Daisy Arabella

Cloud Computing Revolutionizing Business

Introduction:

Cloud computing is used to save, manage, and preceding the data on Internet by faraway servers instead of a local server. Its can easily accessed by all devices and the browsers and the data, information or the service can be accessed from anywhere in the world. It supports large numbers of users with no decline in performance. A large number of users can use it at the same time.

Project Objective:

The objective of the project is to understand that how Microsoft became one of the most profitable companies of the world by adopting the cloud computing by its R&D department (research and development department) from early 2000 to till now.

Project Scope:

Microsoft wanted to compete with other companies and cloud computing was the way to reduce the cost of operations and save the time, which would ultimately increase the profit. Virtualization was very important feature of cloud computing but main feature was services through which Microsoft won the confidence of customers.

Literature Review:

Information technology is one of the biggest discoveries in past few decades and people are using it in all over the world. New innovations are coming in this field day by day. Cloud computing is one the best example of the innovation in I.T field. Now almost every company whether it’s a small scale or large scale, doing their business by using Information Technology. In early 2000 some of companies like Microsoft started to face many challenges which led the world to cloud computing. These challenges faced by not only the Microsoft but also IT department and IT professionals of Microsoft. Challenges faced by Microsoft are given below.

1) Delayed Response:

Delayed response was one of the majors complains by the Microsoft. Company wanted to assess its data quickly but IT department remained busy all the time and they responded to the customer very late.

2) Not Fulfilling Quires:

Company sent query to IT department and IT department sent the answer, which was totally different from query. In simple words IT department not fulfilling quires in proper way.

3) Cost Issues:

Microsoft set a budget for a specific project. But when IT department faced any issue like storage issue of data or new software installation they demand more money, which disturbed whole budget.

Challenges faced by IT department and IT professionals are given below.

1) Consistent pressure:

World is changing day by the so that the technology. There was a constant pressure faced by the IT department in shape of new innovations and demand from the Microsoft. IT Professional may have working with more than one companies and every company wanted to get quick results so it was difficult to oblige every company on time.

2) Complexities in Information Technology:

1TB USB was also available which was a good source of storage but that single USB couldn’t assess by every required company or person at the same time and this was a big issue.

3) Security Issue:

Data were not secure although they have user name and password to assess. Even “read only” files were not secured. So there was a need to build up a system in which data can be assessed easily with security.

All the above-mentioned issues were resolved whether it was Microsoft doing business or IT department and IT professionals by Cloud computing. Cloud computing is revolutionizing the IT industry. This revolution was started from smart phones, which were user-friendly and multi-tasking and also have good storage capacity and good battery timing. In the beginning these gadgets were used by high level of management of Microsoft and after some time almost every employee of Microsoft was using it. It also began to use in every business at all the levels. Businessmen have come to know that they can find the application online to sort out the problem at the spot and they were no more dependent on the IT department and IT professionals.

Cloud computing is very broad term and can be defined as it is used to save, manage, and preceding the data on internet by faraway servers instead of a local server. A cloud has following features.

1) Self-Service Procurement:

Any customer or company can assess to the cloud and get the concern data. In this way they don’t have to wait for response of department and IT professionals for their queries, they just simply go to the cloud and solved the query by their selves. One thing should take in the mind that cloud computing doesn’t terminate the role of IT department and IT professionals. In this situation the role of IT department and IT professionals changed, from giving services to look after the server, network and data storage issues so that customers get secured data.

2) Vast network approach:

As world has become a global village so customers are limited to a specific area now days. So cloud offers to assess the data with security.

3) Sharing of resources:

We can understand this term by a simple example that everyone of us are used milk daily but it doesn’t mean that everyone of us should have cow in our backyard. So is the case with the businesses that a businessman may have need of IT but it doesn’t mean that he should have a IT department for his business. He can hire the services of IT organization through which the can assess and share the resources with low cost.

4) Swift Elasticity:

There should be swift elasticity in the business. In past businessmen spent a lot of money on servers, which was a big draw back, and hurdle in profit. For example a businessman has a business of super store, which remained on the peak from March to August, and he has to install the servers according to the peak season so that it can bear the workload. After August the businessman has to bear electricity expense of extra servers. With the use of cloud computing this issue has been resolved as he can save and retrieve this data on cloud efficiently with cost effectiveness.

Normally the browsers have two types’ Private cloud and Public cloud. Microsoft is using private cloud. But for our understanding we should have knowledge about both types.

1) Private Cloud:

Private cloud is normally used by one organization like Microsoft. It is further divided into off and on premises private cloud system. On-premises private cloud is used in the specific boundary of company means employee can assess the data in particular area. Off-premises private cloud doesn’t depend on the specific boundary of company means employee can assess the data from anywhere in the world. Both systems have their own advantages. On-premises private cloud has advantage of safety of data and Off-premises private cloud has advantage of flexibility. Private cloud has many advantages like company can design and change its features according to their need. Company can govern its quality and security more effectively. It Also have some disadvantages like it need company has to hire trained staff for the smooth procedures which cost the company’s profit.

2) Public Cloud:

Public cloud is normally used by that organization which sells its services to public. Customers assess the cloud anytime anywhere all over the world. Amazon cloud computing is one of the best example of public cloud.

Microsoft Private Cloud:

Now we will discuss Microsoft Private Cloud specifically and we will also discuss the strategies of Microsoft.

1) Consumer Business:

Microsoft always gives importance to the customers. Microsoft private cloud is one the examples of this as it provides network to its customer to connect with security. Another example of customers care is giving them licensing of system center 2012 and most important thing, Microsoft didn’t charge any customer for it.

2) Consumer System Head:

System center 2012 gives authority to IT Department to supervise all the process of cloud computing included the security. IT Department also works on the education of the customers so they can easily solved daily matter problems by themselves and if customers faces a problem other than the routine, IT Department will be happy to sort out the problem as soon as possible.

3) System Advisor:

In the past people were used to buy and sell the tangibles (hardware) to make money. Then people started to buy and sell the intangibles (software). Now day’s people are selling the art in the shape of consultancy. Some of Advisors provide the software which can gives the solution of the current virtualization groundwork. But Microsoft Private Cloud gives the number of solutions of the virtualization groundwork, which would be on the site of customer, and customer can save his money in this way. Microsoft is now working on private cloud’s service distribution.

4) Operating Systems:

This empowers the customer to figure out the administration of the system. Examples of the Operating Systems are Microsoft Windows and Linux.

5) Applications:

There are many applications offered by the Microsoft, which can be installed and used in Operating Systems like Microsoft Windows.

6) View Point of Clients:

IT department or IT professionals can’t watch the application or a web page all the time and even application or a web page working well, clients may face issue of slow assess or failure to reach a specific application because of virus. This type of problem can be solved only when customer complains it. System center 2012 used by Microsoft is ideal choice in this type of situation as supervise the application with the view Point of clients and it can detect and solve the problem whether server is showing that everything is OK.

In the last we will discuss the advantages of adoption of the Cloud computing by the Microsoft. Advantages are.

1) Cost effectiveness:

Cloud computing is very cost effective to the Microsoft because there is no need to invest the money on servers and software which was used before. It also cuts down the cost of storage of data and up gradation of software.

2) Time Saving:

There is a famous quote that “time is money”. Time is most precious wealth in this word. There was a big issue of time wastage of both customers and IT Department on the in operating the software. Cloud computing also saved the time of Microsoft’s IT Department, which was spent in resolving the issues of the customers as it gives them authority to sort out the problems by themselves.

3) Consistent and non-stop assessment:

Microsoft cloud computing can be assessed anytime and anywhere all over the world. Now there is no limit of hours and time zones. You just simply login by giving user name and password and get the required data. Microsoft cloud computing make it sure that customer can save and retrieve the data without any inconsistency.

4) Backup and retrieve the data:

In the past there was a big issue of saving and retrieving the data as it take a long time and even sometimes data lost. Cloud computing make it sure that customers can backup and retrieve the data anytime.

5) Nature friendly:

Cloud computing has no physical existence and less energy is consumed to operate the resources so there it is more nature friendly than conventional IT frameworks.

6) Quick execution:

Microsoft cloud computing also provides an excellent speed to its customers in the assessment of their data. Now they don’t have to wait a long time.

7) Storage size:

Few decades ago there were specified rooms for the storage devices and servers on which data saved by the Microsoft. There were many drawbacks like there was threat of physical damage of the storage devices and servers. There was also threat that data can be misused. Also a lot of energy is consumed to make the rooms cooler. Also there was a limit on the storage of the data. Microsoft often has to upgrade its storage devices whenever demand increased. Microsoft cloud computing have not such issues as it has no physical existence and approximately unlimited data can be stored on it.

8) User friendly:

Cloud computing applications are very user friendly and everybody learns it very fast. Best example of user-friendly application is Gmail, which is used all across the world.

Conclusion:

Cloud computing is the future of industry. Cloud computing is not solving all the issues which countered by the companies right now so still its considered as research topic but cloud computing is as an productive and economical way to enhance quality services by reducing time and overhead expense and gives access to its user anywhere anytime. Most of the companies are now investing billions of $ in a year for R&D of Cloud computing. We have a great example of Microsoft. Microsoft have $9.6bn budget for its R&D department and they decided they will use 90% of its budget on cloud computing. They also decided budget will grow in the future. We can see it is now using efficiently by smart phone users who can store and get their data on cloud rather than using storage memory of phone. So we can conclude that cloud computing have very bright future as not only the big companies but small companies now focused on cloud computing because of its advantages. It may have some disadvantages but the way it is progressing disadvantages will reduce.

References:

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