As I read articles daily about cloud computing, I continually learn that security, privacy, compliance, and integration with existing systems top the list of concerns for enterprise customers who are considering implementing cloud-computing solutions. A recent poll by Unisys is one example of the many polls, surveys and articles that highlight these concerns.
However, I read as many, if not more, articles indicating that enterprise companies list cloud computing among their top initiatives to help improve efficiency, reduce costs, and align IT with business objectives. The InformationWeek 500 report, published this week, is an excellent and high-profile example of the many articles, reports and surveys that clearly confirm enterprise adoption of cloud computing and that we are beginning a major transition in IT service delivery.
While I have read many articles for and against cloud computing, and many articles defining it, I have not read many case studies of enterprises using and switching to cloud-computing solutions. This may be because it is too early to report on the results of new enterprise cloud-computing initiatives, and many large companies are also unwilling or unable to provide the required information about their IT operations for a case study.
That’s why I was happy to see an excellent case study, written by Mary Hayes Weier, of an enterprise switching to cloud-computing solutions as part of the InformationWeek 500 report. It is none other than Salesforce.com, the leading SaaS company, that is switching to SaaS business applications for internal use.
It makes sense for Salesforce to lead the way and promote its switch to SaaS business applications; it is also very interesting to see how Salesforce is doing it, because it provides some insight into how an IT organization may change as it moves to cloud computing.
The changes that struck me the most were the switch to the agile software development method, and the use of Scrum teams that include business and IT professionals. The result has been rapid development of enterprise applications that meet business needs.
It’s a good read, and I look forward to reading, and eventually writing, more case studies of enterprises switching to SaaS business software.
What are some examples and results of switching to SaaS at your organization?
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