EAC397 ATEAM

WORK PAGE FOR THE A-2 TEAM

Team Members

Last Name	First Name	Seneca Username	Email	Blog Url	IRC Nick	Phone Number (optional)
Gorscak	Ljubomir	gljubomir	ljubomir.gorscak@gmail.com	Blogspot	ljubo	647-328-4807
Daniel	Siji	sadaniel1	sadaniel1@learn.senecac.on.ca
Ali	Damian	dali4	dckali@gmail.com	-	-	-
Granovsky	Andre	aagranovsky	andregranovsky@gmail.com	-	-	-
Pezeshki	Neda	npezeshki	npezeshki@learn.senecac.on.ca	-	-	-
Dawson	Michael	mgdawson	mgdawson@learn.senecac.on.ca	Blog	-	-

Tasks

First Name	Main Task
Neda	Intro/history
Siji	Characteristics/advantages
Michael	Devices
Ljubomir	Layers/Architecture
Damian	Companies adopting technology
Andre	Implications for future use

Presentation

Availability

Name	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Ljubomir	7:00pm onwards	-	11:40 - 1:30pm and 3:20pm onward	8:00am - 11:40am	8:00am - 11:40am
Siji	-	9:30-11:30am	9:30am-1:30pm	9:30-11:30am	11:30am-1:30pm
Damian	-	3:30pm onward	11:30am-1:30pm	1:30pm onward	11:30am-1:30pm
Andre	-	-	-	-	-
Neda	15:00	11:35-13:30	-	-	-
Michael	-	3:30PM onward	Noon onward	Noon onward	10:00 - 1:30

Comments

ljubo: I've listed all the times I'm available to work on the presentation. Remember that we also need to prepare the powerpoint etc. I prefer to meet earlier. Tuesday is ideal for me.

ljubo: Siji, Damian, Michael and I are all available on Wednesday between 12:00pm and 1:30pm. The 4 of us should for sure meet during that time to make the powerpoints and plan the presentation based on all the research gathered, and even come up with some debate topics for the Q&A portion of the presentation. Each person will be responsible for practicing their own part of the presentation based on the powerpoint slides to make sure they can present in the allotted time.

If anyone is feeling nervous and would like additional practice, I am willing to meet with anyone again later in the week during my available times to review the work that Siji, Damian, Michael and I will do on Wednesday, and even rehearse the presentation.

Discussion

Siji: Folks, I just realized that we hadn't announced our topic on BB. I have done it now - under Discussion -> Forums. Better late than never, I guess.

Siji: I talked to Ms.Potter. Here's what we are expected to deliver for this project-

1. Copy of Thank you letter sent to interviewee
2. Contact form given in package ( see Blackboard )
3. Technology profile 1 page
4. Oral presentation - about 30 minutes long + 5 minutes for questions
5. Outline of presentation ( go to Powerpoint - print outline view - include our names on our respective sections )

I guess the next thing to do is to find someone to interview, soon. Any ideas?

ljubo: I really like Damian's idea to research Cloud Computing. I am still curious to know which company specifically we could interview. Damian mentions MS and HP. Are these possibilities?

Damian: I'm not sure myself, but I added another link that lists some Canadian companies. Just a matter of finding which ones are based in Toronto? (p.s. I moved the discussion to the top to make viewing easier)

ljubo: photosynth is another great idea. Andre, do you have a company in mind that we could interview?

Damian: So far from what we have I think photosynth would definitely be the most fun to research and present to the class. It's new, upcoming, and really interesting. My only concerns are 1) is MS the only company in on it? and 2) I'm not exactly sure how this could relate to business communications in general. Maybe I'm overlooking something? I also like WireIE's company philosophy and the emphasis on greener solutions and the environment. All we need to do is find a tech to focus in on and it would be doable as a topic providing we get enough info. As for cloud computing, well, we talked about it earlier this week, there's a lot to it and I've found quite a few companies in Toronto that we could interview. Not sure what everyone else thinks, but hopefully we're ready to discuss tomorrow.

Michael: I like the idea of cloud computing, Since I'm coming in so late, I'll simply do whatever the rest of you decide.

Topic

CLOUD COMPUTING

I decided to provide a general break down to six major aspects of cloud computing into major categories since there's six of us in the group. The contents are as follows:

• Intro/History (good for an introduction)
• Characteristics/Advantages
• Layers & Architecture (i.e. how it works)
• Types of Clouding
• Companies adopting the technology (i.e. MS, Intel, IBM, potential Canadian companies)
• Implications for the Future/Conclusion

Here is some information regarding cloud computing:

What is Cloud Computing? According to wikipedia, cloud computing is a model for IT services based on the Internet that typically involves the provision of dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources as a service over the Internet.

What does that mean? Well, in a cloud computing system, there's a significant workload shift. Local computers no longer have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to running applications. The network of computers that make up the cloud handles them instead. Hardware and software demands on the user's side decrease. The only thing the user's computer needs to be able to run is the cloud computing system's interface software, which can be as simple as a Web browser, and the cloud's network takes care of the rest.

How Stuff Works: Cloud Computing

Characteristics of Cloud Computing

1. Agility - improves with users' ability to rapidly and inexpensively re-provision technological infrastructure resources
2. Cost - is claimed to be greatly reduced and capital expenditure is converted to operational expenditure.
3. Device - enable users to access systems using a web browser regardless of their location or what device they are using.
4. Multi-tenancy - enables sharing of resources and costs across a large pool of users.
5. Reliability - improves through the use of multiple redundant sites, which makes cloud computing suitable for business continuity and disaster recovery.
6. Scalability - via dynamic ("on-demand") provisioning of resources on a fine-grained, self-service basis near real-time.
7. Security - could improve due to centralization of data[38], increased security-focused resources.
8. Sustainability - comes about through improved resource utilization, more efficient systems, and carbon neutrality.
9. Maintenenace - cloud computing applications are easier to maintain, since they don't have to be installed on each user's computer.

Here are a few articles you may find interesting:

Toronto is Canada's Cloud Computing Capital

HP and Microsoft Simplify Technology Environments With Solutions Built on New Infrastructure-to-Application Model

IDC Profiles 10 Canadian Cloud Solutions to Watch - Cloud to be a Hot Growth Niche for Emerging Firms

Individual Work

Please review the handout called "Innovations in Business Communication Technologies.doc" (it's on Blackboard). It explains what is required for this part of the project.

The following is copied from that document...

"NOTE: ALL TEAM MEMBERS MUST PARTICIPATE IN EACH PHASE OF THE PROJECT AND CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO RESEARCHING INFORMATION, INTERVIEWING CONTACTS, WRITING DOCUMENTS AND POWER POINT CONTENT, AND PRESENTING ORALLY.

DESCRIBE EACH TEAM MEMBER’S TASKS BELOW. (The chart is expandable, so take the space needed to include detail as you type.)"

I believe all we need to do at this point is subdivide our individual tasks and give ourselves some due dates. If everybody can update this wiki first, we can use the invormation to fill in the required chart on "Innovations in Business Communication Technologies.doc".

Remember, this is due on Tuesday, so please don't leave it for the last minute (even though it is the last minute). Please try to fill in your portion by Monday 12:00pm (noon) at the latest. This gives the other team members a chance to review your choices before Tuesday.

Damian

Task	Due Date
1) Finish research on local/international companies involved with CC	February 23rd
2) Complete report based on key companies researched	March 2nd
3) Interview Questions	March 9th
4) Submit Progress Report	March 16th
5) Finalize Presentation	March 30th

Ljubomir

Task	Due Date
Task 1 - Submit a summary report describing the architecture	Feb 23rd, 2010
Task 2 - Submit a summary report that defines the following layers - Clients, Application, Platform, Infrastructure, Servers	Feb 26th, 2010
Task 3 - Submit the 1st draft of a detailed report on layers and architecture with an emphasis on specific devices researched by the team, and reference the interviewed company - allow team members to review and edit	Mar 16th, 2010
Task 4 - Submit final draft of the report and a plan for presentation	Mar 23rd, 2010
Task 5 - Prepare final presentation	Mar 30th, 2010

Andre

Task	Due Date
1 - Report about potential future use	Feb 23rd, 2010
2 - Report about future development and implementation	Feb 30th, 2010
3 - Based on an interview with a company, draft a new report on CC technology future planning and usage	Mar 08th, 2010
4 - Submit Plan for presentation	Mar 23rd, 2010
5 - Prepare final presentation	Mar 30th, 2010

Michael Dawson

Task	Due Date
Research Devices for Cloud Computing	23-2-2010
Complete Report on research	2-3-2010
Finalize Questions for Interview	9-3-2010
Submit Progress Report	16-3-2010
Review Final Presentation	30-3-2010

Neda Pezeshki

Task	Due Date
Research on History of cloud computing , the definition and how it woks	23-02-2010
Complete Report on research	02-03-2010
Finalize Questions for Interview	09-03-2010
Submit Progress Report	16-3-2010

Siji Daniel

Task	Due Date
Task 1: Gather details on characteristics and advantages of CC	Mar 8
Task 2: Come up with related interview questions	Mar 12
Task 3: Prepare for progress report	Mar 15
Task 4: Contribute presentation material	Mar 22