Essay on Harvard Business

Submitted By silllydan
Words: 1431
Pages: 6

Choosing a Cloud Provider With
Confidence

Cloud Computing Defined By The NIST
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines cloud computing as “a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction”.
Cloud Computing Features:


Infrastructure resources (hardware, storage system, software) and applications are provided in everything-asa-service (XaaS) manner.



When these services are offered by an independent provider or to external customers, Cloud Computing is based on pay-per-use business models.



Main features of Clouds are virtualization and dynamic scalability on demand.



Utility computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) are provided in an integrated manner, even though utility computing might be consumed separately.



Cloud services are consumed either via Web browser or defined Application Programming Interfaces (API’s).

Source: Mell & Grance, 2011

Painting a Picture Of The Cloud

Source: AmazingList Network, 2013

5 Essential Characteristics of Cloud
Computing
• On-Demand Self-Service


A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider.

• Broad Network Access
– Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and workstations).

• Resource Pooling
– The provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand. • Rapid Elasticity
– Capabilities can be elastically provisioned to scale rapidly outward and inward with demand.

• Measured Service
– Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service.

Source: Mell & Grance, 2011

Taking a Closer Look Into The Cloud:
The Three Cloud Service Models

Source: Lau, 2011

Cloud Provisioning & Administration

Source: AiNet, 2014

Source: The Solutions Architect, 2011

Sources: Jesús, J. D., 2012
Source: Jesús, (2012)

What Can Cloud Do For You?
Benefits Include:
– Cost
• Lowers barriers to entry by reducing upfront costs.
• Increases IT’s existing capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure and software.

– Productivity
• Multiple users can work on the same data simultaneously. – Device and Location Independence
• System can be accessed via web browser on any type of device. – Connectivity Between Various Stakeholders
• “Open” business process between customers, business partners, suppliers, and other stake holders.

– Agility
• Quick adaptation to keep up with ever changing business needs. Source: Actionable Strategies, 2011

Selecting A Cloud Service Provider
(CSP): The Basics


Evaluate the providers experience in the market, the type of partnerships they’ve established, and their reputation in the market.



Important issues to consider in analyzing CSP’s:
– Technical Interfacing



To take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing the proper technical interface must be in place.
Must use standardized Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and data transformation capabilities.

– Data and Application Architecture


New internally created services that support the business’s changing demands must operate with cloud ecosystems. – Reliability & Service: Service Level Agreements (SLA) & Monitoring
No organization should commit mission-critical systems to the cloud