Hospitality, the Cloud and what it means
Cloud, the cloud, cloud computing, what are these terms and what do they mean to me. The cloud, as it is referred to is a name for servers that work together, similar to a server farm or cluster, and are used to provide systems and acces to applications and data for users not neccesarily located at a single site, or in a single city and often sues web-based interaction with the various clients. Infosys has spent a lot of time looking into, and working with cloud computing and several of our clients are looking at developing their legacy and stand-alone platforms to work in cloud environmrnts. What this means to most of us is that we no longer need to house, maintain, expense the servers that run our applications and systems because these servers and systems are now located at any number of sites around the world and I just access them to operate. The cloud can also offer the use web browsers rather and installing clients to access many cloud based applications.
I don't want to oversimpify the cloud and so I am included several portions of an Infosys Point of View paper on cloud computing.called appropriately, Jump Start Cloud Adoption.
'Cloud computing, an old idea in new clothes, is currently a favored approach to cut costs in IT and streamline and transform operations. The current economic climate has provided additional impetus to finding strategies that rapidly achieve tangible bottom line benefits using these technologies. The industry defines the term cloud computing to generally imply the ability to achieve rapid resource demand elasticity (scalability) coupled to a utility or pay-as-you-use pricing model (rather than purchase the software and pay annual maintenance). However, the broader context includes not merely ... vendor agnostic definition but also ... a range of strategic options ... at which the underlying technologies are enabled and consumed. In addition, ...(e.g. virtualization) can ... be applied (to) add a further layer of complexity to adoption strategies. To further confuse things each provider, vendor, and enabler have numerous white papers and strategies that espouse the "right" way to adopt and benefit from this phenomenon. These frequently are thinly veiled attempts to spin the debate towards directions that benefit their business model rather than practical implementable strategies for end consumers. The final nail is attributable to the rapid changes that are occurring in the industry as new players, standards, and technologies emerge, mature, evolve, or are discarded.
Given this landscape and environment there are great risks to adopting incorrect, overly complex, or unrealistic strategies even if such strategies are conceived, planned, and executed with great skill and expertise. This (blog will) discusses some simple strategies that save costs immediately and also increase the chances of successfully adopting these technologies over the long haul. It strives to present options that are robust in the face of the tremendous rate of change this industry is experiencing at the moment and which are thus likely to provide lasting benefits in addition to the immediate cost savings. These strategies are not predicated on the success or failure of any industry player nor do they presuppose future industry evolution pathways."
"A major barrier to widespread adoption of cloud technologies is the real or perceived loss of control over resources and data when using cloud providers. Not just organization silos, but large enterprise wide information technology departments are loath to relinquish control over key resources. In some instances, the concerns and rationale cited (ranging from security, SLAs, to accountability) are legitimate, while in other instances they are merely a defensive response to disruptive change."
Wow, what a huge amount of information and this references only a portion of the full document. In summary, adopting cloud can reduce your need for hardware, increase your flexibility and scalability, and change the way you buy and consume software and systems. The downside is adopting cloud technology and systems can be intimidating and if implemented incorrectly can impede operations and business.
I will discuss more on the cloud in following blogs over the next several months as we work towards understanding the incredible benefits cloud computing offers businesses today and tomorrow.
