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Join For FreeI'm going to refer to this diagram many times in the future, which I call "The 5 Ps of Cloud Computing"
(from the non-technical perspective). It's not tied to any companies,
products or industries, but rather it's a model that I've used in the
past to help guide companies that are looking to solve some of their IT
challenges with a Cloud Computing strategy.
Let's
take a look at the various pieces and how they interact within the
model. [Note the color-coding of each section as it will help to
remember the concepts]
People
- As you can see, "People" is not only the foundation, but also touches
every other element within the model. I represent it this way because
Cloud Computing is fundamentally about change, and the element most
impacted (and influenced) by those changes are people. People that have
technical backgrounds (IT Departments, Service Providers, Application
Developers, etc.) as well as business needs. But for many people
"change" is a word that invokes fear or concern, so being able to
successfully embrace a strategy that includes Cloud Computing means that
people are going to need to adapt from their existing ways. And the way
they adapt and change will impact each of the other Ps in the
framework, either for the better or worse. This is why I referenced work
by people just as John Kotter, Dan and Chip Heath and others in my introductory post.
Understanding how to create change, shape new behaviors and create new
people-centric foundations is as critical for any company embracing
Cloud Computing as the technology itself.
Color = Navy Blue - Conservative.
Planning
- When you think or operate in terms of "silos" (vertical
organizations; vertical work-functions), the planning required to
provide services to your customers is not a difficult process. Take
requests, apply them to existing resources, and deliver an output. Cloud
Computing creates a model where massive amounts of computing resources
are virtualized, and then allocated to customers (business units,
end-users, consumer customers or business partners, etc.) on an
as-needed basis. Efficiently matching requested-demand with
delivered-service-output is the end result of these shared resources.
But when those resources start to become shared across organizations or
work-functions, the planning process may or may not become more
difficult. If your planning model is still based on vertical silos, then
the result of the planning could be much more difficult to get right.
But if the planning model recognizes the improved efficiency from these
shared resources, then those "customers" can start taking a page out of
the playbook of the Operations Groups of the 1980s and 1990s that
implemented those Just In Time (JIT) models to build physical products faster and more cost efficiently.
Color = Sky Blue - Looking at the big picture, possibilities.
Politics - Yep,
even with all the cool technology that goes along with Cloud Computing,
Politics will still exist in both the decision-making process and the
execution/operations of the strategy. Not only is Cloud Computing about
"change", but it's also about "shifting control". That control might be
which people (or sub-groups of people) are making decisions, or it might
be about how partners are now being integrated into the strategy. And
anytime you're potentially shifting control, people get protective and
politics come to the forefront. Again, just like with Planning, this
could create a better or worse environment. If you can understand the
motivations, fears and goals of both the Riders and the Elephants,
there are great win-win opportunities for both the technical and
business stakeholders. If you only stay focused on the technologies or
spreadsheet ROI models, then the move to a Cloud Computing strategy
could move at a glacial pace (if at all).
Color = Red - Danger! Proceed with Caution.
Process -
This is the easier and hardest P in the framework. It's the easiest
because you can immediately show somebody (technical or business
focused) how to setup an account on Gmail or Facebook or WebEx and say, "wouldn't it be great if all your computing needs were that easy to setup?".
It's the hardest because the uber-magic technical stuff that goes on
behind the scenes of a Public Cloud service, especially in terms of
automation and process, can be extremely hard to explain. But regardless
of the complexity, business-focused people are going to understand the
simplicity and speed at which those services were made available to them
and want the same experience for their needs. This is where the game
radically changes, because your customer just saw the promise of the
future, the possibilities that are available today. That experience is
now the benchmark that you're going to be measured against. My
suggestion - understand that "uber-magic technical stuff" I mentioned
before and work backwards from that to start defining the new models
you'll use to align IT process with business needs. Don't go in the
other direction! You can't give someone a rotary phone after they've
seen the iPhone, just because it's easier for you.
Color = Grey - Boring, behind the scenes (but wishing it were a sexy black color)
Payback - Let's
face it, this is really the only portion of Cloud Computing that the
business-focused leader cares about. While IT can be considered a
cost-center or a strategic-enabler, it's still only there to drive a
return for the products and services of the business. And it comes at a
cost. But Cloud Computing offers the ability to more efficiently align
the costs of delivery to the demands of the business. It allows the
shift from a CAPEX-centric model to a more OPEX-centric model of
operations. It allows Payback to be aligned with the value-add from
those products and services of the business, rather than a CAPEX lump on
the Balance Sheet every 3-5 years. This is where the IT professional
needs to step outside of their comfort zone and understand the basics of
ROI, TCO
and the other acronyms they teach in MBA programs. If you can bring the
right skills, the right technology and the right processes with this
new Cloud Computing model to the business, we begin to reach that stage
where IT can become part of the strategy instead of part of the problem
(or so they say).
Color = Green - Show me the money!!
Cloud computing
Computing
Framework
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Published at DZone with permission of Brian Gracely, DZone MVB. See the original article here.
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