What does cloud computing mean: the management of buyers and sellers

This is a no "cloud" not huan era. In the face of the whole IT industry sweeping feast, all manufacturers are desperately to their own products, technology put on the "cloud" of the cloak. It seems that if there is no cloud, it can not reflect the advanced nature of its products. And as a buyer of customers? Cloud is a mysterious technology? Is the cloud a concept of emptiness? At least, a lot of people in the mind, the cloud is like this.

The innovation of cloud computing is the pattern, the technology is only evolution

So far, there are many versions of the definition of cloud computing. The explanation of cloud computing in the 2012 report on the work of the Chinese government suggests an official version: Cloud computing is a model for the growth, use, and delivery of internet-based services, often involving the provision of dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources over the Internet. is a product of the development of traditional computer and network technology, which means that computing power can also be circulated as a commodity through the Internet. Here, cloud computing is defined as a service pattern, not or simply technology.

So, "cloud" is essentially a business model of innovation. Computing power will be grouped together as a resource, unified management and deployment, to form the so-called "cloud", and customers can use the network (Internet, enterprise Network) to hire on demand "service" mode, and can be flexible at any time adjustment.

The meaning of this model innovation is that it is efficient--resources are provisioned and used by the people who need it, avoid idle, maximize benefits, flexibility-on demand, flexibility, and, because of the network, such services can be at any time, any place or take, cost reduction-resources are the most effective use of the results, Must be the unit to obtain cost reduction, if not cheap, technology can have the existence and development reasons? These are the charm of cloud computing!

As for the major manufacturers relish, let customers feel the mysterious cloud technology? First of all, cloud computing technology is the traditional computer technology and network technology development and integration of the product, is precisely the evolution of technology, rather than innovation. For example, distributed computing, parallel computing, networked storage, virtualization, load balancing, and so on, have existed for years before the concept of cloud computing has been introduced. In addition, like no unprovoked love, there is no unprovoked hate. All cloud-related technologies are serving the business model advocated by the cloud, not the other way around. So, we see: Because of the need for resource reuse, so there is virtualization technology, because of the need to improve the performance of the system, so there is parallel computing technology, because of the need to pursue the stability of the system, so there is a load balancing technique, because of the need for any time and place access services, so there is a distributed

In this view, the first problem of cloud is the pattern problem, is the management problem. Recognize this, both for buyers (cloud technology and consumer of cloud services), or for sellers (cloud technology and cloud services providers). Cloud concept brings about a change of management and thought.

Facing cloud, the biggest management challenge of enterprise is the change of concept

Cloud services have changed the pattern of building and using traditional IT systems. Take the author's call center industry as an example. The traditional call center construction way is the enterprise oneself or find the Supplier demonstration plan, the purchase software, the hardware carries on the system to construct, rents the network and the number resources to the operator, later also wants own maintenance and the management, the investment manpower, the material resources, the CAI and the time are quite considerable. and using the way of the cloud to provide call center services, enterprises need not put into the platform equipment, just according to their own needs of the number of seats, to the service provider can apply, open quickly, and can add or subtract seats at any time. This pattern of change is new to business executives. First, it could be unheard of. Second, enterprises have long been accustomed to "their own problems to solve their own", the IT system to "procurement services," the way to outsource, whether feasible? What about the performance? Can you save money? What about security? Wait a minute. With our own development experience, the biggest difficulty in the development of cloud services is not the product, not the technology, but the cognition and recognition of the mode of "providing call center in the way of service". Therefore, the change of concept is the biggest management challenge for enterprises in the face of cloud computing.

Cloud services inevitably have an impact on company-related organizational structure and job responsibilities, making the company's management flat. The cloud is the pooling of resources to be provided to users as a whole, whether public or private. Therefore, this kind of centralization of resources will inevitably bring about the adjustment of company organization structure and business process, especially for some large enterprises. For example, China Unicom, has established a set of "large ERP system", based on the core ERP system, synchronous construction, including procurement, projects, funds, contracts, budget, reimbursement and other more than 10 subsystems, close integration together constitute a traditional ERP methods and ideas of the information system. This platform brings the biggest benefit is the flat management: To achieve the whole group of business process of unification, the whole group of data information, so that all the management process of all units on a desktop, to achieve business processes, data information, etc. all placed in a plane. Accordingly, many management functions can be moved up, reduce the level, improve the efficiency of management. For small businesses, the choice of cloud services results, the most direct change is no longer need for this dependant, but rely on the service provider to ensure quality.

Cloud services allow computing resources to be accessed on demand for the first time, and will greatly promote business innovation and generate many new business application models. All kinds of terminals, including mobile phones, ipads, PCs can become access to the cloud means, so that enterprises everywhere. According to the "2011 China Call Center Industry Development Report" Introduction: Lenovo Group Customer Support Center for Lenovo's PC users to carry out technical support and business consulting services. Expansion of the size of the seats due to business development. The traditional mode will be confronted with many problems, such as the difficulty of location, the rising of personnel cost and the decrease of employee satisfaction. To this end, Lenovo Group uses the virtualization and other cloud computing technology to carry out the innovation of the virtual seat project. Engineers can provide services to customers at any location, as long as they have the internet, and they can quickly log on locally, using voice systems and business systems in the Support Center (cloud). The result of operation is that the operation data and customer satisfaction have achieved a double win, the seat cost is saved, and the staff turnover rate and attendance index are greatly improved.

The corporate gene for cloud services is changing

"Cloud is a service model", which should be the most fundamental knowledge for the providers of cloud services. Therefore, in addition to its technology, cloud services enterprise Management change challenges will be greater.

For this reason, the enterprise that does the service is genetically changed. To engage in services and hardware and software, integration is completely different from the two disciplines, involving the organization of the enterprise structure, personnel quality, system flow, corporate culture, values and other aspects. Why some in the hardware and software systems in the field can do world-class enterprises, in the Internet and other fields, in any case find no feeling? Largely because companies don't have the genes. For example, corporate culture. Traditional manufacturers of integration, advocating the "sales culture." Big mouth drink, chunk eat meat, as long as the sales list comes in, the income is basically realized. And do the service manufacturers, more is to promote the "service culture." When sales come up with a list, it doesn't mean income comes in. Whether we can continue to bring income, is to long-term, reliable service quality to ensure. If there is a problem with the service one day, the customer may go away the next day.

In addition, cloud service quality assurance, is not entirely in the product level. Because, any kind of cloud service is relies on the network to provide, whether is the Internet or the local area network. Also take the call center as an example, if the system reliability of the call center platform itself is 99.99%, the reliability of the call Center service provided to the customer is absolutely less than 99.99%, because it also accumulates the service reliability of the base platform custodian, accumulates the reliability of the carrier network and so on. Therefore, the cloud service quality assurance, not only relies on the technology, depends on the system. The Operation service system is the most characteristic place of cloud service enterprise relative to traditional software and hardware development enterprise. From the organizational structure, operation and maintenance Department, customer service department, the tent department and so on are all the necessary departments of cloud service enterprises. The so-called system, is a series of management systems, norms and procedures and management platform and tools of integration. Good products need good service to submit, to ensure.

To become a thoroughly operational enterprise is the key to success or failure of cloud service enterprises.

(Responsible editor: Lu Guang)