Leveraging The Cloud Marketplace: to Mitigate Risks, Costs and Complexities

As the author of Amazon's #1 New Release on Cloud Computing, Ed's new book, The Cloud Marketplace: Mitigating Risk, Complexities and Costs takes a close look:-At the top four cloud giants products and services (AWS, Microsoft, Google and IBM)-Breaks down the surrounding cloud marketplace partners and their structure with the Cloud giants-Provides 10 Cloud Use Case categories and their key criteria-Outlines a strategy to transition to the cloud.Written for Chief Information Officers, Chief Financial Officers, Chief Executive Officer and Cloud Channel resellers.The book provides information to use during the cloud transition to develop business advantages: ● Assess software development tools for consistency, obsolescence, cost and capability● Begin provisioning with container and orchestration technology● Build a reference architecture● Improve integration between dissimilar systems● Strengthen security● Increase the use of data standards and open source approaches● Develop a simpler and more consistent environment When assessing the cloud, be mindful of operating principles such as: ● Maintaining focus on desired business outcomes● Developing a plan of how to manage a culture of disruptive change● Learning the cloud marketplace products & services● Assessing the underlying cloud technology● Concurrently designing an exit and entrance strategy, in the event of a chosen cloud vendor’s business viability is no longer sustaining and viable.● Using an activity cost accounting management system to assess the legacy environment for costs, staff activities and areas to improve.● Developing a cloud transition plan● Making the correct staff talent and skill acquisitions Streamlining processes, tasks, self service interfaces and provisioning ● Are your processes and self service interfaces user friendly and intuitive to use?● Do they require a human to manually field and address customer requests?● How integrated are all of the processes?● Do they have the same look and feel to the customer? Table of Contents Chapter 1: The Cloud Value Proposition, including its ChallengesChapter introduction: Business productivity benefitsA brief cloud definitionOutlining the cloud transition challenges What to expect from the cloud, if managed correctlyWhat not to expect from the cloud, anytime soon Chapter 2: No Cloud Strategy, No IT StrategyKey factors influencing cloud adoption Methods of cloud adoptionChapter 3: Understanding the Cloud Giant’s Products Reviewing the plan this book suggests Chapter purpose: Review the cloud giant’s products and servicesCategorizing Cloud giant productsCloud Giants and the environment they have created and live inCloud giant’s product review (Product Sampling)Chapter 4: Understanding the Cloud Marketplace Chapter purpose: How to use the cloud marketplaceA marketplace with global reach: The real secret sauceThe cloud marketplace defined The cloud marketplace vendor considerationsEveryone wins! Relationships between giants, the marketplace vendors and the customerPartnership requirements (as imposed by cloud giants) Tiered partnership structure between the cloud giants and their partners Sample listing of cloud marketplace vendor product categories and servicesWorkday marketplaceSalesforce marketplace Chapter 5: Cloud SolutionsUse Case Criteria 1 Migrating data, applications and servers to the cloudUse Case Criteria 2 Developing a Cloud Integration platformUse Case Criteria 3: Preparing for Cloud StorageUse case Criteria 4: Data ManagementUse case Criteria 5: AnalyticsUse case Criteria 6: Content delivery servicesUse case Criteria 7: Security, risk management and Identity Management SystemsUse case Criteria 8: Machine language