In my companion blog post on Why Apps Are Green, I talked about how apps permit the use of lighter IT infrastructure like mobile phones to accomplish things we previously used to do just on PCs. Mobile phones use much less electricity than PCs, and another benefit is that they make Internet and IT readily available in developing countries.

Another way that apps can be green is because some of them do environmental things. There's a surprising array of them actually. Planet Green's 7 Best Green Apps for Mobile Phones are a good example.

This month, we're featuring several opportunities for NetSquared Community members to share ideas and best practices for using the cloud. We're featuring three expert cloud posts from Keisha Taylor, as well as a Linkedin discussion on key issue areas, and an opportunity to share your thoughts for this month's Net2 Think Tank. 

Here's an overview and how you can get involved:

This is the second of a three part series about Cloud computing as it relates to civil society organisations (CSOs).  This was originally posted on the GuideStar International blog. You can also read the first post here TechSoup Global: Teaching CSOs About the Cloud.

There has been a lot of talk lately about the benefits of Cloud computing to the nonprofit sector, but many CSOs in the developing world are unaware of how important this technology is quickly becoming.  This is in part because developing countries face additional constraints which limit its adoption, though the benefits that can be derived from its use are somewhat unparalleled.  CSOs in developing countries may arguably not be as worried about security and privacy, (though this too is by no means of little importance!) because infrastructure problems like lack of a reliable electricity supply, limited internet access and slow broadband are issues they must still overcome if they want to adopt many ICT services and truly take advantage of services like the Cloud.

This is the first of a three part series about Cloud computing as it relates to civil society organisations (CSOs) by Keisha Taylor, Communications Manager, GuideStar International. It was first posted on the GuideStar International blog.

Civil Society Organisations are waking up to the benefits of using cloud computing services (the Cloud) for their work. Nevertheless, issues like interoperability, security, privacy and lack of a supportive technology infrastructure persist, leading many CSOs unable to decide if it is right for them. TechSoup Global is educating CSOs about the value of Cloud Computing as well as the problems they may encounter as more and more cloud computing services are introduced to the sector.

As we in the non-profit world look at extending the life of our IT assets at work to be able to leverage Cloud Computing among other interesting technologies, when it comes to our personal choice, we love to splurge on the latest Windows 7 Laptop or the latest and the greatest dumping our personal computers along the way. Over the weekend I was wondering as to how much greener we could be if we could repurpose our devices and extend the useful life of the devices,laptops among others.

The term cloud computing is being used more and more, but what is it and why should you understand it? In this free webinar we will explain what cloud computing means, define the different types, discuss how it is impacting nonprofits and libraries, and outline some criteria for use. The challenges of using the “cloud” will be discussed, as well as whether cloud computing will simplify your life and reduce software and IT staffing costs.

Recent announcements by Google make me think, that the company might go down a path that would ultimately mean more inequality, a worse position for developing countries and a widening digital divide.

I’m referring specifically to Chrome OS, Google’s new operating system, and the announcement that Google would dump Google Gears, a service that makes it possible to use services like GoogleDocs offline. In both cases, Google emphasized the importance of cloud computing as opposed to working offline. The idea is that all data, i.e. your spread sheets, your documents, your photos, get stored on remote servers (a.k.a. "the cloud") and none of it on your machine.

Read more on: http://sm4good.com/2009/12/21/google-cloud-search-giant-widening-digital...

This is Richard Landry, reporting live from the NetSquared Conference. I am covering the session entitled “Cloud Dreams” led by Mike Culver, Web Services Evangelist for Amazon Web Services.

Live blogging is a practice of careful listening, and I have a long way to go in that area! So if you see something that I misunderstood or misreported, please post a comment/correction.
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Mike’s presentation was largely an overview/sales pitch for Amazon Web Services (there’s a complete description on the company’s site), but the context was interesting: