Crisis Response Using Cloud Computing

May 31, 2017 / G C Network / Comments Off

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Amazon’s Jeff Bezos on Cloud Computing

By G C Network | June 18, 2008

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos on Cloud Computing How and when Amazon began its cloud computing effort.Why Amazon has become an innovator with Amazon Web Services and how it relates to their…

Dataline, IBM, Google, Northrop Grumman on Cloud Computing

By G C Network | June 17, 2008

My company, Dataline LLC, in cooperation with IBM, Google and Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, is sponsoring an educational series entitled “Cloud Computing in a Netcentric Environment“. The series will be…

EMC Studies Cloud Computing Security

By G C Network | June 17, 2008

Storage firm EMC has joined the Daoli Trusted Infrastructure Project which conducts research into “trust and assurance” in cloud computing environments. The team’s research will focus on cloud computing, trusted…

The Cloud Computing Marketplace

By G C Network | June 17, 2008

For explaination and details see Understanding the Cloud Computing/SaaS/PaaS markets: a Map of the Players in the Industry by Peter Laird, Kent Dickson, and Steve Bobrowski from Oracle. Update: Please…

Key cloud computing concerns by CXO’s

By G C Network | June 16, 2008

Key cloud computing concerns by CXO’s attending the Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston were addresed in a June 9th panel of executives from Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Salesforce.com.…

IBM Cloud Computing Center

By G C Network | June 13, 2008

On June 5th, IBM announced it will establish the first Cloud Computing Center for software companies in China, which will be situated at the new Wuxi Tai Hu New Town…

EUCALYPTUS – An Open Source Cloud Computing Platform

By G C Network | June 13, 2008

Elastic Utility Computing Architecture for Linking Your Programs To Useful Systems (EUCALYPTUS) is a new project that seems to be trying to put an “open source” flavor to cloud computing.…

The Honorable John G. Grimes Speaks about Cloud Computing

By G C Network | June 12, 2008

Today I had the pleasure of hearing The Honorable John G. Grimes, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Intergration and Department of Defense CIO, speak on some key…

Amazon leads Google into the cloud (So what else is new)

By G C Network | June 12, 2008

In this May 1, 2008 Globe and Mail Update article, Mathew Ingram provides an excellent comparison of Amazon and Google’s cloud computing initiatives. Bottom line: Amazon leads the pack with…

Web 2.0 Expo – What is Cloud Computing?

By G C Network | June 11, 2008

For some interesting views, take a look at these video interviews on what is cloud computing. These were done during the recent Web 2.0 Expo, April 22-25 in San Francisco,…

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Cloud computing is more than servers and storage. In a crisis situation it can actually be a lifesaver. BlackBerry, in fact, has just become the first cloud-based crisis communication service to receive a Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorization from the United States Government for its AtHoc Alert and AtHoc Connect services. If you’re not familiar with FedRAMP, it is a US government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. The Blackberry certification was sponsored by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

While you may not need a US Government certified solution in an emergency, your organization may really want to consider the benefits of cloud computing for crisis response. From a communications point of view, companies can use cloud based services to quickly and reliably send secure messages to all members of staff, individual employees or specific target groups of people. Smartphone location-mapping functions can also be easily installed and used. One advantage of using application-based software installed on an employee’s smartphone is that it can be switched off when an employee is in a safe-zone, providing a balance between staff privacy and protection. Location data can be invaluable and result in better coordination, a more effective response and faster deployment of resources to those employees deemed to be at risk.

Using the cloud for secure two-way messaging enables simultaneous access to multiple contact paths which include SMS messaging, emails, VOIP calls, voice-to-text alerts and app notifications. Cloud-based platforms have an advantage over other forms of crisis communication tools because emergency notifications are not only sent out across all available channels and contact paths, but continue to be sent out until an acknowledgement is received from the recipient. Being able to send out notifications and receive responses, all within a few minutes, means businesses can rapidly gain visibility of an incident and react more efficiently to an unfolding situation. Wi-Fi Enabled devices can also be used to keep the communications lines open when more traditional routes are unusable.

While you’re thinking about your corporation’s crisis response plans, don’t forget about the data. Accessing data through cloud-based services can prevent a rescue effort from turning into a recovery operation. Sources for this life-saving resource include:

Data exhaust – information that is passively collected along with the use of digital technology
Online activity – encompasses all types of social activity on the Internet such as email, social media and internet search activity
Sensing technologies – used mostly to gather information about social behavior and environmental conditions
“Small Data” – data that is ‘small’ enough for human comprehension and is presented in a volume and format that makes it accessible, informative and actionable
Public-related data – census data, birth and death certificates, and other types of personal and socio-economic data
Crowd-sourced data – applications that actively involve a wide user base in order to solicit their knowledge about particular topics or events

Can the cloud be of assistance when you’re in a crisis? Cloud-enabled crisis/incident management service from IBM may be just what you need to protect your business. IBM Resiliency Communications as a Service is a high availability, cloud-enabled crisis/incident management service that protects your business by engaging the right people at the right time when an event occurs, through automated mission-critical communications. The service also integrates weather alerts powered by The Weather Company into incident management processes to provide the most accurate early warning of developing weather events and enable proactive response

Crisis Response Data and Technologies