IT Research Report
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IT Research Report
The business environment is rapidly conforming to a period of technology. This is in accordance to the advantages that the incorporation of Information Communication Technology (ICT) imposes on the financial gains of respective organizations. Regardless of these advantages, it is apparent that the utilization of this technology has become ubiquitous. It has extended to the point that the implementation of ICT does not constitute a competitive advantage for the particular organization. The reason behind this actuality is the adaptation of hardware and software computing devices in the workplace environment. Based on this, the use of computing paraphernalia by most organizations does not create value for firms. Therefore, lack of a viable value proposition leads to significant costs, which may involve low storage of pertinent information or a considerable number of threats. Nonetheless, for this respective firm, one of the ways of ensuring a competitive advantage over key players involves the utilization of cloud computing.
Overall Description
In general, cloud computing is the following phase in the evolution of the Internet. This is because it possesses the ability to offer a set of software packages as a service. In principle, the term ‘cloud’ is a symbolic connotation for Internet (Comer, 2008). Therefore, based on this realization, cloud computing constitutes a variant of computing based purely on the Internet where disparate services undergo delivery to a firm’s computing devices via the Internet. For instance, the organization may be able to receive services such as applications, computing infrastructure, enterprise procedures and personal collaboration from the use of cloud computing. Accordingly, this technology comprises a form of computing depends significantly on the sharing of computing assets. This means that it eliminates the need to possess individual devices or local servers at the firm in order to manage applications. Because of this, it is apparent that cloud computing presents an effective way of minimizing costs that may be incurred when accessing certain services solely.
Past
The past of cloud computing is evident in the era of the 1950s. During this period, extensive mainframe computers were accessible in organizations and academia. The users of these systems only utilized them for communication only. This is because these systems did not possess internal processing abilities based on their utilization of static terminals. Therefore, in order to augment these systems and reduce the cost gained in utilizing mainframes, a certain procedure originated. This practice enabled several users to partake the computer’s physical access from various terminals as well as the Computer Processing Unit (CPU) time. This eradicated interludes of inactivity within the mainframe and permitted for enhanced investment payoffs (Velte, Velte & Elsenpeter, 2010). The procedure of utilizing CPU time mutually on the respective system constituted time-sharing. In addition to this, more ideas that developed this concept arose. One of these ideas involved the utilization of computations as a social utility in the 1960s.
Present
The present use of cloud computing is evident based on its use in notable online enterprises. In the 1990s, telecommunication organizations started providing Virtual Private Network (VPN) services with equivalent and less-costly service quality (Wang, 2012). By changing traffic in order to balance the use of servers, they were able to utilize the general network bandwidth effectually. In addition to this, they began to utilize the cloud mark in order to illustrate the demarcation position between the data responsible for the provider and the user as well. Based on this, cloud computing receives an extensive base of support in this modern age. Accordingly, enterprises such as Amazon, play an instrumental responsibility in the progression of cloud computing. They are able to do this by updating their respective data hubs, which used 10 percent of their quantity. In addition to this, other firms have been able to create dissimilar derivatives of cloud computing. For instance, Eucalyptus and OpenNebula created private as well as hybrid clouds (Wang, 2012).
Future
The future of cloud computing largely focuses on approaches that will increase its flexibility. This is a tremendously crucial factor for the organization to consider if it desires to adapt the technology. Generally, numerous cloud platforms are proprietary. This means they undergo construction based on particular standards, techniques and procedures. In addition, the facets for developing this software usually undergo creation from a specific vendor (Rodrigo, Kirstie & Konstantin, 2009). Because of this, deviating towards a specific cloud service is complex and costly for the organization. In addition to this, vendors continue to develop barricades within cloud computing. These obstacles comprise lock-ins that complicate the migration towards a new cloud platform or that set hurdles to the process of changing from one cloud to another (Winkler, 2011). Therefore, it is imperative for the firm to consider primarily the costs that will arise from the implementation of the technology as well as the most suitable and capable vendor for developing the cloud based on the organization’s unique needs.
Comparison
In order to assert the effectiveness of cloud computing in the organization’s infrastructure, it is crucial to provide a comparison of cloud computing and grid computing. For instance, grid computing needs the utilization of software that has the ability of allotting and arranging the elements of a respective program (Wang, 2012). However, the problem with this form of computing arises when an element of the program fails. This offers a high susceptibility of failure for other parts of the software as well. However, this is different for cloud computing since it does not depend on other elements of the program. Accordingly, if an element possesses a problem, it is rare for other elements apportioned from the cloud program in order to fail since such facets do not depend on other elements in order to achieve a single or more cloud computing tasks.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Regardless of the comparison, cloud computing possess certain strengths and advantages to the organization. In terms of strengths, cloud computing possesses the ability to use networks for extensive server groups via less-costly consumer computing technology (Wang, 2012). Subsequently, cloud computing also enables data hubs to function in considerable correspondence with the Internet. This is because the technology is capable of permitting access to computing resources in a safe and scalable way. However, cloud computing also possesses certain disadvantages with the most risky being management challenges. For instance, capacity management presents a problem within the organization. This is because end users possess the capability of installing applications via self-service porticos (Comer, 2008). Because of this, the organization may experience a considerable dilapidation in resources due to the unplanned materialization of any-size applications within the workplace environment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cloud computing provides the organization with the capability of performing applications or programs on multiple linked computers simultaneously. Based on this, it is able to reduce most of the costs that firms incur based on the implementation of computing technology. Specifically, such costs usually comprise expenses on space, power, time and financial resources. Nonetheless, it is imperative to consider that cloud computing may also present a challenge for the organization. This is because implementing it will resort to changing the respective organizational culture, and in the process, disrupting the status quo, which may have a negative impact on employee performance. Therefore, it will be indispensable for the firm to devise an accurate and resourceful implementation plan that will educate employees, train, develop them, and ensure successful application of cloud computing within the internal environment.
References
Comer, D. (2008). Computer networks and Internets: With Internet applications. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Education.
Rodrigo, W., Kirstie, H., & Konstantin, B. (2009). An integrated view of human, organizational, and technological challenges of IT security management. Information Management & Computer Security, 17(1), 4-19.
Velte, A. T., Velte, T. J., & Elsenpeter, R. C. (2010). Cloud computing: A practical approach. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Wang, L. (2012). Cloud computing: Methodology, systems, and applications. Boca Raton, FL CRC Press.
Winkler, J. R. (2011). Securing the cloud: Cloud computer security techniques and tactics. Burlington, MA: Elsevier.