10 Critical Requirements for Environmental Cloud Applications: No. 1: True Multi-tenancy

There is considerable debate in the marketplace about whether organizations should know or even care about multi-tenancy. The truth is that multi-tenancy is the only proven SaaS delivery architecture that eliminates many of the problems created by the traditional software licensing and upgrade model, so it is extremely valuable to know whether a provider uses a multi-tenant architecture. A provider should be able to answer this question with a simple “yes” or “no,” and prove its answer.

Multi-tenancy ensures that every customer is on the same version of the software. As a result, no customer is left behind when the software is updated to include new features and innovations. A single software version also creates an unprecedented sense of community where customers and partners share knowledge, resources, and learning. Smart managers work with their peers and learn from them and what they are doing. Multi-tenancy offers distinct cost benefits over traditional, single-tenant software hosting. A multi-tenant SaaS provider’s resources are focused on maintaining a single, current version of the application, rather than spread out in an attempt to support multiple software versions for customers. If a provider isn’t using multi-tenancy, it may be hosting thousands of single-tenant customer implementations. Trying to maintain that is too costly for the vendor, and those costs, sooner or later, become the customers’ costs.

Multi-tenancy requires a new architectural approach. You have to develop applications from the ground up for multi-tenancy; otherwise, extensive work is required of the vendor to alter the on-premises application and underlying database for multi-tenancy, resulting in an even more complex, and potentially high-maintenance, application.

How to Recognize Cloud Providers and Applications that Deliver Real Value for Environmental and Compliance Information Management

Environmental, sustainability, compliance, CIOs, CTOs, and other business technology managers can free up valuable resources for strategic activities by deploying cloud applications that are less costly and complex, yet more intelligent and user-friendly, than on-premises applications. Tech managers can miss this opportunity, however, if CIOs are unable to differentiate real cloud providers and applications from imposters. In the enterprise software industry’s rush to fulfill rising demand, some providers may skip requirements that are critical to delivering the true benefits of cloud applications.

Industry pioneers for cloud applications (also known as software-as-a-service (SaaS)) know shortcuts do not exist. Applications, architectures, and processes must be built from the ground up to produce superior, leading-edge alternatives to the traditional on-premises software and maintenance model.

In next several months I will post 10 critical requirements for Cloud Applications that are relevant for our big data-driven industry focusing on importance of multi-tenancy. I hope that these 10 critical requirements of cloud computing will help organizations planning to replace legacy systems distinguish the difference between real and fake cloud applications. If cloud applications and their providers do not meet these requirements, it is unlikely they can deliver the full benefits of today’s SaaS.

Preliminary Fracking Study Boasts Promising Results

A recent federal study on hydraulic fracking has brought a small victory to the natural gas industry. The study, conducted by the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, shows no evidence of chemicals from the natural gas drilling process contaminating drinking water aquifers at a western Pennsylvania drilling site.

After one year of monitoring, researchers found that potentially harmful drilling fluid chemicals have stayed approximately one mile beneath any drinking water supplies. This conclusion was reached by tagging drilling fluids with specific markers, and injecting them 8,000 feet into the ground. After closely tracking these fluids, it was ultimately concluded that they did not reach any higher than 3,000 feet below the surface.

This study is a first of its kind; never before has a drilling company permitted government scientists to monitor fracking fluids like this. However, the study is still ongoing and the results remain preliminary at this time. While the findings may be a boost of confidence for the natural gas industry, they do not mean that fracking can’t be a form of pollution.

Despite the promising results, reservations still linger. The fact remains that many aspects of the drilling process can cause pollution when not managed properly. Also, a lack of transparency by drilling companies in revealing certain chemical formulas often leaves the public feeling uneasy.

The preliminary results of this study will not erase the controversy surrounding fracking overnight, but they do pose a few important takeaways. For example, one such key point is that the best way to avoid possible danger and contamination from fracking is to engage in it responsibly, and continuously monitor water quality around drilling sites. This way if leaks do occur, they will be discovered early and contained. Early detection of water contamination is just as crucial as it is with many debilitating diseases. With early detection a cure could be quick and simple, whereas if it goes undetected, the chances of a positive outcome diminish with time. A similar analogy holds true for subsurface water contamination as well.

When it comes to fracking, monitoring for leaks is key and a small price to pay in order to guarantee the protection of our water resources. Designing a comprehensive monitoring program to ensure the proper management of applicable fluids and chemicals is critical for natural gas drilling. With the swift advancements in technology today, companies engaging in fracking are able to take advantage of state-of-the-art software systems, such as Locus’, to assist with the tracking and organization of this pertinent information. The more that this takes place, the more secure we will all be from the potential negative effects of fracking.