion of a patient's wellness dataset tin live on delivered or received alongside only a 2d or 2 of offline connectivity. I'm non talking virtually a centralized firm system, however,

In response to my prior comment: "Unlike communications requiring continuous connectivity, in that place is no loss of information when a network connectedness drops out (i.e., unexpected disconnection)," he wrote:

How virtually when you lot lose an hard disk or powerfulness inwards the building?

To which I reply:

If there's no UPS (uninterrupted powerfulness supply) on the PC or the hard disk fails, so you're right, in that place is no information to live on viewed or shared.

In response to my prior comment:"There is no unmarried indicate of failure to disrupt together with entire network when a key server develops problems," he wrote:

Same declaration but desktop have got no redundancy.

To which I reply:

In add-on to having backups (on- together with off-premises) together with UPSs, the sort of P2P, pub/sub, desktop-based, mesh node networks I'm discussing agency that no unmarried node (peer) on the network tin foreclose other nodes from working since in that place is no key server (i.e., each desktop node functions similar its ain server through exercise of e-mail). If the entire Internet fails (due to a natural disaster, terrorist attack, etc.), the local information files would silent live on available for local information access. But what virtually information exchange? In such a province of affairs (that may live on caused by) the networks I'm proposing would have got communications "auto-failover" process by which the best available option methods of information transmission would live on used—such every bit using dial-up, radio, or satellite communication—to transportation the electronic mail attachments from anywhere to anywhere thereby enabling efficient emergency information exchange.

Also consider that key servers tin never live on immune to failure every bit evidenced past times a recent disruption of an online EMR reported at this link.

In response to my prior comment "Since copies of the encrypted information files tin live on stored inwards many dissimilar locations (widely distributed), information survivability is enhanced," he wrote:

??? to a greater extent than sneakerNet?

To which I reply:

While physically exchanging disks or retentiveness sticks containing the information file is i trend to produce it, past times "data survivability," I'm referring to the type of emergency province of affairs inwards my previous reply. When that happens, transmitting locally stored information files via electronic mail using auto-failover communication methods provide a meliorate solution than systems requiring Internet access to a centralized database.

In response to my prior comment "Maintenance has improved alongside automated desktop updates. On hosted systems, furthermore, users are at the mercy of the host; so, if an upgrade does non expire well, or the private user doesn't desire or bespeak the novel features, the upgrade volition silent expire forward," he wrote:

automated desktop updates require a host.

To which I reply:

Yes, but you lot don't have got to install the update/upgrade, together with tin fifty-fifty opposite it if you lot installed it but don't similar it.

In response to my prior comment: "There is greater safety adventure when running a spider web application online over the Internet than when running a desktop application offline," he wrote:

This is incorrect. Only if the scheme is non been setup correctly

To which I reply:

I realize in that place are ongoing debates virtually security, so hither are a few quotes from people who debate that spider web applications are less secure than desktop applications: "There are ever risks involved when dealing alongside working online, regardless of how secure a host mightiness say a spider web application is, that fact of the affair stands that the safety adventure of running an application of the Internet is to a greater extent than pregnant than when running an application on a standalone desktop computer. Some applications require to a greater extent than safety than others, playing Sudoku on a spider web application would drive petty concern, but dealing alongside sensitive corporate formulas or accounting details inwards a spider web environs mightiness live on determined risky." [at this link.

Related posts:

• Health IT: Comparing Cloud Computing together with Desktop Applications (Part 1)
• Health IT: Comparing Cloud Computing together with Desktop Applications (Part 3)
• The force for ‘push’ technology for the NHIN
• Combining Cloud Computing, Client-Server together with Novel P2P Pub/Sub Mesh Node Network Architectures (Part 1 of 2)
• Combining Cloud Computing, Client-Server together with Novel P2P Pub/Sub Mesh Node Network Architectures (Part 2 of 2)
• A Novel Way for Everyone inwards the Nation to Exchange Health Data Simply, Inexpensively together with Securely
• Simple, Low-Cost, Secure Health Data Exchange
• Who should Own a Patient’s Health Data, Where should they live on Stored, together with How should they live on Exchanged (Part 1 of 2)
• Who should Own a Patient’s Health Data, Where should they live on Stored, together with How should they live on Exchanged (Part 2 of 2)
• Dueling Data Formats
• Knowledge, Standards together with the Healthcare Crisis: Part 6  
• Introducing our disruptive CP Split technology

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