Awakening real business agility with cloud systems.
YESTERDAY (traditional)
1. Begin a search for a business system, get the support of the I.T team, carefully draw up an exacting and complete list of all needs. Test and evaluate, compromise, decide on what comes the closest. Purchase the software and commit to a maintenance contract.
2. Arrange the necessary hardware to install the system , buy or rent, their place or yours, agree to a sizing specification, service levels etc.
3. Configure the hardware to suit the software, put it in a virtualised environment - one for test and another for live, arrange a mechanism to deliver to the user, roll out after a few months.
4. Ready the network and firewall to recognise the system, integrate security, disaster recovery plan, test it all.
5. Load operating and application code maintenance, apply updates month after month. Pay support contracts.
TOMORROW (Cloud/Saas)
1. Choose from thousands of applications written specifically for use over the web or take your existing ones. Sign up over the internet and use the service anywhere. Pay monthly, no commitment, add or decrease features, end at anytime.
2. Don't worry about hardware, it's all taken care of.
3. Don't worry about the environment, it's all taken care of.
4. Don't worry about the infrastructure, it's all taken care of.
5. Don't worry about maintenance and recovery, it's all taken care of.