Cloud Computing For Business | MetaSoft Case Study

Learning Outcomes

Slide Notes: Cloud computing is the technology that helps to transfer data over Internet securely. This is responsible for helping to access the respective shared pool of numerous system resources that are configured easily. Cloud computing is also used for sharing of resources and delivering the hosted services.

Slide Notes: Cloud computing comprises of various characteristics and these are given below:

1. i) Quality Service: Cloud computing provides quality service to the users.
2. ii) On Demand Services: Cloud computing provides services on demand.

iii) Resource Pooling: The resources could be increased whenever needed.

1. iv) Pay as per Use: The users only pay for that resource, which is being used by him.
2. v) Elasticity: Cloud computing allows both increasing and decreasing of the resources as per demand.

Slide Notes: Since, MetaSoft is a software company, the shifting to the cloud is much effective for them, since they can easily gain cost savings for the maintenance of their ICT infrastructure. They have engaged a consultant in this purpose, so that they get proper knowledge on the daily operations. The support staffs of this organization are working on few projects and thus cloud shifting would be effective for them.

Slide Notes: The technology of cloud computing comprises of three architecture models or three service models. These are as follows:

1. i) Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS: This service model provides virtualized infrastructures to the clients.
2. ii) Platform as a Service or PaaS: This particular cloud service model provides application platform for customizing the applications.

iii) Software as a Service or SaaS: This specific cloud service model provides virtualized platform for creating or developing software.

Slide Notes: Apart from the three architecture models of cloud, there are four deployment models as well. They are as follows:

1. i) Public Cloud: The public cloud allows transfer of data from both sides, that is there is no such restriction of selected users.
2. ii) Private Cloud: This is exact opposite of public cloud, where only authenticated and restricted users are allowed to use.

iii) Hybrid Cloud: This is the amalgamation of private and public cloud, which comprises of the properties of both private and public cloud.

1. iv) Community Cloud: This particular cloud allows a community of people to access their data.

Slide Notes: MetaSoft Ltd would be getting various advantages if they will shift to cloud and these cloud advantages are as follows:

1. i) Less Costs: The technology is cost effective.
2. ii) 24*7 availability: The user can be available always.

iii) Capacity Flexibility: The capacity could be increased or decreased flexibly.

1. iv) Easy Functioning: The functioning is extremely easier.
2. v) Auto Updates of Software: The software are updated automatically in cloud.
3. vi) High Security: Cloud computing is extremely safe and secured.

vii) Enhanced Collaboration: The collaboration between the departments is easier with cloud computing.

viii) Easy Management: The easy management of the technology is another significant advantage of this technology.

Slide Notes: IaaS is a basic form of cloud computing that helps in providing several computing resources that are virtualized. The cloud provider of IaaS can easily host all the components of the infrastructure on the data centre. Moreover, the respective provider of cloud helps in supplying several services to accompany these infrastructure components. Hence, load balancing is easily maintained here.

Slide Notes: MetaSoft Ltd would be getting several advantages if they will select infrastructure as a service and these advantages are given below:

1. i) Scalability and Flexibility: IaaS is absolutely scalable and flexible and thus migration is easier here.
2. ii) Faster Time: IaaS is extremely fast than any other service model.

iii) Support for Disaster Recovery: The disaster recovery is supported by this service model.

1. iv) Focus on business growth: The growth of business is focused by this service model.

Slide Notes: The architecture of PaaS helps to provide various software and hardware tools and thus the software and hardware are hosted by the PaaS provider. Moreover, platform as a service can install the software and hardware for running the new applications.

Cloud Computing Advantages for MetaSoft

Slide Notes: MetaSoft Ltd. would be getting several advantages if they will choose platform as a service and these advantages are as follows:

1. i) Easy Migration: PaaS allows easy migration for the clients.
2. ii) Innovation: The innovation is better in PaaS.

iii) Cost Effective: PaaS is extremely cost effective.

1. iv) Auto Updates of Software: The software updates are provided automatically.
2. v) Maximizes Uptime: The uptime is maximized by PaaS.

Slide Notes: The first feature of SaaS is that it provides virtualized platform for the creation of software. Moreover, the easy up gradation of software is easier with this and since MetaSoft Ltd is a medium sized company, this particular service model would be effective.

Slide Notes: MetaSoft Ltd will be various advantages of SaaS if they will choose this particular service model and these advantages are given below:

1. i) Reduced Time Consumption: The overall time consumption of this particular service model is extremely less and thus the user gets enough profit from this.
2. ii) Cost Effectiveness: SaaS model is extremely cost effective and hence could be utilized by every organization. Moreover, it is even considered as the most cost effective service model of cloud computing.

iii) Increased Integration: SaaS service model allows increased integration and thus collaboration is easier.

1. iv) Easy Software and Hardware Updates: The software and hardware updates are much easier than IaaS and PaaS.
2. v) Easy to Use: SaaS model is extremely easier to use and hence could be used by all organizations.
3. vi) Scalability: The scalability and flexibility enables easy migration to cloud.

Slide Notes: The most significant differences between the three models of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS are given below:

1. i) Security: IaaS is highly secured. PaaS is not at all secured and SaaS is moderate secured.
2. ii) Cost: IaaS is extremely costly. PaaS is cost effective and SaaS is the cheapest of the three.

iii) Migration: Migration with IaaS is difficult. Migration with PaaS is extremely easy because it is flexible and that with SaaS is moderately easier.

Slide Notes: The most popular examples of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS are as follows:

1. i) Examples of IaaS: Amazon Web Services or AWS, Google Compute Engine, Microsoft Azure, Rackspace, Cisco Metapod and many more.
2. ii) Examples of PaaS: Apache Stratos, Google App Engine, Heroku, Micrsoft Azure and AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

iii) Examples of SaaS: Salesforce, Dropbox, WebEx, Google Apps and Concur.

Slide Notes: MetaSoft Ltd should select infrastructure as a service as their service model since IaaS comprises of various advantages. Although the implementation cost is much higher than the rest of the models in IaaS, the medium sized companies can easily afford them. Since, MetaSoft Ltd is a medium sized Software Company; they can easily afford this particular service model. IaaS is highly secured, reliable and scalable. Moreover, it does not take up huge time for migration

Office automation refers to the computer machinery as well as software that is used for creating, collecting, storing and even manipulating the information in digitalized manner. This type of information is extremely vital for the successful accomplishment of various tasks (Jula, Sundararajan, & Othman, 2014). The storage of raw data, electronic transfers and finally managing the basic electronic business data together consist of the activities of this office automation system. The proper optimization as well as automation is easily done with the existing office processes. The main advantage of this office automation system is that it is extremely fast and the requirement of huge number of employees in an organization is solely eradicated. There is no need for huge capacity of data storage in this type of system. The company of MetaSoft Ltd is responsible for creating various types of software for their clients. These clients would be getting the few basic abilities to access the office automation systems like online file storing, spreadsheet capability, electronic mails and even word processing (Toosi, Calheiros & Buyya, 2014). The board of MetaSoft Ltd is worried regarding the various problems and this particular purpose has enabled them to take the decision of involving office automation system within their business. Few approaches are present for the office automation system for this company of MetaSoft Ltd and within them the most efficient approaches are structured approach and ad hoc approach.  They can select any one from these two approaches for accomplishing their organizational goals.

Cloud Architecture Models

Structured approach is the very first approach of office automation that is suitable for this company of MetaSoft Ltd. Structured approach eventually follows some of the basic steps here (Li et al., 2015). When all these steps are not being executed perfectly, this approach does not work.

The merits of structured approach are given below:

1. i) Procedural Approaching: The first merit of this particular approach is its procedural approaching. There are a series of steps involved here and this type of procedural approach is extremely effective for any organization.
2. ii) User Friendly: Structured approach is user friendly and could be used by all users.

Although, the above mentioned merits are present in this approach, there are some demerits also present here and these are given below:

1. i) Lesser Speed: The total speed of this approach is extremely less and hence this is a demerit of this approach (Shiraz et al., 2013).
2. ii) Wrong Input Data: The data input is often detected erroneous in the structured approach.

Ad hoc approach is the next significant approach suitable for MetaSoft Ltd. This approach provides the fastest and the simplest solution without proper adaption. Each and every purpose of the client could be easily fulfilled by this approach.

The merits of the ad hoc approach are given below:

1. i) Super Fast: Ad hoc is the fastest approach for office automation in any specific organization.
2. ii) Lack of Complexity: The second advantage of this approach is that there is absolutely no complexity presents here (Zhang et al., 2013).

Although, the above mentioned merits are present in this approach, there are some demerits also present here and these are given below:

1. i) Dependent on Testing: The first demerit of this approach is that it is completely dependent on testing and the approach could not be avoided at all.
2. ii) Lack of Process: No proper sequence or process is maintained in the approach and hence it is termed as the significant issue of ad hoc approach.

The suggested approach for MetaSoft Ltd for their office automation system is the ad hoc approach (Wu et al., 2013). The major reason for selecting this particular approach is that it is extremely efficient and effective than structured approach. The most significant reason for this is that the time consumption is very less here and provides correct data to its clients.

The organization of MetaSoft Ltd is a software developing company, which is responsible for creating software for the clients, who are from Australia and New Zealand. There are several complexities that are being faced by this organization and thus the major decision is taken by them to shift the various computer infrastructures to a public cloud. Cloud computing comprises of several advantages and hence they have selected cloud for the business (Papagianni et al., 2013). They could even obtain cost savings by shifting to the cloud architecture. Around 100 software engineers and support staffs have been working on few projects within the company. Therefore, for the maintenance of flexibility, scalability and responsiveness of the organization, cloud migration is effective. There are two suitable cloud service models present for the migration of this organization. These are infrastructure as a service and platform as a service.

The major dissimilarities between the infrastructures of IaaS and PaaS are given below:

Main Features	Infrastructure as a Service	Platform as a Service
1. Definition of the Service Model	Infrastructure as a service is a service model of cloud computing, which provides any type of virtualized infrastructure for the clients for allowing them in accessing and monitoring the several computing resources (Sultan, 2013).	Platform as a service is the service model of cloud computing, which provides the application platforms for the customers to create the customized applications eventually.
2. Characteristics of the Service Model	i) Infrastructure as a service comprises of good availability of resources. ii) The next feature of this particular service model is that it is extremely secured. iii) Flexibility is the next feature of IaaS.	i) The first characteristic of PaaS is that the customized applications could be easily created by this. ii) The integration of all web services and databases is easily done by platform as a service (Yan et al., 2016).
3. Main Benefits of the Service Model	i) The first merit of the infrastructure as a service is that it provides excess security to the clients. ii) The second advantage of this service model is that the higher flexibility. iii) The better control of this virtualized infrastructure is another important advantage (Etro, 2015).	i) The higher speed of this service model is the major advantage of the PaaS. ii) The easier migration to any type of cloud is the merit of platform as a service.
4. Examples	Microsoft Azure and AWS or Amazon Web Services.	Google Apps Engine and Windows Azure.

The problems, which are common for both IaaS and PaaS are given below. The two problems of platform as a service are:

1. i) Lack of Security: PaaS does not have enough security and hence there is often a chance of data loss.
2. ii) No Control of Data: The lack of controlling the data in PaaS is yet another important demerit of this service model (Huang & Nicol, 2013).

The two problems of infrastructure as a service are:

1. i) Highly Expensive: The first issue of IaaS is that it is not possible to afford this cloud service model by everyone.
2. ii) Lack of Interoperation: The next problem of IaaS is that no interoperation is present here.

There are three models of service within cloud computing and these are PaaS, SaaS and IaaS. The major dissimilarities between these three abovementioned service models are given below:

Main Features	Infrastructure as a Service	Platform as a Service	Software as a Service
1. Definition of the Service Model	Infrastructure as a service is a service model of cloud computing, which provides any type of virtualized infrastructure for the clients for allowing them in accessing and monitoring the several computing resources (Azodolmolky, Wieder & Yahyapour, 2013).	Platform as a service is the service model of cloud computing, which provides the application platforms for the customers to create the customized applications eventually.	Software as a service is the significant service model of cloud computing technology, which represents several alternative of cloud for creating software on virtualized platform.
2. Characteristics of the Service Model	i) Infrastructure as a service comprises of good availability of resources. ii) The next feature of this particular service model is that it is extremely secured. iii) Flexibility is the next feature of IaaS.	i) The first characteristic of PaaS is that the customized applications could be easily created by this. ii) The integration of all web services and databases is easily done by platform as a service (Al-Roomi et al., 2013).	i) The most important feature of the software as a service is that it could be accessed from the central locations. ii) SaaS has the feature of getting hosted on several servers.
3. Main Benefits of the Service Model	i) The first merit of the infrastructure as a service is that it provides excess security to the clients. ii) The second advantage of this service model is that the higher flexibility. iii) The better control of this virtualized infrastructure is another important advantage.	i) The higher speed of this service model is the major advantage of the PaaS. ii) The easier migration to any type of cloud is the merit of platform as a service.	i) The first merit of the software as a service is that easier software and hardware up gradation is possible here (Avram, 2014). ii) Cost effectiveness is another important merit of this cloud model. iii) Time consumption is extremely less in SaaS.
4. Examples	Microsoft Azure and AWS or Amazon Web Services	Google Apps Engine and Windows Azure.	Google Apps and Cisco WebEx.

Cloud Deployment Models

The recommended service model of cloud for MetaSoft Ltd is infrastructure as a service. IaaS will be highly effective for SharePoint Services.

The merits of this model are given below:

1. i) Security: IaaS is secured and hence is much popular (Etro, 2015).
2. ii) Flexibility: This cloud service is model is flexible enough for easy data migration.

iii) Fast: The service model is much faster than any other model and thus MetaSoft Ltd can get various advantages due to this. Moreover, the total profit of the organization is also increased by this particular cloud service model.

There are some of the previously existing issues or problems with the recommended model, which is IaaS (Sultan, 2013). However, these problems could be resolved with proper measures.

The issues of IaaS with the relevant solutions are given below:

1. i) Lack of Controlling Server: There is absolutely no control over the servers in IaaS.

The issue could be solved by involving the SSL certificates (Zhang et al., 2013).

1. ii) Implementation Costs: The implementation costs of the service model is very high.

The issue could be solved by reducing the customization.

References

Al-Roomi, M., Al-Ebrahim, S., Buqrais, S., & Ahmad, I. (2013). Cloud computing pricing models: a survey. International Journal of Grid and Distributed Computing, 6(5), 93-106.

Avram, M. G. (2014). Advantages and challenges of adopting cloud computing from an enterprise perspective. Procedia Technology, 12, 529-534.

Azodolmolky, S., Wieder, P., & Yahyapour, R. (2013). Cloud computing networking: Challenges and opportunities for innovations. IEEE Communications Magazine, 51(7), 54-62.

Etro, F. (2015). The economics of cloud computing. In Cloud Technology: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 2135-2148). IGI Global.

Huang, J., & Nicol, D. M. (2013). Trust mechanisms for cloud computing. Journal of Cloud Computing: Advances, Systems and Applications, 2(1), 9.

Jula, A., Sundararajan, E., & Othman, Z. (2014). Cloud computing service composition: A systematic literature review. Expert Systems with Applications, 41(8), 3809-3824.

Li, J., Li, J., Chen, X., Jia, C., & Lou, W. (2015). Identity-based encryption with outsourced revocation in cloud computing. Ieee Transactions on computers, 64(2), 425-437.

Papagianni, C., Leivadeas, A., Papavassiliou, S., Maglaris, V., Cervello-Pastor, C., & Monje, A. (2013). On the optimal allocation of virtual resources in cloud computing networks. IEEE Transactions on Computers, 62(6), 1060-1071.

Shiraz, M., Gani, A., Khokhar, R. H., & Buyya, R. (2013). A review on distributed application processing frameworks in smart mobile devices for mobile cloud computing. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 15(3), 1294-1313.

Sultan, N. (2013). Knowledge management in the age of cloud computing and Web 2.0: Experiencing the power of disruptive innovations. International journal of information management, 33(1), 160-165.

Toosi, A. N., Calheiros, R. N., & Buyya, R. (2014). Interconnected cloud computing environments: Challenges, taxonomy, and survey. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), 47(1), 7.

Wu, X., Deng, M., Zhang, R., Zeng, B., & Zhou, S. (2013). A task scheduling algorithm based on QoS-driven in cloud computing. Procedia Computer Science, 17, 1162-1169.

Yan, Q., Yu, F. R., Gong, Q., & Li, J. (2016). Software-defined networking (SDN) and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks in cloud computing environments: A survey, some research issues, and challenges. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 18(1), 602-622.

Zhang, W., Wen, Y., Guan, K., Kilper, D., Luo, H., & Wu, D. O. (2013). Energy-optimal mobile cloud computing under stochastic wireless channel. IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, 12(9), 4569-4581.