Project 1: Overview of Cloud Technology
Describe Cloud Computing
Your supervisor, Sophia, BallotOnline’s director of information technology, has tasked you with creating a presentation that will convince the executives that using cloud-based computing to accommodate BallotOnline’s future growth rather than trying to expand the current infrastructure will help the company do business faster and at lower cost while conserving IT resources.
Key Points
What Is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing refers to the creation and use of remote servers over the internet, instead of via local servers or devices. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), cloud computing is a model for enabling “ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction” (Mell & Grance, 2011).
Major cloud providers include
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Microsoft Azure
Google Cloud
An important part of your presentation to the BallotOnline executives is to help the executive leadership understand cloud service models and cloud deployment models. It will also need to cover the two basic components of cloud infrastructure: cloud compute and cloud storage.
Review
In order to describe the capabilities of cloud computing, you must first have an understanding of network basics and computer networking technologies.
In this step, you will write a brief summary to your executive leadership describing what cloud computing is and the capabilities of the cloud. Post it in the Discussion: Brief Summary of Cloud Computing and engage with your colleagues. You may adapt this summary for your final presentation in the last step.
Take Action
Follow these steps to access the discussion:
Click My Tools in the top navigation bar.
Click Discussions.
Select the relevant discussion.
Once in the discussion, you can Start a New Thread, as well as respond to threads others have created. Use the discussion to develop awareness, share your thoughts, ask questions, and reflect. Remember that everyone brings a valuable and unique perspective, and treat everyone with respect.
When you have finished, you can move on to the next step, where you will begin research into the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing.
References
Mell, P., & Grance, T. (2011). Special publication 800-145: The NIST definition of cloud computing. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Retrieved from https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-145/final
Project 1: Overview of Cloud Technology
Step 1: Start Here
This comic strip is set in the BallotOnline staff meeting. The CEO is presenting to the group from in the front of the room. You, the student, and your boss, Sophia, director of IT, are seated in the audience. The CEO states, “Today, 14 countries and several states use some form of online voting, with many more looking to start. The time is right for BallotOnline to expand our operations in several countries.” The presentation slide reads “Report From International Joint Conference on Electronic Voting” and shows a line graph showing that the use of online voting has increased over the past few years The student says to Sophia, “Sophia, is our infrastructure up to it? More data centers and servers would be expensive. Sophia replies, “That’s where you come in. We need to propose that we expand our infrastructure to the cloud.
As an IT analyst for BallotOnline, a company providing voting solutions to a global client base, you are working to convince the organization to move its infrastructure to a public cloud. With the growth the company is experiencing and the internal data centers maxed out, you want to get the executives on board with moving to a public cloud rather than trying to expand the current infrastructure.
This project will be completed in a series of steps, in which you will explore cloud technologies and cloud architecture and how they can be used in the organization.
Your presentation with audio narration will educate the executives on cloud computing and its benefits (and drawbacks) to the company. To complete your analysis, you will need to cover the following:
description of cloud computing
basic capabilities of the cloud
advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing
analysis of economic implications
IT business needs
SWOT analysis
There are six steps in this project. In your final narrated PowerPoint presentation, you will be assessed on your ability to convey your understanding of cloud computing and how it can be used to benefit your organization, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing and providing a detailed business analysis covering financial considerations, business requirements, and an analysis of threats and opportunities.
Check the Project 1 FAQ thread for Project 1 in the discussion area for any last-minute updates or clarifications about the project.
This project will take about three weeks. Now that you have an idea of the task ahead, click on Step 1 to get started.
Take Action
Follow these steps to access the discussion:
Click My Tools in the top navigation bar.
Click Discussions.
Select the relevant discussion.
Once in the discussion, you can Start a New Thread, as well as respond to threads others have created. Use the discussion to develop awareness, share your thoughts, ask questions, and reflect. Remember that everyone brings a valuable and unique perspective, and treat everyone with respect.
Take Note
Getting Help:
To obtain technical assistance, fill out the support request form: (https://umuc.secure.force.com/WebToCase )
Make sure you fill out the fields on the form as shown below.
Case Type: UMGC Virtual Labs Support
Customer Type: Student (Note: faculty should choose Staff/Faculty)
SubType: CLOUD COMPUTING (CCA)
SubType Detail: Pick the category that best fits the issue that you are experiencing.
Email: The email that you currently use for classroom communications
In the form’s description box, provide information about the issue. Include details such as steps taken, system responses, and add screenshots or supporting documents.
Competencies
Your work will be evaluated using the competencies listed below.
1.8: Create clear oral messages.
5.1: Evaluate the business IT needs of an organization.
5.2: Propose strategies the organization can employ using cloud solutions to enhance organizational effectiveness.
5.3: Evaluate cloud adoption as a viable solution based on cost benefits and desired outcomes.
5.4: Articulate insights to leadership on the appropriate course of direction on the identified IT business needs.
6.1: Articulate the systems architecture of the cloud – cloud infrastructure, cloud service, cloud platform, and cloud storage.
6.3: Assess and compare cloud services delivery models (XaaS).
6.4: Evaluate deployment models – private, public, hybrid, etc.
6.5: Investigate the underlying technologies (virtualization, data center infrastructure, servers).
Project 1: Overview of Cloud Technology
Step 2: Research Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing
Now that you have defined important terms and summarized the basic capabilities of the cloud, it is time to explore the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing.
Currently, BallotOnline is running at full capacity and needs to expand its IT infrastructure to accommodate its growing needs. Instead of expanding current on-premise IT infrastructure by building or acquiring a new data center, Sophia has suggested that the cloud may be more efficient and cost-effective than adding more traditional physical data center space.
This information that you research will be useful in your final presentation in the last step.
When you have completed the research, move to the next step, where you will consider the budgetary aspects of a move to the cloud and the implications for the organization.
Project 1: Overview of Cloud Technology
Step 3: Analyze Economic Implications
Now that you have weighed the benefits and drawbacks of cloud computing, it’s time to take a close look at the economic implications of a move to the cloud. All organizations (for-profit, nonprofit, or government) have finite budgets. Management must allocate these financial assets appropriately so that the leaders can make sound business decisions and meet the objectives of the organization.
Information technology (IT) is a key strategic function to help support the objectives of an organization. Businesses first used information systems to replace paper-based methods of helping management perform these functions, and that use continues today. Managers must be able to understand different IT models to make the best financial investment decisions for the organization.
The financial requirements for the cloud computing model are different than the financial requirements for an on-premise model. Cloud computing shifts budgets to a pure operating expense model, whereas the traditional on-premise computing model requires both capital and operating expense allocations.
Several free calculators to help estimate the cost of cloud services exist on the web, including the AWS Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator and Azure TCO Calculator. Alternatively, you may find other calculators to estimate your cloud cost. Most cloud providers have their own cloud cost estimator tools. If the calculator that you selected does not show on-premise data, then you can recalculate using one of the other calculators that do provide this data.
For your economic analysis, enter the information from BallotOnline’s IT Budget and Infrastructure Summary into your chosen calculator to estimate TCO for the current physical IT infrastructure configuration. Then estimate TCO for a comparable configuration in the cloud to estimate the potential cost savings.
Write the summary of the economic implications, showing the savings and how you arrived at them, and submit it after reviewing the instructions below.
In the next step, you will define the business requirements for the organization as part of the cloud computing analysis.
After considering the economic aspects of the cloud, the next logical step is to narrow the particular requirements of cloud computing for the organization. It is important that your presentation works toward building a business case for cloud computing.
Your presentation must address BallotOnline’s business requirements and critical IT requirements related to data storage. Make sure you classify the requirements into functional (behavior) and nonfunctional, as per the requirements definition link.
Take Note
The business requirements should be explicit directives specifying what the solution should deliver for the business, formulated using imperative language (system should, or must, or will do this and that) rather than a general description of cloud solution features.
Upload your list of requirements for feedback after reviewing the instructions below.
Take Action
Submit your assignment to your instructor for review and feedback.
Follow these steps to access the assignment:
Click My Tools in the top navigation bar.
Click Assignments.
Select the relevant assignment.
Project 1: Overview of Cloud Technology
Step 5: Prepare a SWOT Analysis
In this step, you will apply the information gathered in the business analysis to assess the benefits and possible drawbacks of adopting cloud infrastructure for BallotOnline.
Take Note
What Is a SWOT Analysis?
SWOT analysis acronym stands for Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
Iamnee/Essentials Collection/iStock
Your supervisor, Sophia, recommends that you include a SWOT analysis in your presentation, since the BallotOnline company executives will want you to go over both the advantages and disadvantages of cloud adoption and any important internal and external factors that may influence the success of the project.
Take Action
Demonstrate your critical-thinking abilities by identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of adopting cloud computing.
First, articulate each of these areas for the SWOT analysis:
Identify the key strengths (advantages) of adopting cloud computing.
Identify the major weaknesses (disadvantages) of adopting cloud computing.
Are there any opportunities that cloud computing enables the organization to take advantage of?
What are the threats that an organization considering adopting cloud computing needs to consider?
Next, evaluate how to achieve the following outcomes to add to the SWOT analysis:
How can you use strengths to take advantage of opportunities?
How can you overcome weaknesses to take advantage of opportunities?
How can you use strengths to avoid threats?
How can you minimize weaknesses and avoid threats?
Use the SWOT analysis template to organize your ideas.
When you have completed the SWOT analysis, move to the last step, which is the final presentation.
Project 1: Overview of Cloud Technology
Step 6: Prepare a Presentation on Benefits and Possible Drawbacks of Adopting Cloud Infrastructure
In this step, you will prepare your presentation for the BallotOnline executives. This presentation should present them with a compelling business case and cover the benefits and possible drawbacks of adopting cloud infrastructure, data on cloud economics, and a demo of some basic cloud capabilities.
Take Note
These asynchronous presentations must include an audio narrative.
Your presentation will include an executive summary along with the following from previous steps:
Overview of cloud computing
summary of service and deployment models
summary of cloud compute and storage infrastructure components
advantages and disadvantages
economic analysis
IT business requirements (provide a concise description of what each bullet should ensure)
SWOT analysis
When the assignment is ready for grading, submit your narrated presentation after reviewing the instructions below.
Check Your Evaluation Criteria
Before you submit your assignment, review the competencies below, which your instructor will use to evaluate your work. A good practice would be to use each competency as a self-check to confirm you have incorporated all of them. To view the complete grading rubric, click My Tools, select Assignments from the drop-down menu, and then click the project title.
1.8: Create clear oral messages.
5.1: Evaluate the business IT needs of an organization.
5.2: Propose strategies the organization can employ using cloud solutions to enhance organizational effectiveness.
5.3: Evaluate cloud adoption as a viable solution based on cost benefits and desired outcomes.
5.4: Articulate insights to leadership on the appropriate course of direction on the identified IT business needs.
6.1: Articulate the systems architecture of the cloud – cloud infrastructure, cloud service, cloud platform, and cloud storage.
6.3: Assess and compare cloud services delivery models (XaaS).
6.4: Evaluate deployment models – private, public, hybrid, etc.
6.5: Investigate the underlying technologies (virtualization, data center infrastructure, servers).
Take Action
Submit your assignment to your instructor for review and feedback.
Follow these steps to access the assignment:
Click My Tools in the top navigation bar.
Click Assignments.
Select the relevant assignment.
