American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 157

TECH TRENDS
Reiter recommends using supercomputers
with high-speed graphics processors to
deliver real-time images to the local
device, be it a tablet or computer, although
he acknowledges there can be some latency for real-time manipulation of 3-D
graphics.
He says latency can be reduced by
moving the computing resources closer
to the end point. "If your geoscientists
are in Houston, it would be best to have
your resources in Texas rather than New
York City," he explains, adding that connecting resources with fiber optic cable
improves latency.
Affordable, Unlimited Capacity
Reiter says he has seen a shift in mentality in even the most conservative companies from "if" to "when" they will
adopt cloud strategies. "The challenge
now is in the implementation rather than
the adoption," he says.
The value is clear, he holds. The cloud
offers unlimited capacity. The infrastructure scales and can expand faster than
users consume it. Users no longer are
delayed by new equipment requisition
and configuration tasks. Instead, they
have instantaneous access to new and reserve capacity, says Reiter.
The cloud model is pay-for-use. He
says the only time this is not a benefit is
if a company is using all its capacity all
the time. "If that is the case, it probably
means some users are not well served,"
he reflects.
Reiter says the cloud model also makes
system access easy and reliable. Unlike
internal computing resources that may
be taken down for maintenance and up-

Cloud portals such as this one pictured from Nimbix Inc. allow users to pick the applications they want to run. Nimbix Chief Technology Officer Leo Reiter suggests the cloud
is a great option for smaller companies because it doesn't require internal IT staffing.
At the same time, he says, larger companies like the cloud because it frees IT staff to
focus on core company competencies, rather than spend their time supporting a specialty domain.

dates, cloud resources are always available.
He says the cloud is a great option for
smaller companies because no internal
IT staffing is required. "The cloud allows
these companies to use the services without having the resources to support them,"
Reiter summarizes. "For larger companies,
it may be a relief to focus IT on core
competencies and not require a large
staff to support a specialty domain such
as HPC visualization."
Reiter suggests a few simple rules for
best results. First, for high performance
applications, he advises always putting
storage and computing in the same environment. Next, he says, ensure that all

cluster applications can run in the cloud.
Then plan to incorporate remote visualization in the overall configuration. Be
sure that hybrid options are available,
where companies can select and own
their computing equipment placed in an
outsourced center, or keep data internally
while outsourcing compute power, Reiter
encourages.
Ì

Coming In February
Gulf of Mexico special reports,
spotlighting one independent's major
new deepwater field development
projects.

KARI
JOHNSON

Kari Johnson is a writer and marketing professional with decades of experience in computing
technology and the oil and gas industry. Her company, Bold Stroke, helps companies understand
market trends and communicate value. Johnson serves as a special correspondent for "The
American Oil & Gas Reporter," covering a variety of industry technologies and applications,
including advancements in the geosciences, and computing tools and techniques. She began
her career at Shell Oil Company, where she held a variety of technology and informationrelated positions, then moved into high tech companies, where she held numerous positions in
marketing and sales support. Johnson holds a B.A. and a master's in information and library
science from the University of Michigan.
JANUARY 2015 157

American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015

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