Business in the Cloud What Every Business Needs to Know About Cloud Computing

by Hugos, Michael H.; Hulitzky, Derek

• ISBN13: 9780470616239
• ISBN10: 0470616237
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-11-02
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

This book covers Cloud computing from the perspectives of its impact on business operations and costs, on corporate organization structures, and on the evolution of IT infrastructure in the global real-time economy. It also covers data security and legal issues involved in moving to Cloud computing. Tentative chapter contents: 1. Moving Toward a Variable Cost Operating Model. 2. Dynamics of a Cloud Infrastructure. 3. Emerging Cloud Solutions. 4. Questions of Data Security and Service Reliability. 5. Contracts and Legal Liability. 6. Organization Structure and Operating Processes. 7. New Role of IT. 8. Strategies and Tactics. 9. Cloud's Impact on Corporate Business Structures. 10. Global Implications of the Cloud.

Author Biography

Michael Hugos, Principal at the Center for Systems Innovation [c4si], writes, speaks and consults on strategies for IT and business agility and mentors development teams. He spent six years as CIO of a multibillion?dollar distribution cooperative developing a suite of supply chain and business systems, transforming the company's operations and revenue model. He won the CIO 100 Award and Premier 100 Award for his work, and is also author of Essentials of Supply Chain Management and Business Agility.DEREK HULITZKY, Vice President of Content Development at a global technology media company, is a keen industry watcher with an intense focus on how CIOs and companies manage their technology teams and responsibilities. A seasoned technology marketer, he is an accomplished event and panel moderator with?a rich background in technology content creation, audience development, and management.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
The Evolution and Future of Corporate Business Structures	p. 1
Example of a New Corporate Organization Structure	p. 3
Model of a Responsive Organization	p. 5
A Cybernetic Economy	p. 7
Cybernetics Is about Control and Communication	p. 9
Profit Potential of Self-Adjusting Feedback Loops	p. 11
Viable Systems Model: A Framework for Business Agility	p. 14
A Cloud-Based Model for Business Organizations	p. 19
Notes	p. 22
The New Economics of Business	p. 23
Moving to a Variable Cost Operating Model	p. 24
Information Technology Finally Becomes a Utility	p. 27
Variable Cost IT Operations Enable Business Agility	p. 30
A Combination of Technologies Creates Cloud Computing	p. 34
Implications of the Transition to Cloud Computing	p. 38
Notes	p. 41
Key Technologies Used in Cloud Computing	p. 43
Cloud Computing Defined	p. 44
Software-as-a-Service	p. 47
Server Virtualization	p. 49
Service-Oriented Architecture	p. 52
Open Source Software	p. 54
Web Development and Mashups	p. 58
Blending It All Together	p. 60
Notes	p. 61
Data Security and Service Reliability	p. 63
Will Your Cloud Service Provider Be Here Next Year?	p. 63
What to Look for in a Good Service Provider	p. 65
Elements of Good Data Security Policy	p. 66
Cyber Threats and Perimeter Security in Cloud Computing	p. 69
Encryption: The Next Frontier of Data Security	p. 72
Contracts, Service-Level Agreements, and Guarantees	p. 73
Negotiating Service and Pricing	p. 77
Performance Penalties and Restitution Clauses	p. 79
Notes	p. 80
Moving to the Cloud: When and Where	p. 83
A Business Strategy Based on Agility	p. 84
Using the Cloud for Business Advantage	p. 87
Business Applications with the Greatest Potential	p. 89
Risk Considerations with the Cloud	p. 91
Cloud Cost Considerations	p. 94
Case Study: Selling ôDesigner Chocolatesö	p. 96
Notes	p. 99
The Transition from Managing Technology to Managing Business Processes	p. 101
The Fixed Cost of Maintaining Large Data Centers Is Being Challenged	p. 102
Public, Private, and Hybrid Clouds	p. 103
Issues to Consider with Private Clouds	p. 107
The Cloud Is a Platform for Managing Business Processes	p. 109
Automate Routine Processes and Focus People on Handling Exceptions	p. 113
Four Technologies that Enable Responsive Business Processes	p. 115
Notes	p. 117
The New Role of Information Technology	p. 119
Is Traditional IT Irrelevant?	p. 119
A Tumultuous Ride for the Chief Information Officer	p. 121
The End of IT as We Know It	p. 122
Changes in IT and Business Unit Staffing	p. 123
Evolution of the Traditional Corporate IT Department	p. 124
Agile IT Professionals Using Cloud Technology will be Embedded in Business Operating Units	p. 125
Cloud Computing Separates Data Center Operations from System Development	p. 127
Do We Need Enterprise Technology Architects, or Business Architects?	p. 128
Companies Are Investing In New Business Process Design	p. 129
A Renewed Focus on Using Technology for Profit and Competitive Advantage	p. 132
Notes	p. 135
Five Profit Enablers Driving Business to the Cloud	p. 137
Harvard Medical School	p. 137
Golden Gate University	p. 140
Silicon Valley Education Foundation	p. 143
Beachbody.com	p. 147
Five Profit Enablers Driving Business to the Cloud ... and Away from Corporate Data Centers	p. 148
Notes	p. 162
The Business Impact of Cloud Computing	p. 153
New Economic Engines for Growth	p. 153
Time to Get Agile and Reinvent Traditional Business Operations	p. 155
Get Ready, Get Set, Go: Success in a Real-Time Economy	p. 157
Interconnected, Adaptable, and Specialized	p. 159
Collaboration Is Now More Profitable than Control	p. 163
Necessity Makes Radical the New Normal	p. 165
The Recovering Complexaholic	p. 169
Notes	p. 170
Global Implications of the Cloud	p. 171
Real-Time Global Collaboration	p. 171
Serious Games	p. 173
Cloud-Based Collaboration Enables a New Way of Working: The Dynamics of Swarming	p. 176
Real-Time Visibility Could Make Us a Whole Lot Smarter	p. 180
New Realities and New Opportunities	p. 183
Notes	p. 188
About the Authors	p. 191
Index	p. 193
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