The Advantages of Cloud Computing: Mobility, Flexibility, and Cost Efficiency.

Cloud computing is rapidly becoming the new paradigm for computer applications more so, those seen in business activities such as office automation and enterprise systems. Its current widespread application stems from the benefits it offers including mobility, flexibility and most importantly cost efficiency (Givehchi, Trsek & Jasperneite, 2013). Now, most organisations just like SoftArc are always looking for better ways to execute their daily activities this includes communication and other in-house operational activities. Furthermore, most organisations today are under constant pressure to meet their requirements, requirements that are facilitated by the current business market that requires agile and dynamic systems so as to serve the customers at improved rates. To meet these requirements, organisations like SoftArc must invest in dynamic systems that embody the concepts of mobile communication, an objective that is easily achieved using cloud computing. Two options are suggested for this endeavour, Infrastructure as a service IaaS and Software as a service (SaaS).

Among the three major service models, cloud computing offers storage and computer resources as a service. In this model, SoftArc could use its existing office infrastructure, however, employ an external service provider to offer storage solutions. In essence, resources such as servers, data centres and network equipment would be provided for SoftArc and their role would be to use their existing office automation applications to execute their business operations. Therefore, through this methods, the company would cut the expenditure on hardware infrastructure and instead focus on the applications installed in the employee’s devices. Moreover, these services would be accessed at any location, using any device and on any platform (UNIX or Windows) (Diversity Limited, 2011).

A second approach that SoftArc could consider, SaaS offers applications or Softwares as a service. Therefore, SoftArc would lease office solutions such as email and word processing applications from a service provider. Through this service model, an end user (subscriber) accesses applications stored in a service provider’s servers through web applications. This is similar to the facilities offered by the like of Google through their G-mail accounts. As a result of this application, SoftArc would only require an internet connection to access office requirements. Moreover, the service would be available at any given location (Deyo, 2008). However, they would have minimal control, which again gives a small room for customization.

IaaS

Benefits	Issues
Cost efficiency – SoftArc would only be concerned with the business side of the applications i.e. the Softwares and the end devices.	IaaS offers extensive access to the consumer which can result in serious security violations.
Scalability and flexibility – IaaS resources can be accessed at any given location.	Downtime and technical problems – In case of heavy traffic, technical problems are a common outcome.
Increased access control – SoftArc can customise its solutions using the Softwares or applications it uses to deliver its office automation.	When well established it can be hard to switch vendors

Benefits	Issues
Adaptability – All that is needed is an access device. So any device, location and platform can work with it.	Too secretive – Customers rarely know where their information is stored.
Minimal cost – Minimal hardware and software requirements, Just a device and an access point.	Security concern – This is due to its accessibility options (public web pages).
Simple and Seamless integration	Finally, it’s still a growing technology therefore, it’s still not fully matured

Let’s consider the requirements, SoftArc needs a system that can offer office automation services such as e-mails, spreadsheets and word processing services. SaaS can offer these services efficiently where the organisation would lease the relevant applications for the employees to access. Moreover, SaaS requires minimal resources as compared to IaaS which again would require SoftArc to purchase Softwares and its accompanying support. Yes, SaaS would offer minimal customization facilities but little changes are ever needed for basic office automation facilities (SIIA, 2006).

Options for Implementation: IaaS and SaaS

Local hosting refers to the technique of having all the digital servers within the confines of an organisation’s local area network (or even the wide area network). In essence, the organisation will host its I.T. infrastructure within its premises thus the notation of on-premise equipment (On-prem) (Amundsen, 2013). A similar scenario is exhibited by SoftArc where multiple data centres are located within the branches of the organisation (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) having duplicate information. Through this method, the system including the network and data systems are under the control of the system administrator and so is the location. In general terms, this is a traditional method of setting up I.T. infrastructure having the overall benefit of protecting data using firewalls and other security policies. However, it’s extremely costly because of the maintenance and the duplicate facility requirements.

IaaS, on the other hand, will include storage and computer resources that are offered by a third party member. When applied, SoftArc would lease the server resources it requires from a service provider. From this step, the service provider would then offer the necessary resources including network infrastructure to execute the organisation operational activities. Furthermore, SoftArc resources would be duplicated over multiple locations offering multiple back-ups in case of failures. In the end, this service model will eventually lower SoftArc operational costs as it lowers the responsibility of developing and maintaining the applications/software (SIIA, 2006). Moreover, the company can leverage on the availability of continuous systems upgrades, unlike the outcome that is seen in in-house systems that take time to update.

IaaS and cloud computing in general offer many benefits most of which are met through its revolutionary prospect of improving business capabilities and flexibility. Nevertheless, several factors must be considered before migrating to this technology. These are the factors and issues under consideration in this section.

1. Security concerns – Information is an important asset today and any activity that involves its migration will always have security concerns. For one, IaaS will offer storage facility but at undisclosed locations with unknown protocols. It’s highly recommended for an organisation to assess their subscriber’s facilities and protect the transmission of data using appropriate security protocols.

2. Compatibility – Even though IaaS offer hardware resources, these resources are facilitated using software systems. SoftArc would have to consider the compatibility of the cloud infrastructure with that of its web applications to avoid failures and delays.

3. Resource provision – This factor is one of the most overlooked issues when migrating to IaaS facilities. For one, an organisation must ensure that they are allocated the correct resources such as bandwidth to meet their operational requirements. Failures of meeting the optimal requirements lead to system failures due to system overloads.

Comparison of IaaS and SaaS

4. Managing and maintenance considerations – An appropriate procedure should be put in place to manage the hosted resources. For one, the service provider should stipulate the service agreement they intend to offer to help blend its activities with those of the subscriber. Moreover, this outline will determine the organisation’s commitment to meeting its deployment objectives.

5. Paradigm shift – SoftArc needs to prepare its entire organisation for the new system that offers a new mental paradigm. Let the organisation have an understanding of the applications/resources hosted by the third party and by the company itself. Furthermore, it’s critical that the technical personnel understand the attributes and procedures of the migration to lower deployment issues (Bhalerao, 2017)

So far a comprehensive discussion on the different service models has been discussed however, minimal explanation has been given on the main differences between these models. Now, IaaS has been defined as a model that provides hardware resources, however, this service model essentially offers computing resources. These resources include; storage, servers (and their Softwares), and networking requirements. Therefore, IaaS enables a user (subscriber) to create a virtual infrastructure that resembles the real resource but with the functionalities of resizing, reconfiguring and removing among many others.

SaaS, on the other hand, is without a doubt the top most layer of cloud computing as it offers resources that meet the end users requirements but with minimal backend resources for the same user. Moreover, this service will offer software resources to subscribers through web browsers. These resources are usually stored in the service provider’s servers a common practice seen today e.g. with e-mail services yahoo mail and g-mail etc. Therefore, this method moves the management and maintenance of applications to a third party member.

Finally, platform as a service (PaaS) a service model that operates above the IaaS model. PaaS can either be a virtual or physical model providing a development platform for the end user. In essence, this solution offers an environment where programming languages can interact with resources such as database systems, servers and other storage facilities.

For this application, SoftArc requires a highly customizable model that can run on different platforms and with the necessary collaboration with the existing data centres as well as management tools. Furthermore, the model should run project central a separate application within the SharePoint 2013. SaaS is disqualified by the customization requirement as it offers resources that meet end user’s requirements. However, PaaS can offer the right resources including customization and development platform. Moreover, it can help with the collaboration objectives of the management tools including the work of the employees themselves (Colman, 2013).

1. Operation standards – As a service, PaaS is designed to operate in perfect conditions when hosted within the provider’s infrastructure. Through this requirement, the subscriber gets maximum output from the service provided. However, in an event where customizations are done and transferred to a different vendor, the system may develop issues such as operational glitches. A solution to this problem is to have open standards for all the resources used. These standards will include all the development tools maintaining a cross platform application.
2. Compatibility – SoftArc highlights its desire to use its existing data centres to collaborate its work. Now, most organisations will limit their applications to certain set standards such as those of database systems among other tools. A subscriber can overcome this limitation by ensuring the vendor they choose has the appropriate tools to offer resources that are compatible with their own.
3. Support and overall cost – PaaS require a lot of customization and development procedures. These requirements make PaaS seem like a new development language that an organisation must learn. Therefore, the organisation must learn its application with time which is an ongoing process. Moreover, this process may require external support that also will need extra monetary resources. The best solution to this problem is to include PaaS services in the development discussions of an organisation thus integrate its development with the organisation’s objectives.(CIO, 2017)

References

CIO. (2017). PaaS: 3 Critical Issues to Consider. Retrieved 29 March, 2017, from:

https://www.cio.com/article/2939697/cloud-computing/paas-3-critical-issues-to-consider.html

Colman. E. (2013). What’s the difference between SaaS, PaaS, IaaS? Compute next. Retrieved 29 March, 2017, from: https://www.computenext.com/blog/when-to-use-saas-paas-and-iaas/

Bhalerao. P. (2017). 10 Azure Migration Challenges and Ways to Overcome them. Saviant. Retrieved 29 March, 2017, from: https://www.saviantconsulting.com/blog/overcoming-10-azure-migration-challenges.aspx

Amundsen. O. (2011). Pros and cons: In-House Servers vs Cloud Computing. Retrieved 29 March, 2017, from: https://olemortenamundsen.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/pros-and-cons-in-house-servers-vs-cloud-computing/

SIIA. (2006). Software-as-a-Service; A Comprehensive Look at the Total Cost of Ownership of Software Applications. A white paper. Retrieved 29 March, 2017, from: https://www.winnou.com/saas.pdf

Deyo. J. (2008). Software as a service. Microsoft. Retrieved 29 March, 2017, from: https://www.isy.vcu.edu/~jsutherl/Info658/SAAS-JER.pdf

Diversity limited. (2011). Understanding the cloud computing stack SaaS, PaaS, IaaS. Cloud U. Retrieved 29 March, 2017m from: https://broadcast.rackspace.com/hosting_knowledge/whitepapers/Understanding-the-Cloud-Computing-Stack.pdf

Givehchi. O, Trsek. H & Jasperneite. J. (2013). Cloud Computing for Industrial Automation Systems – A Comprehensive Overview. Conference paper. Retrieved 29 March, 2017, from:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259484103_Cloud_Computing_for_Industrial_Automation_Systems_-_A_Comprehensive_Overview