You are a network administrator responsible for all network

You are a network administrator responsible for all network platforms and services. The recent popularity of cloud computing has prompted a request from the CIO to move all data storage service to the cloud. What type of cloud based service(s) would you recommend and what are the potential challenges that should be convoyed to the CIO in response to this request? Explain each in detail and the impact it would have on the business.

Solution

A cloud service is every resource that is provided over the Internet.

The most common cloud service resources are Software as a Service, Platform as a Service and Infrastructure as a Service.There is no escaping the cloud in today’s technology landscape. And yet, the concept of the cloud which has caught on in the minds of the public at large is a much simplified version of the real thing. Ask a layman, and their answer will probably try to convey the idea of moving files and services from a physical computer into the Internet. Most business executives by now appreciate that it is more complicated than that: they know that the cloud is a powerful combination of technologies including networking, storage and applications, as well as an ecosystem of services and providers. But while these executives may have a better understanding of the cloud than the man on the street, they still often fail to grasp the extent of its potential impact on their organisation.

The overarching business model therefore changes from one based on project and maintenance contracts to a licensing model – the more of the same product a business can sell, the more money it is going to make. By making this shift, businesses run the risk that existing customers, who had previously paid for the more tailored service, may look elsewhere following the move to the cloud.With cloud computing, companies can reduce the size of their own data centers — or eliminate their data center footprint altogether. The reduction of the numbers of servers, the software cost, and the number of staff can significantly reduce IT costs without impacting an organization’s IT capabilities.The costs of cloud computing are much more flexible than traditional methods. Business only need to commission – and thus only pay for – server and infrastructure capacity as and when it is needed. More capacity can be provisioned for peak times and then de-provisioned when no longer needed. Traditional computing requires buying capacity sufficient for peak times and allowing it to sit idle the rest of the time.Ensuring IT alignment with the business has traditionally been viewed as the CIOs job. However,successful IT/business alignment entails more than executive level communication and strategy translation.CIOs who achieve alignment typically do so by establishing a set of well-planned process improvementprograms that systematically address obstacles and go beyond executive level conversation to permeatethe entire IT organization and its culture.One commonly used methodology is the \"IT/Business Alignment Cycle\", which introduces a simpleframework that the IT organization can adopt to manage a broad range of activities. The four phases of the cycle are: plan, model, manage, and measure. Following this cycle fosters organization-wide shared expectations between business and IT managers, and defines a common framework for a broad range of activities that together serve to align IT and business objectives.The cycle also identifies best practices and common processes within and between IT functional groups to make IT/business alignment sustainable and scalable. This framework functions best when integrated and automated with software applications and monitoring tools.