Is Cloud computing the best option for businesses today?

Cloud computing has been a “buzzword” for a few years now. What is it and is it right for your business? Read on to find out.

What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand. This may include applications such as email, office software and various other programs. Cloud computing is a new model for delivering IT services in contrast to the client-server infrastructure that has been prevalent since 1980s.

Benefits of cloud computing

• No need to own the physical infrastructure
• Avoid capital expenditure
• Consume resources as a service and pay only for resources that you use
• Low barriers to entry
• Shared infrastructure and costs
• Low management overhead
• Immediate access to a broad range of applications
• Increased storage
• Flexibility
• Allows IT to shift focus

Drawbacks and limitations of cloud computing

• Benefits are limited by the  service level agreements
• Operating expenses may be high in the form of user fees
• Limited control over security and privacy of information
• Not all  “legacy” technology can be “converted” to cloud computing
• Limited control over availability and performance

Providers of Cloud Computing

Google and Microsoft are major players who are involved in cloud computing. The two companies are currently competing against each other in this market. An article published yesterday by the Los Angeles times discusses how Microsoft won the battle by getting a number of high profile contracts in California and New York and will be providing office software to a number of government entities via the cloud computing technology.

The article also points out that data security is a major issue with cloud computing. Because sensitive data resides outside of the boundaries of an organization, it sometimes takes a while for all the details to be resolved and for the implementation of cloud computing projects to be executed to the end.

Conclusion

In deciding whether cloud computing is right for your organization, consider the benefits and limitations discussed above as well as the capital budget that is available to your organization for technology related investments. In addition, it is important to consider what role technology plays in your company. Is it mostly operational or does your product offering rely heavily on technology and development? You may find out that managing your hardware infrastructure and applications internally is the best answer. For additional information about cloud computing, refer to http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means-031.

Louis Vuitton’s focus on Digital and Interactive Marketing

Madonna for Louis Vuitton

I have been a fan of Louis Vuitton for years. Even though the brand is super expensive, the products are so stylish, timeless and durable that women and even men of all ages have been obsessed with the label for generations. In today’s economy, the luxury sales are not booming and fashion houses have to find new ways to promote their products. With social media gaining popularity with super leaps, Louis Vuitton has undertaken multiple initiatives to keep up with the times and to continue to retain and attract a great following of Fashionistas.

I discovered Nowness.com. As I looked more into it, I felt like the site is a combination of my interests presented in a very interesting and interactive way. The site is run by Kamel Ouadi, a Global Digital Media Director for Louis Vuitton. The site was launched in February of 2010 and its aim is for users to experience "moments of inspiration" and "experience the luxury lifestyle online”.  The underlying goal that the luxury fashion house is trying to achieve is to connect to and to stay connected with consumers and to develop loyalty for the brand. The site has features similar to Facebook and other social media sites. These include being able to create a profile, “Love” the story as well as comment on stories and “blog” by posting your own individual commentary. In addition, the interface of the site is highly interactive and customizable.

Mikhail Gorbachev for Louis Vuitton

Kamel Quadi believes that “Louis Vuitton's Digital Focus Will Keep It in Fashion”. Nowness.com is only one of the examples of how the brand has utilized social media for marketing purposes. On October 6th, 2010 Louis Vuitton ran its third live fashion show on Facebook in the last year. The brand is using 360-degree technology that allows users to adjust their camera angle as they watch the footage. It is not clear from the articles I read if the sales have actually increased due to these marketing efforts but one thing is clear, a lot of people have shown interest in the brand. In the past year and a half, Louis Vuitton has attracted 1.3 million Facebook "likers" and 145,000 Twitter followers. I am one of the “likers” on Facebook. Love LV :) !

Social Media for Project Managers

As a member of the Project Management Institute, I receive the monthly PM Network magazine. While reading it last week, I found one interesting article called “Social Media for Project Managers”. In my current role and organization, we utilize Microsoft SharePoint extensively. Historically, we have called these SharePoint team sites - “wikis”, even though we don’t categorize the use of this technology as “Social Media”. One of the primary reasons for utilizing wikis is ease of communication and ability to upload and store various documents, keep track of communication threads and etc…  As this article correctly states, one of the primary roles of the project manager is communication flow and management. The author suggests that usage of microblogs, podcasts, vodcasts and other similar technologies should not only be limited to the goal of reaching external customers but has a potential to improve project processes and communications within the organization.

The use of social media tools in project management has the following potential benefits and uses:

·         Effective and efficient communication.

·         Improved morale when team members feel connected, well informed and realize they are a part of a team.

·         Teambuilding.

·         Networking.

·         Community blogging.

·         Open forums for discussion and feedback.

·         Shared best practices and lessons learned.

Even though utilization of Social media has a lot of benefits, I agree with the author that the Project Manager has to decide whether her team is ready for Social media on a specific project and if it would benefit the team. In my opinion it depends on team dynamics, company culture, and communication skills of the team members and other related considerations. Moreover, social media just like any technology is not a “silver bullet” to success. You still need to have a good team, project manager, project sponsor and processes. Social media will not be able to solve morale problems or resolve conflicts, however it is a good aid for keeping the team engaged, connected and informed.

The author of the article, Elizabeth Harrin published a book called “Social Media for Project Managers” (http://www.amazon.com/Social-Project-Managers-Elizabeth-Harrin/dp/1935589113). In addition to discussing what the project managers should do to initialize the use of these new tools on their projects, the book covers legal and security factors that often influence and guide company’s decision to utilize social media tools.

I have always been a fan of online communication and sharing, so usage of Social Media tools in my career and job sound very exciting. Moreover, I can see how social media type of tools are extremely beneficial on projects where a lot of team members telecommute and take advantage of flex time. With these tools, you are able to communicate 24/7 anywhere around the world as long as you are connected to the Internet. Effective project managers will definitely take advantage of these and make their projects even better.

References:

Social Media for Project Managers Elizabeth Harrin. PM Network. September 2010. pg. 69