Massingham explains that AWS also has an emerging architectural pattern which it calls ‘Server-less Applications’. “The idea is that developers do not have to think about, much less manage, any server infrastructure. We have a service called AWS Lambda that allows developers to create functions, in Java or Python, for example, to upload them to AWS Lambda together with specified event triggers. When the service receives a trigger it dynamically provisions the computing resources required to execute the function. There is zero administration. Once again, it abstracts the infrastructure even further away. But the service also allows fine-grained pricing, literally in milliseconds.”
With any of these new models of computing, it tends to depend on how big you are at the time. The general trend towards cloud-based services is true for all sizes of business. But at all times the validity of that approach has varied by the type of company and the applications in use. Yet we can see that all tending towards ‘invisible computing’ over time, especially in connectivity, which I can see growing and becoming ever more complex, Paul Lee, Deloitte
Typical use cases currently, say Massingham, include mobile apps and emerging IoT systems where certain events may trigger a compute need or the functions may be scheduled. “Yet another service based on server-less architecture is DynamoDB, a high performance non-relational database run in the AWS cloud. It is also, of course, elastic in nature and the necessary resource levels can be provisioned on demand. Once again, as a developer you have nothing to deploy and nothing to manage.”
On our invisible technology theme, Massingham says “We like to think of it as taking on the undifferentiated heavy lifting associated with running applications and IT services. As an IT pro or developer, a lot of what you do is not really adding value or particularly unique. Why not give those common services to a high scale industrial platform and focus on what’s unique to your specific app? You get lots of muscle but also a very high security bar with scalability and durability and many other benefits — at very economic rates.”
Size matters
Paul Lee is partner and head of Global Research in Technology, Media and Telecommunications at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and co-author of the authoritative Deloitte 2016 forecast for this area. “With any of these new models of computing, it tends to depend on how big you are at the time. The general trend towards cloud-based services is true for all sizes of business. But at all times the validity of that approach has varied by the type of company and the applications in use. Yet we can see that all tending towards ‘invisible computing’ over time, especially in connectivity, which I can see growing — most estimates say 50% to 60% annually — and becoming ever more complex.
“A good example and one of the things we can see evolving rapidly right now is how you handle voice calls. The increase in mobile voice traffic poses some issues because it can be difficult and expensive to get good internal mobile coverage. With Voice over Wi-Fi as an operator managed service you can get better QoS and stability. Moving on to LTE [Voice over LTE or VoLTE] will give invisible roaming between networks. But for consistent quality it may require in-depth understanding of the local indoor topology.
“That is one of the ways in which connectivity is generally hard to get right. Yet it is of key importance. So that is a challenge to delivering truly invisible technology — at least universally. Wireless technology specifically is absolutely amazing in what it enables users to do, but it can be hindered by water and metal, and other materials and built environments. That is why we think the future is still going to be a combination of wired and wireless, with wireless being the choice where it delivers the capacity because it is just easier.”
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