Key to Cloud Service Success or Failure: Innovative Business Model

Now can be said to be a "cloudless" era. In this storm sweeping the entire IT industry, all manufacturers are beginning to put on their products and technologies desperate to wear a "cloud" coat. Looks like if there is no cloud, you can not reflect the advanced nature of the product. So as a consumer's customer? Cloud is a mysterious technology? Or a hollow concept? At the very least, in a large part of people's understanding, the cloud should look like this.

The innovation of cloud computing lies in the model, and technology is only evolving

To date, there have been many versions of the definition of cloud computing. An explanation of cloud computing in the 2012 China Government Work Report gives an official version: Cloud computing is an addition, use, and delivery model of Internet-based services, often involving the provision of dynamic, scalable Often the resource for virtualization. Is the result of the convergence of traditional computer and network technologies, which means that computing power can also be distributed as a commodity over the Internet. Here, cloud computing is defined as a service model, rather than or not simply technology.

So, "cloud" is essentially a business model innovation. Computing power will be aggregated as a single resource and managed and deployed centrally to form a so-called "cloud," and customers can use it over the network (the Internet, the corporate network) as an on-demand "service" Flexible adjustment at any time.

The implications of this model innovation are: Efficient - resources are deployed and used by people who need it, avoid idleness, maximize their effectiveness; be flexible - use on demand, increase or decrease flexibly, and because of the network, this service is Can be taken at any time, any place or cost; the cost reduction - as a result of the most efficient use of resources, is inevitably a reduction in unit acquisition costs, and if not, are there any grounds for the existence and development of technology? Is the charm of cloud computing!

As for the major manufacturers talked about, so that customers feel more mysterious cloud technology? First of all, cloud computing is the traditional product of the integration of computer technology and network technology products, rather than technological evolution, rather than innovation. For example, distributed computing, parallel computing, network storage, virtualization, load balancing, these technologies existed before the concept of cloud computing, and developed for many years. In addition, like no love for no reason, no hate the same for no reason. All cloud-related technologies serve the business model advocated by the cloud, not the other way round. Therefore, we see that virtualization technology is needed because of the reuse of resources. Because of the need to improve the performance of the system, there is parallel computing technology. Because of the need to pursue the stability of the system, there is a load balancing technology. Because Need access to any time and place of service, so with distributed technology.

In this view, the primary issue of the cloud is the model problem, which is a cloud management issue. Realizing this is crucial for both buyers (users of cloud technologies and cloud services) and vendors (providers of cloud technologies and cloud services). The cloud concept brings about a revolution in management and thinking.

In the face of cloud, the biggest management challenge is the change of concept

Cloud services have changed the way traditional IT systems are built and used. Take the author's call center industry as an example. The traditional way of building a call center is that enterprises themselves or find suppliers argumentation programs, procurement of software, hardware systems to build, lease network and number resources to operators, but also to maintain and manage their own later, the investment of human and material resources, ability And time is quite impressive. Cloud-based approach to providing call center services, enterprises do not need to invest platform equipment, just according to the number of seats they need to apply to service providers can be opened quickly, and can be increased or decreased seats. This model change, for business managers is new. First of all, may be unheard of, the call center can also play this? Second, companies have long been accustomed to "solve their own problems," the IT system to "outsource service procurement" approach, feasible? Performance? How safe is it? And so on. From our own experience of development, the greatest difficulty in the early stage of cloud service development is not the product, not the technology, but people's recognition and recognition of the mode of "providing call center by service". Therefore, the change of concept is the biggest management challenge when enterprises face cloud computing.

The cloud service inevitably affects the organizational structure and job responsibilities of the company and flattens the management of the company. The cloud is a collection of resources that are delivered to users in the form of an overall service, whether public or private.

Therefore, the concentration of such resources will inevitably bring about the adjustment of the organizational structure and business processes of the company, especially for some large enterprises. For example, China Unicom has set up a set of "big ERP system". Based on the ERP core system, more than 10 subsystems including procurement, project, capital, contract, budget and reimbursement are constructed simultaneously. Tight integration forms a transcendental Information Systems for Traditional ERP Methods and Concepts. This level one platform brings the greatest benefit is the flat management: to achieve the unity of the whole group business processes, the whole group data and information concentration, so that all units of the management process all on a single desktop, business processes, data and information All placed in a plane.

Accordingly, many management functions are moved up, reducing the hierarchy and improving the efficiency of management. For small businesses, the results of the selection of cloud services, the most direct change is no longer need for this purpose, but by service providers to ensure quality.

For the first time, cloud computing enables computing resources to be obtained on-demand anytime, anywhere, which will greatly promote the business innovation of enterprises and generate many new business application modes. All kinds of terminals, including mobile phones, IPADs, PCs and so on, can become means of accessing the cloud, making the enterprises ubiquitous.

According to "2011 China Call Center Industry Development Report" Description: Lenovo Group Customer Support Center Lenovo PC users mainly for technical support and business advisory services.

Due to business development needs to expand the size of the seats. Adopting the traditional model will face many problems such as the difficulty of site selection, the rise of personnel costs and the decrease of employee satisfaction. To this end, Lenovo Group uses virtualization and other cloud computing-related technologies, conducted a virtual agent project innovation.

Engineers can quickly and easily log in to their seats locally, using their voice-enabled systems and business systems in a support center (cloud), anywhere, at any location. The result of this operation is a win-win situation for operating data and customer satisfaction, a reduction in agent costs, and a significant improvement in staff turnover and attendance rates.

Business to do cloud services to change the gene

"The cloud is a service model," which should be the fundamental understanding of cloud service providers. Therefore, in addition to its technology, the challenge of management change for cloud service enterprises will be even greater.

To do this, the service companies need to change genetically. Engage in services and engage in hardware and software, engage in integration is completely different two knowledge related to the organizational structure, personnel quality, system processes, corporate culture, values ​​and other aspects.

Why do some in the field of hardware and software systems can do world-class enterprises, enter the Internet and other fields, in any case can not find the feeling? To a large extent because the business does not have this gene. For example, corporate culture. Traditionally integrated manufacturers, advocating are "sales culture." Drinking, chunks of meat, as long as the sales list came in, revenue is basically achieved.

The service providers, more is to promote "service culture." Sales brought list, does not mean that income comes in. Whether we can continue to generate revenue is a guarantee of long-term and reliable service quality. If one day there is a problem with the service, the client may walk away the next day.

In addition, cloud service quality assurance, but also not entirely lies in the technical level of products. Because, any kind of cloud service is to rely on the network to provide, whether it is the Internet or LAN. Taking the call center as an example, if the system reliability of the call center platform itself is 99.99%, the service of the call center which is ultimately provided to the customer will definitely not reach 99.99% of the reliability because the base platform hosting vendor Service reliability, reliability of accumulated operator networks, and more.

Therefore, cloud service quality assurance, not only by technology, rely on the system. Operational service system is the cloud service company relative to the traditional hardware and software development enterprises the most unique place. From the organizational structure, operation and maintenance department, customer service department, accounting department and so on are all the necessary departments for cloud service enterprises.

The so-called system, is a series of management systems, norms and processes and management platform and tools integration. Good product needs good service to submit, to ensure.

Becoming an out-of-business enterprise is the key to making cloud-service businesses successful.