Management Solutions in Practice
NQF Level 5
Final Year
Cloud Computing
Case Study Evaluation and Technical Report
Introduction
The growing bandwidth power of the Internet has pushed the client server model one step further towards the cloud computing model. (Laudon, 2012)
As an IT consultant you have been asked to conduct some research into the topic of cloud computing. As part of this research, you will appraise the application of infrastructure, platforms and software over the Internet and the benefits that a given organisation can expect from utilising this technology.
As a starting point for your research please read the attached Case Study – Should Businesses Move to the Cloud.
You should then complete the following group and individual tasks.
Part 2 – Individual work (75%)
Task 1
As Salesforce.com/Amazon/Google (select one) continue to grow, review some of the challenges they will face. How well will it be able to meet those challenges, with an emphasis on competitive threats and strategy? (Make use of Porter’s Competitive Forces Model (CFM)).
Task 2
What kinds of businesses are most likely to benefit from using cloud computing? Why?
Select and provide a brief overview of a practical cloud computing scenario provided in class. Your choice of scenario should be relevant to your pathway and technical understanding.
Using this scenario, focus on the user’s perspective. Examine the security issues, risks and rewards in terms of organizational change, managing data, and knowledge management issues.
Task 3
“In contemporary systems there is a growing interdependence between a firm’s information systems and its business capabilities. Changes in strategy, rules, and business processes increasingly require changes in hardware, software, databases, and telecommunications. Often, what the organization would like to do depends on what its systems will permit it to do”. (Laudon, 2012). See Figure 1 below.
Evaluate the factors would you take into account in deciding whether to use Salesforce.com/Amazon/Google (select one) for your business.
Figure 1 – The Interdependence between Organizations and Information Technology (Laudon, 2013)
Assessment weighting
• Part 1 25 %
• Part 2 75 %
Assignment Guidelines
• This assignment has a weighting of 100% and has a maximum word count of 3000 words.
• Groups are limited to three members. The group presentations are aimed at enhancing your learning for Part 2.
• Conduct relevant and appropriate additional research to support your answers
• For part 2, any additional work should be placed in an appendix, and correctly referenced in the main document. Ensure all your diagrams are appropriately labelled.
• Make use of the Harvard Referencing Method, and include a list of references
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