6
Preamble
What does ordering a coffee have to do with the Cloud
"
A cup of coffee with milk, please." This is a simple order that leads to the
conclusion of a purchase contract. At this point, most people will not be
interested where the coffee beans came from, what kind of coffee machine
was used, or how the milk froth was produced.
A similar thing applies when you purchase some complex machines. If you
are buying a car, you ask about the extras, the fuel consumption and the
colour, but nobody asks about the innumerable, underlying supply
relationships or the highly complex production processes. Everybody
assumes that the quality assurance measures work and thus expect a vehicle
that works, too. It is useful that clear‐cut product liability on the part of the
seller automatically applies here, thus shifting the onus of risk off the
purchaser's shoulders.
In the fairly young IT industry this has been different, and it still is in part.
The details, technology, interfaces, memory and many other things are
discussed, purchased, maintained and operated by the purchasers
themselves.
It is precisely this that is now changing, much faster than IT itself has
developed over the last 20 years. The Cloud has introduced a paradigm shift
and therefore the way IT systems are created is changing, from
individualised, small‐scale manufacturing to industrial production. This book
explains the processes.
The questions this book answers
First and foremost, what is the "Cloud"? What has it changed already, and
what will it change in the future? What options, opportunities and risks does
it expose and what do you need to consider in every case? What is changing
in corporate organisation and how can one ensure quality?
Who this book is intended for
This book is intended for managers and business owners who need to think
about Cloud services, who want to know more about them, but perhaps are
not themselves specialists. Our aim is to empower the reader of this book,
during a transatlantic flight, or during a single weekend, to identify and
understand all of the relevant aspects to Cloud adoption, enabling them to
