DCL 600 ASSN 5
BYSTANDER
SAMPLEPAPER2.pdf
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Cloud Computing Problem Analysis
Scott Dorian Phillips
University of Maryland Global Campus
DCL 600: Decisive Thinking, Communicating, and Leading
Professor Stephen Sharp
August 31, 2021
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Cloud Computing Problem Analysis
Cloud Solutions is a mid-sized cloud solution provider reseller for Amazon Web Services
(AWS). Cloud Solutions provides custom integration into the cloud for a cost. The AWS service
is complex; Cloud Solutions takes the customer’s requirements, pairs them with a cloud provider
like AWS, and designs custom software to meet the customer’s needs. Green Machine Marketing
is one of Cloud Solutions' clients. The client has contacted Cloud Solutions customer service; the
client is getting an error message and wants the issue fixed. Cloud Solutions has no policy to
resolve this issue. Cloud Solutions needs to make a policy to address the customer's needs even
after the solution is provided; this will ensure problems are addressed in a timely fashion, prevent
cloud configuration issues, prevent overreach from supervisors, and provide refunds if required.
Explanation of the Issue
The issue that Green Machine Marketing is having is a multi-level problem for Cloud
Solutions. The first issue for the client is an error message caused by the person who set up the
connection incorrectly and no longer works for Cloud Solutions. To resolve this error message,
the client will experience 30 minutes of downtime. Being down for 30 minutes will not meet the
terms of services between Cloud Solutions and the client due to a Service Level Agreement
(SLA). Not meeting this SLA will cost Cloud Solutions money.
The second issue is that the error the client is getting is causing them to be overcharged.
The client started the contract with Cloud Solutions last year. They have been overcharged
thousands of dollars every month without their knowledge.
The third and last issue is that the supervisor and manager of the network engineering
team do not want the client to find out about being overcharged because Cloud Solutions will
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have to refund all the overage charges. The supervisor also does not want it fixed because that
would cause Cloud Solutions to pay the client due to breaking the SLA.
Analysis of the Information
Two main issues need to be analyzed: the error message and the possible coverup. Many
questions need to be answered about the error Green Machine Marketing is getting. Why did the
person that set this up no longer work at Cloud Solutions? Did he leave, or was he fired? If he
was fired, what was it for – misconfiguring cloud services? If so, how many other customers are
having this issue? Has anyone checked this yet? If other clients are having this issue, it could be
a more significant problem. Can another cloud solution be set up to switch the client over while
resolving the issue, then switch them back once the issue is resolved? This would fix the error
message issues and not break the SLA. Why has this issue not shown up in a year? What has
changed from the initial setup to now? If this was a problem from the beginning, there should
have been errors from the start; why now? Is the customer losing services, or is it just an
annoying error? Is the error between Cloud Solutions and Green Machine Marketing, or is it
between Green Machine Marketing and their clients? If so, is it affecting all users or just a few?
Why is the client pressuring the customer service desk so much on this issue? All these questions
lead to the other problem that needs to be analyzed – the possible coverup.
The supervisor does not want to fix the problem and refund the client. Why is the
supervisor so dead set on not informing the customer? Why does the supervisor not want to
refund the client? Is he stealing from the company? Suppose it is found out that Cloud Solutions
are knowingly overcharging. Overcharging clients is unethical, a possible fine by the
government, and Cloud Solutions might lose partnership with AWS. The issue should be brought
back up to the supervisor to verify he does not want to resolve the client’s problem.
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Consideration of Alternative Viewpoints, Conclusions, and Solutions
During the review for this brief, the Cloud Solutions supervisor for the network
engineering section was interviewed as well as other representatives for Green Machine
Marketing and AWS. After talking with the supervisor from the network engineering section,
Ben Smith, he said, “Green Machine Marketing has been a very needy company and does not
understand how to use the service we provide. They do not need a refund on a service the client
does not understand how to use. They need to hire competent engineers to resell the service we
provide to them. If they had decent engineers, this problem would not have gone on for a year.”
According to Ben, the client does not deserve a refund. Also, Ben was the person that sold this
solution to the client, and he will lose money if the client gets a refund due to his design.
Green Machine Marketing uses the services Cloud Solutions provides and resells them to
other customers. The client does not get the error message until more than 100 users log into the
service simultaneously. The error message does not explain the error; it just reads, “There is an
error.” The error does not stop services to the client or their customers, but it could in the future.
The client wants the error fixed to prevent future issues that will affect customers.
AWS changed how they billed Cloud Solutions for the cloud solution for Green Machine
Marketing two months after they were configured. It went unnoticed because the client has a
unique connection to the cloud that is different than the other clients. The client is being
overcharged due to a misconfiguration, not an issue on the AWS side.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Based on the analysis of this situation, assumptions, and alternate points of view, it is best
to tell Green Machine Marketing the problem. There was an issue that was not identified until the
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error message problem was brought to Customer Service. Provide Green Machine Marketing
options to resolve the error message and repayment for what was overcharged.
The recommendation is to configure a new connection to another AWS solution so the
client can be moved for the 30 minutes it will take to resolve the error message. After this issue is
resolved, switch the client back to the host that was fixed. Choose a time that has the least traffic
for the client. This will prevent Cloud Solutions from breaking the 30-minute SLA and will
resolve the client’s error. A new policy at Cloud Solutions needs to provide oversight to verify
whether the cloud services are correctly configured. All current clients need to be checked to
make sure they are not being overcharged and properly configured.
The supervisor that wanted to cover up the issue needs to be brought to management to
explain why he did not want the error fixed and did not want to refund the client. Supervisors
that cover up issues like this can destroy a company’s reputation and cause financial loss more
than the refund cost. There needs to be a policy at the company that addresses termination of
employees that knowingly overcharge or refuse to fix a customer's issue. With a new company-
wide policy covering these problems with this client, issues like errors and overcharging will be
a thing of the past.
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