Describing Cloud computing as the emerging paradigm in Information
Technology, Dr. Rafiul Ahad, AIT alumnus (M.Sc. 1980) and Vice
President, Collaboration Product Development, Oracle Corporation,
stated that cloud computing results in lower costs, especially for
small and medium businesses.
Detailing cloud computing from four different perspectives — namely
application developer, quality assurance, enterprise and the IT
perspective, Dr. Ahad said on-demand self-service, broad network
access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity and measured service are the
five essentials of cloud computing. In an hour-long special lecture on
14 February 2011 on “Cloud Computing: What, Why and How” delivered to a
capacity crowd at AIT’s Milton E. Bender Jr. Auditorium, Dr. Ahad
described security, service level agreements and payment issues as its
major challenges.
Citing the Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG) study on cloud
computing, Dr. Ahad revealed that over a quarter of respondents are
using either internal or private clouds. “Application server platform
as a service and database platform as a service are the two most
popular cloud services today,” he added. Elaborating on technologies
behind cloud computing, particularly rapid elasticity, Dr. Ahad
referred to research initiated by AIT’s doctoral student Iqbal Waheed
and Dr. Mathew Dailey of School of Engineering and Technology (SET).
The Silicon valley-based executive outlined the evolution of private
and public clouds and hybrid models.
Earlier Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, Vice President Resource
Development, welcomed Dr. Ahad. Dr. Ahad and his wife Ms. Frances
Kasala, who is also an alumna of AIT, were also felicitated by Prof.
Worsak. Dr. Ahad graduated from AIT in 1980 with an M.Sc. in Computer
Science and Information Management.
