How is cloud changing IT outsoursing?

One area of confusion concerning Cloud computing is its relationship with outsourcing: ultimately IT service delivery from the Cloud is outsourcing because it is the delivery of shared, multi-tenanted IT services by external parties for the consumption of organisations of all sizes in any geography. However, for those organisations already outsourcing aspects of their IT, the Cloud delivery model raises operational questions about how best to transition to this lower cost capability and which areas offer the most appropriate point from which to begin the migration. And what indeed should the CIO expect from an outsource agreement as this delivery model becomes more mainstream?

An area we explored in “ Cloud Computing – A step-change for IT services”, and that is now coming more sharply into focus, is the role of the service integrator. This is the ability of the service provider to assist with the integration of SaaS solutions and on-premise software implementations to create mixed model services for your organisation. This type of integrator can also offer pre-integrated business service brokerages pulling together hybrid (cloud-to-cloud) components. Service providers are honing their application service skills in preparation for strong growth in demand for this type of requirement. But which types of supplier are likely to make the best business service brokers in this service integrator world?

One thing is clear: there is a division of opinion as to how the commoditisation of IT infrastructure by Cloud delivery should be managed within an outsourcing agreement. Should the buyer select a provider with end-to-end ownership of its own hardware, software and services, or would the buyer be better served by having the ability to swap commodity technology in and out during a contract from whichever provider is offering the best deal? In other words, is it preferable to opt for an IBM or HP, or for a more technology agnostic provider? Furthermore, what role might the outsourcer’s supplier ecosystem play in creating a more attractive sourcing agreement for you and how might you like to access that resource during a contract?

Meanwhile your most vocal critics (your end-users) are demanding devices and solutions as good as the ones they use in their personal lives and can see might well help them be more productive at work. Can your outsourcer use Cloud workplace services to help you address this challenge and provide governance structures for digital allowances?

The disruption Cloud services pose to classic outsourcing agreements are manifold, but the opportunities they promise will ensure that we change the way we contract. After all, the point of these services is to enable your organisation to become more agile and innovative. Cloud helps shift the focus to delivery of business services rather than delivery of IT solutions. But how does that happen if you outsource IT services in silo’d technology towers to different providers? Does this kind of tech tower multi-sourcing make sense as we move towards Cloud delivery? Exactly how do you use Cloud services to drive down IT costs within outsourcing while keeping your eye on the business outcomes the IT is supposed to be supporting?

These are all questions our research will be addressing as we consider how to make the IT service provider governance model part of the way your organisation underwrites business change. We will be contacting members of our CIO Research Forum on this topic shortly. And we look forward to sharing our findings with you in the summer.

 

Knee Replacement Surgery

Knee Replacement Surgery

Storage ideas up in the clouds

Illustration: Karl Hilzinger.

The number of disasters in recent times has turned the attention of small businesses towards the best way to store their company data. Increasingly, SMEs are considering 'cloud' online accounting systems as a way to limit risk and streamline their operations.

Cloud computing is a way of renting capacity in a provider's data centre and connecting to it over the internet. The provider's staff carries out the maintenance and upgrades of hardware and software and customers typically pay a monthly subscription fee to rent the service.

Some of the benefits of moving business elements such as accounting to the cloud include having your information stored securely online rather than on a server or single computer, always having access to the latest software versions and being to access the information anywhere, from any platform, as long as it's connected to the internet. Some of the online accounting systems available in the cloud include Freshbooks, QuickBooks Online, MYOB LiveAccounts, Saasu and Xero.

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Shawn Smith, pictured with partner Nicole Kavanagh, uses an online accounting service for his photography business.

Shawn Smith, who runs the Melbourne-based professional photography business, Blinq, uses an online accounting service from Xero. He says he was sold on the service very soon after being introduced to it because he saw how he could access his accounts anywhere there was an internet connection.

Blinq is all about going to the location and getting the shot, he says. Because we're rarely ever in the office, we need accounting software we can use while waiting in the airport or driving along the countryside to our next destination. We also wanted something that was easy to set up and where we didn't have to worry about infrastructure.

"Previously, we used to worry about upgrades and whether the computers we were using were able to work with them.

Smith says his accountant was previously a big fan of MYOB but he was eventually able to move him online. In the old way of working I would send him a data file or turn up on his doorstep with a CD or memory stick with the information on it, Smith says. I didn't like going out having all this credit information on me – now it's all online.

Another feature Smith likes are the automatic bank feeds. You don't have to log into your bank account, download the latest information and then upload it into the accounting system. This information is automatically synced in the cloud and waiting for you whenever you log on.

Xero Australia managing director Chris Ridd believes many more businesses are building applications around cloud computing as old attitudes towards doing business shift.

The economic environment is favourable for the uptake in cloud computing, he says. All businesses need to focus on cash flow; there is a greater focus on monthly management reporting, and low monthly fees [of the cloud computing model] are preferred by small businesses as compared with the upfront capex model.

In particular, Ridd says cloud computing is gaining interest from businesses that lost data through disasters such as the floods.

These organisations are starting to realise having someone to manage the data and back-ups and implement new releases is a good thing, he says. There is a lot of press around cloud computing from a pure cost point of view. Traditionally for accounting you would need to buy a server, software and pay for maintenance. Often you then need to put a solution together and if you start adding it all up it becomes an expensive task.

There are disadvantages with online systems so you need to do your homework to ensure you choose the right one for you, or even decide whether it is worth making the switch. Some things to check are functionality and whether the system you choose has the same functionality as you get from a desktop system.

There may also be times when the internet connection is unreliable or slow so this also needs to be taken into account when making a decision to use cloud-based services. However, Smith says his business has saved money and a lot of time since moving Blinq's accounts to the cloud. It also means my accountant can get back to advising me on the business rather than spending all his time crunching numbers – cloud computing has changed the type of conversation we have.

Read more:http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/managing/storage-ideas-up-in-the-clouds-20110506-1eb9g.html#ixzz1LaDauw36

 

Hope hospitals is one of the best joint replacement hospitals in Nagpur. Hope hospitals has accreditation from NABH for the quality of service.Dr. B. K. Murali, an Joint replacement surgeon,founder of Hope Group and managing director of Hope Hospitals.Saving lives is also developed to give first aid training designed to meet the needs of home or leisure activitities

Storage ideas up in the clouds

Illustration: Karl Hilzinger.

The number of disasters in recent times has turned the attention of small businesses towards the best way to store their company data. Increasingly, SMEs are considering 'cloud' online accounting systems as a way to limit risk and streamline their operations.

Cloud computing is a way of renting capacity in a provider's data centre and connecting to it over the internet. The provider's staff carries out the maintenance and upgrades of hardware and software and customers typically pay a monthly subscription fee to rent the service.

Some of the benefits of moving business elements such as accounting to the cloud include having your information stored securely online rather than on a server or single computer, always having access to the latest software versions and being to access the information anywhere, from any platform, as long as it's connected to the internet. Some of the online accounting systems available in the cloud include Freshbooks, QuickBooks Online, MYOB LiveAccounts, Saasu and Xero.

Advertisement: Story continues below
Shawn Smith, pictured with partner Nicole Kavanagh, uses an online accounting service for his photography business.

Shawn Smith, who runs the Melbourne-based professional photography business, Blinq, uses an online accounting service from Xero. He says he was sold on the service very soon after being introduced to it because he saw how he could access his accounts anywhere there was an internet connection.

Blinq is all about going to the location and getting the shot, he says. Because we're rarely ever in the office, we need accounting software we can use while waiting in the airport or driving along the countryside to our next destination. We also wanted something that was easy to set up and where we didn't have to worry about infrastructure.

"Previously, we used to worry about upgrades and whether the computers we were using were able to work with them.

Smith says his accountant was previously a big fan of MYOB but he was eventually able to move him online. In the old way of working I would send him a data file or turn up on his doorstep with a CD or memory stick with the information on it, Smith says. I didn't like going out having all this credit information on me – now it's all online.

Another feature Smith likes are the automatic bank feeds. You don't have to log into your bank account, download the latest information and then upload it into the accounting system. This information is automatically synced in the cloud and waiting for you whenever you log on.

Xero Australia managing director Chris Ridd believes many more businesses are building applications around cloud computing as old attitudes towards doing business shift.

The economic environment is favourable for the uptake in cloud computing, he says. All businesses need to focus on cash flow; there is a greater focus on monthly management reporting, and low monthly fees [of the cloud computing model] are preferred by small businesses as compared with the upfront capex model.

In particular, Ridd says cloud computing is gaining interest from businesses that lost data through disasters such as the floods.

These organisations are starting to realise having someone to manage the data and back-ups and implement new releases is a good thing, he says. There is a lot of press around cloud computing from a pure cost point of view. Traditionally for accounting you would need to buy a server, software and pay for maintenance. Often you then need to put a solution together and if you start adding it all up it becomes an expensive task.

There are disadvantages with online systems so you need to do your homework to ensure you choose the right one for you, or even decide whether it is worth making the switch. Some things to check are functionality and whether the system you choose has the same functionality as you get from a desktop system.

There may also be times when the internet connection is unreliable or slow so this also needs to be taken into account when making a decision to use cloud-based services. However, Smith says his business has saved money and a lot of time since moving Blinq's accounts to the cloud. It also means my accountant can get back to advising me on the business rather than spending all his time crunching numbers – cloud computing has changed the type of conversation we have.

Read more:http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/managing/storage-ideas-up-in-the-clouds-20110506-1eb9g.html#ixzz1LaDauw36

 

Hope hospitals is one of the best joint replacement hospitals in Nagpur. Hope hospitals has accreditation from NABH for the quality of service.Dr. B. K. Murali, an Joint replacement surgeon,founder of Hope Group and managing director of Hope Hospitals.Saving lives is also developed to give first aid training designed to meet the needs of home or leisure activitities