Cloud computing describes a way of using technology: one that provides access to technology and applications in a self-service, on-demand and pay-per-use model. It represents a fundamental and irreversible shift in architecture, development and delivery methodologies, as well as IT management strategies. And it is gaining momentum quickly: The global cloud computing market is expected to grow to $121.1 billion in 2015 from $37.8 billion in 2010─representing a compound annual growth rate of 26.2%, according to MarketsandMarkets (M&M), a global market research and consulting company.
Even the U.S. government is getting into the act. It has adopted broad plans for the implementation of cloud computing in the federal government infrastructure—a step reflecting a fundamental re-examination of investments in technology infrastructure. A recent study by Market Research Media forecasts that federal spending on cloud computing could hit a $7 billion landmark by 2015.
Cloud computing delivers software, platform and IT infrastructure services via a shared network. In this model, businesses can access resources such as hosted software and applications remotely, i.e., via the Internet. The model not only obviates the need for capital investments in servers and storage, but also results in zero operational expenses for running datacenters.
What’s more, cloud computing makes applications accessible from any location, enabling companies to react swiftly to changes in business needs. While interoperability and data security issues may hinder market growth, the future seems promising, with IT giants including IBM, Google, Microsoft and Salesforce.com actively developing new solutions to address existing issues.
“When the CIO issues the simple directive: ‘Move some applications to the cloud’, architects face bewildering choices about how to do this, and their decision must consider an organization’s requirements, evaluation criteria, and architecture principles,” said Richard Watson, research director at Gartner, in a press release describing ways IT organizations can prepare for cloud computing. “However, no alternative offers a silver bullet: all require architects to understand application migration from multiple perspectives and criteria, such as IT staff skills, the value of existing investments, and application architecture.”
The fact is, significant investments are always necessary to leverage technology for the best return, and cloud computing is no exception. Agilysys specializes in understanding the technological and business aspects of cloud computing solutions. Our professional services team can collaborate seamlessly with your business and technology experts to design and deliver cloud solutions that enable your business to grow, compete and excel.
Agilysys has real-world experience in shaping cloud infrastructure. For one company, Agilysys designed and implemented a cloud computing solution that reduced power and real estate costs, while doubling computing capacity. The company saved more than 20% on this high-performance computing infrastructure by deploying it in the cloud; it also realized improved latency within a month of deployment. Agilysys delivered the new service, from concept to practical application, within 10 months.
For another company, Agilysys created a cloud architecture that improved the capacity, scalability and performance of its technology infrastructure; provided tiered, scalable storage to facilitate rapid growth; increased virtual machine core capabilities; and enabled the company to move to a utility-based purchasing model.
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