Managing Cloud Adoption, Article Critique Example

Introduction

The paper is about cloud sourcing and management of cloud adaption. Cloud -based systems are extremely beneficial in any business in a cloud based business model, the information passed over internal or external networks. The internal networks called intranets while the external networks called internets (Subashini & Kavitha 2011). Data and valuable services transferred over networks, where, in case of any impairment t of organizational data or information technology tools and services translates to considerable losses. Therefore, the financial, physical and human resources dedicated to management and innovation of organizational information systems and infrastructures. The Author thus aims at addressing the business owners of the importance of cloud sourcing.

The advantages associated with adopting the cloud-based system are that organizations enabled to outsource their information technological needs to cloud-based providers. In this case, the overall outsourcing cost lessens than the organization’s information technology investments, thus the organization is in a position to save. With the supply, of services to multiple organizations, economy to scale employed (McKinney 2010). Adoption of the clouding system brings in a feasible solution to the rising cost of management and maintenance cost of information technologies. It has allowed organizations to re-use existing information technologies and related sources. The other benefits associated with clouding include:

1. Security and control of data over the internet,
2. Straightforwardness, ease, similarity, and speed of deployment
3. Financial flexibility in terms of structuring of payments for cloud-based services, the utility style payment, and savings in the end
4. Progressively managed functionality through obtaining of up-to-date information, expansion, and evolution

The author describes the variants of cloud-based models (Subashini & Kavitha 2011). The models have the outstanding three characteristics of resource distribution, accessibility through the communication networks and the on-demand provision. The source distributed generously across all geographical regions as per the utility cost and personal availability. The services are easily accessible with computers; intranets and internet, while the resources in cloud computing systems delivered on demand basis.

The three main models of cloud based environment described as public, private and hybrid. Private clouds meaning services are in-house, and accessible within the organization via intranet. Public clouds apply where organization does not own a core information system; thus information outsourced. The organization in such a case does not have control over services and resources. The hybrid clouds apply where the organization owns a core information system. It can thus can access information in the house through the intranet as well as access noncritical resources and services through the internet (MacAskill, 2010). Despite the challenges as obstructs as security, loss of control, and inadequate legislative factors, the author still encourages the managers of business organizations to adapt the cloud-based system in their organizations. They ought to being careful to weigh the associated risks and benefits. They ought to have a long-term vision of aiming at the private clouds to attain some additional income or revenue to an organization. The second better option is obtaining the hybrid clouds where some services hosted internally, while others outsourced by external providers. If the two choices fail altogether, then it is better to have the public clouds than to have none at all, so that the organization can at least utilize the external providers for both critical and noncritical services.

Article Critique –cloud sourcing Managing Cloud Adoption

The article title reads cloud sourcing- managing cloud adaption, surprisingly the author does not clearly bring in the discussion in the whole article. The article rather discusses the cloud-based systems and services. It clearly discusses the importance of having a clouding system, the various advantages associated with having the clouding system in an organization, the various models of clouding systems, and variants of cloud-based models. The discussions are relevant to the audience; however, they do not seem to describe the article title. In this case, then the article title could read; “Clouding system models, their advantages, and limitations”, or any other suitable title describing the content in the article.

The author begins in the abstract to reveal the minor adoption of the cloud computing system. Further, the principal concerns preventing the adoption as security issues, inadequate legislative, and loss of control described in the second sentence. This presents a negative picture to the audience before going into finding more about the article. The author should have at least started the discussion with the positive view of cloud computing, how business should adapt it, the advantages associated with adopting the newly information technology idea. Finally, the limitations and difficulties associated with the adoption of the cloud computing system discussed later in the article, after the audience convinced of the importance of cloud sourcing, managing, and cloud adoption.

Key words used in the entire paper as cloud computing, cloud providers, cloud-based systems, cloud services, and web services, information technology management, knowledge management, risk management, actionable knowledge, knowledge-intensive organizations, and knowledge workers mentioned. Their mentioning is particularly crucial in the introductory part. However, these keywords should be clearly defined, one after another to capture the understanding of the reader who is encountering the topic at hand for the first time. Defining such terms in the in the introductory before anything else lenders the reader the best understanding of the whole article. The author thus presents the article to serve better audience who are already conversant with the cloud computing rather than any other audience interested in the article, bringing in bias.

The recommendations and the conclusion in the article do not show any significant difference. In fact, the author just describes the three main models of the clouding system. In both cases, there is the mention of the private clouds being the most beneficial, then, the hybrid clouds with a promising future and finally the public clouds, which adapted there being no other option. The discussion is relevant, but there should be no repetition. The conclusion would rather give examples of organizations that have adopted one of the models, for example, comparing an organization that has adopted the private cloud model with another organization that uses the public clouds. This comparison would further convince the audience to reflect the recommendations and go for the best option, which at first would have higher initialization cost implications, but profitable in the long run.

In conclusion, despite the few critics, the article is of paramount importance to business owners who want to flourish. Those with large organizations could opt to invest in the private clouds. The small and medium organizations could invest in the hybrid cloud systems (McKinney 2010). On the other hand, the organizations that have just started can go for the public model as the organization grows to establish the hybrid and private models. The risk associated like the data loss due to mismanagement and control problems and the legalization issues ought not to be a problem (MacAskill, 2010). Businesspersons should have in mind that risk is something that one learns from, it is unfortunate that those who are not ready to risk never learn.

References

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McKinney, P 2010, ‘Is Cloud Computing for You?’ Forbes, 186(10), 56-57.

O’Connor, A 2010, Amazon Removes Wiki Leaks From Servers. The New York Times, http://www10.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/world/02amazon.html, December 2, 2010.

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SIIA, 2007, Software as a Service: Strategic Backgrounder. Software & Information Industry Association Report, February 2008, http://www.siia.net/estore/pubs/SSB-01.pdf

Subashini, S, Kavitha, V 2011, ‘A Survey of Security Issues in Service Delivery Models of Cloud Computing’, Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 34(1), 1-11.