6.9
Case I: Choosing a public cloud from user's perspectives
Synopsis
:
1.
Governance, risk management, and compliance consideration prior to
introducing public cloud.
2.
Consideration of the impact on the internal information infrastructure of the
enterprise or organization prior to introducing public cloud.
Cloud computing is currently the most noteworthy technology. According to the research
conducted by Deloitte, the global market size for cloud computing will reach $55.2 billion
dollars in 2013, resulting in the reduction of the overall IT expenditure by $30 to $39.4 billion,
and at year 2020, 14.49% of the services will be offered via cloud. Gartner’s research
indicated that the revenue growth of cloud computing will be 21%, reaching $56.3 billion.
Fortune magazine predicted that 80% of the top 1000 enterprises will adopt cloud services.
These research results obviously reflect the worldwide boom of cloud computing.
Taking a multinational retailer that adopted cloud services for example. The retailer had
sales offices around the world with their own computer rooms, resulting in difficulties in data
management and high maintenance costs. Therefore, in order to perform centralized data
management and reduce costs, the company decided to outsource SaaS services, such as
cloud POS. What are the main concerns for a company like this multinational retailer when
adopting cloud services?
Through the process of cloud vendor selection, it is clear that in addition to the subjects on
security and data protection that are critical to traditional information services, the main
concerns are the brand reputation and efficiency of the cloud services provider. The main
reason is that the company is a multinational enterprise, and its adoption of large scale cloud
services provider is to offer steady quality of service as well as the convenience of follow-up
maintenance and consulting services in all business locations.
After using cloud services, the financial statements of retailers have started to show
significant cost reductions in management and maintenance costs. Also, via a centralized
data storage over the internet, real-time and conducive marketing information can be
gleaned and analyzed
.
Besides the case presented prior, the challenges and considerations for most other
institutions in introducing cloud services are data security and protection. The following are
the key areas in considering public cloud:
