10
1
PART
I:
I
NTRODUCTION
1.1
Cloud computing in small to medium‐sized companies: A travel
report on the digital future
When discussing Cloud computing a common question arises. Just as ample
planning and research would occur to decide which mode of transport to
take, a question remains "Should I do it myself or have it done for me? ".
Just like travel options, when it is time to think about Cloud adoption there
are some factors for consideration regarding safety, effectiveness, energy
balances, distances and costs.
Drive yourself or fly
Imagine a customer from Milan is interested in placing an order and
requests you to make a short‐term visit on site. Without a question, you
would make this request possible, but how? Driving your own car would be
too stressful and would takes too long. So, you would fly, using your own
vehicle to drive to the airport.
But where is the parallel to Cloud computing? With the car, you use your
own hardware to get to and from the airport. Driving costs a lot of money.
In addition to the high purchasing price, just owning a car causes ongoing
follow‐up costs through depreciation, taxes and insurance, even if it is
parked in the garage. And as soon as you get behind the wheel, the running
costs for petrol and maintenance add up for each kilometre. Similarly, the
datacentre and server infrastructure causes ongoing costs for network
connectivity, power, air‐conditioning, rent and licenses etc., even if ‐ outside
of working hours, for example ‐ they are only used minimally or not at all. As
soon as work is done with the systems, additional operational costs also
come up, as for example for the required administration staff or for the care
and maintenance of IT‐systems. The bottom line is, the balance of owning
your own vehicle is similarly negative as with operating your own
datacenter. Measured in terms of the necessary capital, energy and
resources neither are very efficient.
Cost planning "on demand"
For your trip, you have relied on an airline as a public service provider,
whose core business is in the transport of passengers. In comparison to the
travel costs incurred by your own vehicle, the airline of course, has far
higher expenses for the acquisition of an aircraft and the operating costs for
