While there's no such thing as perfect security, companies have to determine for themselves whether the possible benefits of online applications outweigh the risks.
"The advantage of Web apps is they're far easier to patch," says Merrill. "When a problem is in fact found, trying to fix it is never trivial. But it's much simpler to patch a server than it is to patch some large number of clients distributed across some large number of networks."
Paller concurs. "One huge positive is that the patching is going on in real-time," he says, "whereas most of us aren't doing that." And because patching can be such an onerous chore, he believes that many organizations will contemplate ditching PCs altogether in favor of applications delivered through a thin client. Pointing to Citrix Systems' network application delivery platform, he says, "The security guys seem to be supportive of it."
Jaffe contends that the ease of patch management online isn't that significant to organizations like his that have a patch management system in place, but he nonetheless believes that online apps represent the future. "Our feeling is that things will definitely be going in that direction as an industry because it's just easier to support," he says. "And in terms of performance, a lot of the industry is making a push for going back to a terminal-type setup on the desktop."
That may have something to do with why last week Microsoft and Citrix expanded their existing partnership to announce a new joint marketing and development plan.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
