Java Patch from Oracle: Close, but No Cigar

When Java technology came on the scene, it revolutionized the online experience. Web surfers came to expect more and more interactive websites and features from the companies they frequented online. It changed the ways companies do business, as well as their marketing strategies.

Yes, Java was quite the phenomenon, but it’s always had one major downfall. Designing security for the technology that actually works has been nothing short of a nightmare. It would seem, in fact, that a reliable security patch is a Java programmer’s elusive unicorn.

Security Woes

OS and browser developers are constantly trying out new technology to make your PC and devices as secure as possible. The latest inventions are more secure than ever before. However, much to the bane of Microsoft and other developers, even their ironclad security measures are meaningless if the PC user makes one ill-fated visit to a site with a Java plug-in.

Lack of security can be problematic for anyone, but particularly for businesses. The last thing a company needs is for a hacker to gain access to their bid management software or accounting programs. As rigid as modern firewalls and security features are, all a company user has to do is run Java and it’s all for naught.

Attempting to Address the Problem

In fairness, it’s not entirely Java’s fault that security has become such a large issue. It’s almost as if the cure has helped to exacerbate the problem. With more sophisticated operating systems and browsers, hackers have been forced to look for the weakest points of a computer in order to gain access. Poor hackers, right?

In any event, Java certainly didn’t ask for all of this new attention. Even so, the fact remains that it’s a major problem. A recent patch released by Oracle helped to stave off a new Amazon email hack campaign, but it hasn’t been completely effective.  Sometimes this can be as difficult as finding the exact 1988 Mustang parts you need for your car.

Oracle typically releases updates on a four-month schedule to try to stay on top of security threats. Perhaps they should consider making that a monthly schedule instead. It seems they’re always right on the pinnacle of developing a secure plug-in, but then the lull updates allows hackers time to discover the vulnerabilities.

Does it Really Matter?

The word on the street is that Java may eventually become obsolete anyway. If this is true, then you can’t blame a company for not wanting to invest money in a product they may eventually lose. On the other hand, if Java could just get a hold of their security problems, perhaps the call to find an acceptable alternative for online interaction wouldn’t have come about in the first place.

What is certain is that Internet users should be extremely cautious when using anything related to Java. Outdated versions are the most vulnerable, but installing updates can also be detrimental if a hacker has access to it. Your best bet is to either uninstall Java altogether or make extensive backups of your data before performing any updates. 

My friend Michelle  is a Content Specialist and Blogger with a passion for the Internet, specifically social media and blogging. She loves how social media connects people across the globe, and appreciates that blogging gives her the opportunity to voice her thoughts and share advice with an unlimited audience.

Cisco Stares into the Developing Cloud

Networking company Cisco Systems released its second annual Cisco Global Cloud Index in October of 2012. The Index examines the current state of cloud computing and extrapolatesfuture developments.

If Cisco's predictions are correct, we're teetering on the brink of a major networking shift from fixed IT networks to cloud data centers. Cisco suggests 2014 will see the turning point, at which time over 50 percent of all workloads will shift to the cloud. The Index defines a workload as the processing power required by a server to run an app and support users interacting with the app.

Global Cloud Cover

The growing importance of cloud data centers is readily apparent; whether you’re an individual or a company for SEO at least some of your data and apps now live in the cloud. Cisco's Index, however, indicates just how thick the cloud cover will be in 2016.

According to the Index, the Asian-Pacific region will generate more cloud traffic in 2016 than either North America or Western Europe, despite Western Europe's edge in network strength and broadband accessibility. By 2016, Asia-Pacific is expected to generate 36 percent of the global cloud workload.

Regions such as Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan are already positioned to profit from increased cloud workload, with China, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnamincreasingly likely to add to the cloud.

While the Asian-Pacific will dominate the cloud, it won’t be the fastest developing adopter of cloud technology. That title goes to the Middle East and Africa, which Cisco expects to show rapid cloud growth through 2016.

Cloud Thickness

Presuming Cisco's predictions pan out, by 2016 the cloud will process an overwhelming amount of data, estimated at 6.6 zettabytes a year. A zettabyte equals one sextrillion bytes, or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes. Approximately 76 percent of this data will be internal data center traffic, according to Cisco estimates.

Mobile Lags Behind

While fixed networks across the globe are ready to handle intermediate and basic cloud apps, no region has yet to emerge capable of handling advanced apps. Cisco defines basic apps as small games and text-based apps.

Intermediate apps include programs such as iTunes, Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Relationship Planning apps. Advanced apps include high-definition video streaming and video conferencing.

Some are already prepared for advanced cloud apps, including Hong Kong, Japan, Romania, South Korea and Sweden. They are the onlyones currently capable of handling advanced cloud apps over a fixed network.

As for mobile cloud apps, no country is ready for advanced cloud app use. Western Europe comes closest, being capable of handling intermediate cloud apps over mobile access.

Cisco's Index confirms what many analysts already know: cloud data centers represent an important, and potentially lucrative, field of development. Eventually, we're all going to live under the cloud.

My dear friend Michelle is an aspiring writer and blogger with a passion for the Internet, specifically social media and blogging. She loves how social media connects people across the globe, and appreciates that blogging gives her the opportunity to voice her thoughts and share advice with an unlimited audience.