Cloud computing

Fortunately many new innovations are becoming available which can bring the computer power associated with a government laboratory into the hands of anybody. A number of cloud based, virtual, work spaces have been developed which can bring enormous computing advantages to any desktop or laptop. There is an initial steep learning curve associated with developing a high performance computing environment, and this obstacle prevents many who stand to benefit the most from using the cloud. This paper seeks to demystify the process and get you up and running very quickly.

Cloud based computing has tremendous potential for academia. Increasingly we live in a quantitative world. There is more and more data available every moment. The ability to read, store, and manipulate this data is of paramount importance to be on the cutting edge of research. Yet, many in academia are not availing themselves of the potential. There are a couple of reasons for this.

Firstly, generally all cloud based platforms are built for the greatest audience. In most cases they are built for computer developers, and made available to everyone else. But the architecture comes from a programmer perspective. While most in academic research have extensive programming skills, we generally are not computer scientists. Because the vendors of virtual server space are targeting such a wide user base, the instructions to get up and running are often overwhelming. One must go through a seemingly infinite tree of choices and pages of instructions. This requires a significant time investment.

Secondly, the cost may at first seem prohibitive. In fact, the cost initially, while one is learning, could be substantial. One must be sure to stop a virtual server when it is not being used, at the same time making sure not to delete it. More than once I have been called away, left my server running, and all the while I was dealing with some other emergency the clock was ticking. However, all of this is mute when one becomes skilled at using the service. Once you are proficient, doing computational chores that would take days on a desktop can be done in minutes, and as we all know, time is money. Another advantage of the cost structure of most vendors is that you only pay for what you use, whether your needs are computational, storage, or something else.