Cloud providers are getting into a
new foray of things which from looks, sounds very impressive and game
changing trends. I believe there is a new trend of opportunities which
is going to squish the way enterprise systems has been used/accessed
over few decades. I have tried few of the stuff personally and it has
been exciting, with all sort of new ideas and thoughts.
I
am going to talk about three very cool stuff which were recently
launched by AWS (i.e. Workspace, Workmail & Workdocs). A good chunk
of information is already available about these enterprise services.
However I believe it would be better to put across an end user’s point of view after using these services at first hand.
1.
WorkSpace - If you have heard about Desktop as a Service (DaaS) or
desktop in the cloud, then you can understand it pretty quick. At
present there are 3 different (virtual, standard & performance)
variants of virtual desktops offered by AWS which are loaded with
commonly used applications for e.g. Microsoft Office etc. But good part
is that user is allowed to bring in your set of applications to install
on top of the base images. The lowest variant of desktop starts at $25 /
month.
GameChanger
- There are many organization today those are planning or already in
progression of adopting virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) on-premise,
I believe this is an excellent alternate to that.
Benefits
- Quick to start is the biggest plus point I see here. We are in age
where all of us need more than one desktop and this is exactly one of
the unique differentiator i rate. At low cost one can get a desktop
which runs on the cloud and accessible from almost anywhere and there
are no string attached, what a great deal.
Limitations
- Working on the remote desktop is bit sluggish as screen refresh time
is bit high. It uses TCP4172 port which is not always open and one
should consult with IT team before going after it. This may require to
change / tweak the IT policies in nutshell
2.
WorkMail - This is indeed a good option on the likes of exchange &
other enterprise messaging systems. Price starts at $4/per users with 50
GB storage can easily offbeat the existing email services provided by
other players. In addition it can easily integrate with active directory
(AD) & seamlessly work with Outlook to give users enriching
experience in terms of reminder, meeting, calendar etc.
Game
Changer - Security, integration and compatibility were common
challenges for cloud based email services, i recall Gmail doesn’t have
all equivalent features of Outlook. Workmail consider to have mitigated
these challenges quite a bit, which enabled it to be strong contender in
this space.
Benefits
- Low cost email solution and offers an enterprise class messaging
service. For an organization with a user base of 1000 users, Workmail is
going to cost $48,000/year.
Limitations
- Workmail claims but there are very high chances that it will not be
able offer the extensive flexibilities from user standpoint, only the
adoption will tell the success of Workmail.
3.
Workdocs / Zocalo - Came across few use case scenarios at work where
users ask for a tool which allows them to share files with an ease of
drag n drop and without installing any tools or server applications.
Zocalo offers a link to web portal which allows users to upload files
which can be synced on a a file server running in a WorkSpace owned by
the user. Concept is slightly similar to Googledocs, Box.com or
Dropbox.com, I didn’t found a major differentiator here for this
service. But in larger scheme of things it fits well and address the
need of common repository accessible to all users working on specific
project.
Game Changer - No, not really. There are similar products and applications already available in the market place.
Benefits - Cost and ease to use can be plus point, its starts with $5 per month for one user for 200 GB of storage.
Limitation
- I believe Workdocs is a must service, if you have signed up for
Workspace. I didn’t found any other way to do file sharing among fellow
users.
As
i conclude my thoughts here, there are many other cloud provider who
offers similar set of services. It would be interesting to watch the
space for time-being and see how other shape up their services to woo
the customers.
Stay tune for more updates in Cloud space.
Brar
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR)
Watching a movie in 3D or doing spacewalk are very close experience of virtual reality, you probably have experienced. I came across tons of innovative ideas and apps which take you to even more closer to realities. Ideas such as Google-glass, I believe a great innovation allows you to see through things from someone else’s perspective. I believe this is going to be revolutionary & open the flood gates for many similar devices in the marketplace. From virtual world to the real world, in an augmented way which we call augmented reality (AR). I personally see end less opportunities for AR to change the consumer experiences.
There are multiple apps available in the marketplace for smartphone which when you points towards a building, structure or objects, lists the information of interests relates to it. A fantastic app for a house seeker, by pointing a smartphone towards the building it tells the about the availability of apartments. Before delivering the experience, AR can enables products maker to realize the pain points consumer going through and thereafter design them, the use case can be almost infinite.
The concept of AR is not new as it looks, you may recall the experience of skywalk at air & space museum or flying simulator which gives close feeling of free fall with no gravitational pull. I believe the evolution of technology has enabled to apply the same idea across different places.
Advertiser agencies I believe are the first one’s in commercial space who are going after AR in a big way and producing great applications of all sorts.
Interesting and exemplary ideas of AR, which I came across in recent times.
There are multiple apps available in the marketplace for smartphone which when you points towards a building, structure or objects, lists the information of interests relates to it. A fantastic app for a house seeker, by pointing a smartphone towards the building it tells the about the availability of apartments. Before delivering the experience, AR can enables products maker to realize the pain points consumer going through and thereafter design them, the use case can be almost infinite.
The concept of AR is not new as it looks, you may recall the experience of skywalk at air & space museum or flying simulator which gives close feeling of free fall with no gravitational pull. I believe the evolution of technology has enabled to apply the same idea across different places.
Advertiser agencies I believe are the first one’s in commercial space who are going after AR in a big way and producing great applications of all sorts.
Interesting and exemplary ideas of AR, which I came across in recent times.
- Google Glass, a pair of glass but in reality an awesome product which can help user to take pictures, videos, send message and use GPS to
- Ikea digital catalogue (http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/about_ikea/newsitem/2014catalogue), which offer digital content which reveals a decorators paradise in 360/180 view of rooms, and helps user to design his/her own space digitally before put in the order
- TryLive, another similar application which allows user to try on glasses, jewelry, shoes, clothes and home products. This ideal for users who would like to buy online and try out the fitment
- Digital iMirror & expression reading kiosks by different brands installed over at their showrooms..
- AR Business Card, a pretty cool idea of user introducing themselves in a very intuitive way and hopefully an extension of QR code which people use these days on their. http://vimeo.com/4979525
Keep writing thoughts..
Brar
Brar
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