[vcf-midatlantic] Snipe-It

[Dave Wade]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces at lists.vcfed.org> On Behalf
> Of W2HX via vcf-midatlantic
> Sent: 30 November 2018 04:40
> To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org>
> Cc: W2HX <w2hx at w2hx.com>
> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Snipe-It
> 
> I dunno, Dave. Some pretty damn big companies like Netflix, AirBNB,
> Atlassian,  et. al., all seem to think its the right thing to use someone
else's
> toothbrush. Fact is, thousands of companies use AWS. Almost 100% of start
> ups, my own included, with tens of millions of investment  use cloud
systems
> (aws and azure - another toothbrush, not our own)  all seem to think it is
a
> better idea to use someone else's toothbrush rather than using their own.

I think for companies such as those you mentioned, who are basically selling
things via web servers, it makes sense to host your web presence off-site.
However, for folks where the main access is by local staff, then having
locally based servers makes sense.  When I am at home using my own nice
electric toothbrush makes sense.
If I can be sure there will be one provided in the hotels I am visiting on
my travels then not taking one makes sense.

> 
> As a CTO myself with 39 years in IT, if I were to go on a job interview
and
> insist that purchasing, depreciating, maintaining and staffing my own data
> center (24x7) was a better idea than using a cloud infrastructure (because
> that would be stupid), I don't think that would be a winning interview 9
times
> out of 10.

It's a bit easier today. I know its not AWS but again many businesses use
Microsoft OneDrive and "yesterday" for some approximation of yesterday, it
was down for most of Europe.
AWS has taken hits in the past as has google. Cloud infrastructure does
fail. When its does, it does so "big time". Connections fail and if
everything you have is in the cloud you can't get to it.
Putting your servers in the cloud doesn't mean you don't need an IT
Infrastructure. It means that instead of it being sat in the next office on
a nice 1gb connection its some where a long way away
And the connection won't be at gigabit ethernet speeds and won't have the
low latency you can achieve over such links.

For many it can also be expensive. When I was providing infrastructure, I
found cloud providers surprisingly expensive. I guess that they budget for a
pretty short server lifecycle.
When I was providing servers for local use, "the management" wanted to get
rid of me and use cloud services. The trouble is that at $5 a person a month
(yes that's plucked out of the air but I think its valid)
Even when you have only 1,000 users starts to get horribly expensive, and it
becomes a revenue cost, not a capital cost which under UK (where I live) tax
rules may not be great.

I find it interesting that the big retail businesses in the UK that sold and
leased back their premises 10 or 15 years ago are now complaining about the
cost of the rent.....

https://citywire.co.uk/funds-insider/news/mands-raises-348-million-in-proper
ty-deal/a230517

and now

https://www.ft.com/content/bdf03d40-5c24-11e8-9334-2218e7146b04


> 
> I dunno. Hard to swim against the tide on this one but YMMV.
>

Its not about swimming against the tide, its about staying out of the
water..

Dave Wade

> ________________________________________
> From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces at lists.vcfed.org> on behalf
of
> Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org>
> Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2018 9:56 PM
> To: vcf-midatlantic
> Cc: Dave McGuire
> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Snipe-It
> 
> On 11/29/18 9:42 PM, Andrew Diller wrote:
> >>>> Like a "cloud" server, for example.
> >>>
> >>> I know it's your favorite pasttime to make fun of that idea,
> >>
> >>  Yes, because it's stupid.  (sorry, no offense intended!)
> >
> > https://www.ceos3c.com/cloud/how-to-install-snipeit-on-ubuntu-16-04-
> on
> > -aws-free-tier/
> >
> > AWS is not going anywhere- case in point, a huge portion of the
companies
> I work for services are now run on AWS.
> 
>   Same here.  Don't make the mistake of assuming my opinion is based on a
> lack of experience with AWS.
> 
> > I believe AWS is a perfectly acceptable choice for hosting something
> > like this, esp in their free tier :)
> 
>   What "these kids today" don't seem to get is that it's "someone else's
> computer".  In my world, that's about as reasonable as using someone
else's
> toothbrush.  I've had to mop up the remains of too many companies who
> depended on outside services like that.  Amazon or not, I won't trust
them.
> End of story.
> 
>   Ror this organization, it's not my decision to make; I can only offer
advice
> based on my professional experience.  I lead horses to water...If they
don't
> drink, I'm here to help if it blows up.
> 
>              -Dave
> 
> --
> Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
> New Kensington, PA