COMP30231: Service Centered and Cloud Computing

Module Summary

• Focus: Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Cloud Computing
  • Technical considerations (Term 1)
  • Business and implementation considerations within a cloud environment (Term 2)
• Key Topics
  • Alignment between business and technology strategy and Cloud Computing
  • Business considerations: public, private, or hybrid cloud options
  • Business case: benefits, risks, opportunities, and ROI calculation
  • Cost models: from capital to expense
  • Role of third-party Cloud service providers: SLAs and performance measurement
  • Cloud services and business transformation
  • Examples from Microsoft Azure

Learning Outcomes

• Understand why Cloud services can be viable for businesses, considering technology infrastructure, costs, risks, and business strategy.
• Determine key criteria for assessing a contract with a Cloud service provider.
• Prepare a business case for Cloud services deployment, considering costs, benefits, risks, and business & technology goals.
• Identify key aspects of Cloud service implementation or provision and make recommendations for management.

Lectures & Seminars

• Week 1: IT Strategy & Cloud Computing
• Week 2: Adopting Cloud Computing #1 - Enterprise Architecture
• Week 3: Adopting Cloud Computing #2 - Gap Analysis and Implementation
• Week 4: Adopting Cloud Computing #3 - Governance
• Week 5: Cost Models for Cloud Computing
• Week 6: Business Case for Cloud Computing
• Week 7: Managing Risk in Cloud Computing
• Week 8: Cloud Provider Business Models
• Week 9: Contracting with a Cloud Provider
• Week 10: Review
• Weeks 11 & 12: Exam Support Drop-ins

Assessment

• 2-hour exam on campus
  • Short Answer (SA) questions based on lectures (30 marks)
  • Long Answer (LA) questions on business and implementation issues related to cloud computing (20 marks)

Lecture 1: IS Strategy & Cloud Computing

• Organisational Context of IS:
  • Growth of information workers from 1900 to 2020
  • Technological advances aiding information handling
  • Market share growth in information sector
• Eras of IT Adoption:
  • Mainframes, Mini-computers, PCs, Internet & Web 1.0, Mobile devices & Web 2.0
• Contribution of ICT to Labour Productivity:
  • Significant growth from 1995-2004

Alignment of Business Strategy & IS Strategy

• Focus Areas:
  • Business Improvement: Streamlining processes, eliminating tasks
  • Business Enablement: Transforming business operations, aiding growth
  • Infrastructure: Maintenance and improvement of hardware, software, etc.
• Synchronisation and Convergence:
  • Technology supports and enables business strategies
  • IT helps in setting the business agenda

How IS Strategy Leads to Cloud Computing

• Technological Discontinuities:
  • Cloud computing allows faster, cost-efficient service delivery
  • Trends in big data, mobility, social media enhancing capabilities
• Top Cloud Initiatives:
  • Issues in cloud deployment: performance, mergers, security concerns

The SoMoClo Concept

• Integration of Social, Mobile, and Cloud Technologies:
  • Dominant IS technologies from 2010
  • 2011 saw merging and overlapping of these technologies
  • Cloud-enabled social collaboration applications

Seminar Discussion

• Focus: Nottingham Trent University's IS operations
  • Improvements through cloud computing
  • Cost-effectiveness and new service provision
  • Reference: Sultan, N. (2010) on cloud computing in education