What is the Cloud? Five easy ways it can improve your business Martin von Stein Chief Technology Officer

Transcription

1 What is the Cloud? Five easy ways it can improve your business Copyrighted to the presenting organisation Martin von Stein Chief Technology Officer

2 30 Seconds of Your Time

3 What is Cloud Computing?

4 What it s not: A New Concept Humans have been outsourcing other utility services for over a century (e.g. Power) Compute as a utility service has been around since the mid-1960 s Many Enterprises have been internally building Cloudlike infrastructure for decades Cloud is not a new idea

5 What it s not: A Fad The Cloud Computing model has evolved gradually over the last 50 years Emphasis is up the value chain to services, and away from nuts and bolts It is a new form of outsourcing, which is a mature economic model Cloud is not a passing craze

6 What it s not: A Technology Often thought to be synonymous with The Internet Many confuse it with virtualisation These technologies are merely enablers for Cloud Computing models Cloud is more than just a technology

7 What it s not: A Product Vendors plaster the word Cloud on their products, even if they have nothing to do with Cloud The word Cloud appears in many Cloud product names too Cloud is not a product

8 Why Now?

9 The Internet Previously, data comms were point-to-point (e.g. leased line, dial up) and EXPENSIVE Now, broadband is available to the masses Ubiquitous, high-speed connectivity Connects billions of subscribers to millions of websites and online services every day

10 Virtualisation Previously, everything had to be physical. If you wanted a server, you had to go buy one. Virtualisation allows one physical server to run many virtual ones Allows for high density and extreme flexibility

11 Application Programming Interfaces Allows applications to meaningfully interact with eachother and with HARDWARE Enables automation Integration of business applications becomes feasible Breaks the one size fits all paradigm

12 Business Acceptance Enabling technologies have reached maturity Technology has been embraced as a business asset Organisations of all sizes have a renewed desire to focus on their core business The next logical evolution of IT Outsourcing

13 So What IS Cloud Really?

14 A Business Model IT resource outsourcing (e.g. servers, storage, business applications) IT process optimisation (e.g. technical support, systems management, engineering) Business process simplification (e.g. sales, marketing, financial management, workflow) Ability to realise substantial improvements in efficiency

15 A Financial Model New way to buy technology Improves cashflow by converting I.T. expenditure from CapEx to OpEx Pay only for the required resources when they are needed Allow IT spend to grow and shrink with business needs

16 A Philosophy A shift in how we think about IT and our use of technology Defocuses the nuts and bolts of IT Returns the focus to core business activities Turn it on like a tap, and off like a light switch IT becomes a true utility

17 A Transformative Force Enables unparalleled business agility and flexibility Opportunity to fundamentally change how businesses interact with consumers and eachother Creates potential for new revenue streams Whole wave of new businesses built entirely upon Cloud mechanics

18 What it looks like

19 Environmental Benefits of Cloud Computing Reduce your Carbon Footprint > 90% Test case: Microsoft Exchange* On-premise vs. Cloud Comparison CO2e per user Air-Conditioning 79% Electricity Landfill 100 users On-premise * Accenture ,000 users On-premise Cloud

20 But Is Cloud Safe? Has risks like any outsourcing arrangement Most Cloud providers have superior backups, DR and security than what you can afford The fear of a highly publicised security breach keeps most providers on their toes But ultimately: Caveat emptor applies.

21 5 Ways to Improve Your Business

22 1. Oldest Cloud Computing service hosting is well understood Multitude of reliable and secure offerings One of the hardest services to get wrong Running Small Business Server is no longer an excuse!

23 2. CRM Behind , one of the most prolific Cloud services Mobility is critical (mobile sales teams) Often runs in isolation from other systems Fairly painless to migrate Still, many older businesses using on-premise CRM

24 3. Collaboration Improves staff interaction between offices Can be used to create meaningful interactions with customers Many options simple document sharing through to full-blown portals Not necessarily the right solution for ALL company data!

25 4. Accounts & Line of Business Many online accounting packages suitable for Australian business Multitude of Cloud LoB systems for various industries Several good development platforms for building ERP in the Cloud Or, just host your current software and consume it from the Cloud!

26 5. Other Business Processes Marketing Project Management Time Sheeting Quoting Online document / contract signing Telephony

27 Thank You

28 30 Seconds of Your Time