Essay: Cloud Computing For Webb's Store - Key Concepts And Benefits.

The key concepts of Cloud Computing and why do you think that a move to the cloud will benefit Webb’s Store

Cloud Computing includes the usage of software, database and hardware over the Internet and the cloud vendors like Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure provide the cloud services. Webb’s Store like retailers can be largely benefitted from the cloud vendors (Dinh et al., 2013).

The presentation as well as the report will highlight all the cloud technologies via which Webb’s Store can enjoy agile effective services.

The concepts of cloud computing are-

Flexible: If any business organisations want fast effective business activities, then they adopt cloud technology.

Security: The cloud vendors provide the cloud database to the organisations with enhanced security so, the business organisations choosing cloud vendor need not have to worry about security (Azam et al., 2013).

Automatic update: The cloud vendors take all the initiatives to update the hardware, software, and database associated with the cloud technology, the business organisations will not have to take extra effort.

Budget: The business organisations will not have to buy hardware and software for them, basically they are sharing the cloud vendors’ resources so that saves a lot of money for the organisations.

Webb’s Store can adopt cloud technology in their organisations for good. Adopting cloud technology will reduce the budget required to buy extra hardware and software and manage them. They do not have to worry about the software updates involved (Azam et al., 2013). The cloud technology will also help them to embellish their business activities, they can utilise the cloud technology to identify the customers’ shopping patterns and behaviours, can keep track of the products they are purchasing, so ultimately they can predict the customers wish list and demands.

Chaining all the retail stores’ operation into single operation: Amazon AWS will help them to keep record of all the products available in all the retail stores of Webb’s Store. This technology will help them to recognise the stores of Webb’s Store at Victoria (Dinh et al., 2013). They can even be aware of the food products if that get mislaid by simply tagging those products with the unique codes to the food products.

Enhancing business activities: Webb’ Store can configure ‘checkout-free’ system in their stores, now the consumers or the customers will simply pick up a food product of their choice and can simply check-out of the stores, they do not have to worry about the payments, once they check out, the purchase will be sent to the smartphone, they can simply pay the bill with ease, this will save a lot of time of the customers and the customers can have a hassle free shopping experience (Shufeng & Xu, 2012). Webb’s Store in turn can be aware of the shopping trends of the customers by simply keep records of what the customers are picking and purchasing.

Amazon AWS cloud architecture is best in terms of security and advanced cloud features

Flexibility: AWS offers multiple OS, database and web framework to choose from, so definitely it offers flexibility.

Reliability: AWS cloud architecture can be accessed anywhere any time and Amazon spend heavy to ensure security, so it can offer reliable services to Webb;s Store (Shufeng & Xu, 2012).

Cloud computing providing benefits to Webb’s Store

Security: Amazon offers secured database, software and hardware, so definitely Webb’s Store and its customers can enjoy secured services throughout.

Profit: Amazon offers cost-effective service that can save Webb’s Store heavy expenses.

1. SaaS automatically updates and maintain the database.
2. SaaS provides agile services; the cloud applications can execute typically fast using SaaS (Muthui & SISAT, 2013).
3. The customers can make use of SaaS apps when they are travelling.

1. The cloud technology is still a newbie and it contains the security breaches.
2. The cloud technology is solely dependent on the Internet usage and the server, if it falters Webb’s Store and their customers may face problems (Muthui & SISAT, 2013).
3. Webb’s Store will have to configure latest updated system in their support the Cloud technology otherwise they will face all kinds of configuration issues.

Webb’s Store may utilise salesforce.com, Inc., the best known SaaS service provider.

ii. How is it better than other similar services?

1. Salesforce has the better risk and threat control management in comparison to other similar services
2. Webb’ Store will not have to pay any capital initially to use the Salesforce service.
3. Webb’s Store can be benefitted from the Salesforce service as it enhances better product gain (Varia & Mathew, 2014).

Thus Salesforce is better in comparison to other SaaS services and Webb’s Store can be benefitted from Salesforce while using the cloud apps.

iii. What are its specific disadvantages? 

1. Salesforce is very difficult to configure as the configuration charge is huge.
2. Salesforce requires regular maintenance and upgrades like other SaaS services, at that  time Webb’s Store may face difficulties (Varia & Mathew, 2014).
3. The consumers are not so capable of using the cloud services offered.

References 

Azam, Abdollahzadehgan; Ab Razak Che Hussin; Gohary , Marjan Moshfegh Gohary & Mahyar Amini (2013), The OrganizationalCritical Success Factors for Adopting Cloud Computing in SMEs, Journal of Information Systems Research and Innovation (JISRI), Volume 4, Issue 1, pp. 67-74.

Dillon, S., & Vossen, G. (2015). SaaS cloud computing in small and medium enterprises: A comparison between Germany and New Zealand. International Journal of Information Technology, Communications and Convergence, 3(2), 87-104.

Dinh, H. T., Lee, C., Niyato, D., & Wang, P. (2013). A survey of mobile cloud computing: architecture, applications, and approaches. Wireless communications and mobile computing, 13(18), 1587-1611.

Muthui, M., & SISAT, C. (2013). Amazon Web Services.

Shufeng Gao & Xu, Ai, (2012) Boosting Electronic Business Applications by Digitally Enabling SMBs with Cloud Computing Model, 11th International Symposium on Distributed Computing and Applications to Business, Engineering & Science, pp-214-218.

Tsai, W., Bai, X., & Huang, Y. (2014). Software-as-a-service (SaaS): perspectives and challenges. Science China Information Sciences, 57(5), 1-15.

Varia, J., & Mathew, S. (2014). Overview of amazon web services. Amazon Web Services. 

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

IaaS offers the required hardware, software, database to the companies. In this case Amazon offers Webb’s Store the cloud platform to execute their cloud apps securely for fast and effective service (Tsai, Bai & Huang, 2014).

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

PaaS hides the architecture on which the particular application is built upon to run on cloud (Tsai, Bai & Huang, 2014). If any business organisations opt for heavy cloud apps with loads of features to attract customers and also fast effective service, they must go for PaaS service.

Webb’s Store must choose IaaS service for the security benefits it offers. The security comes first, if the database of Webb’s Store gets compromised, and then there is a possibility of losing personal information. Webb’s Store can certainly face huge loss due to this.

Conclusion

It can be concluded from the above discourse that Webb’s Store must adopt cloud technology for good. The report as well as the presentation highlighted why Webb’s Store must choose Amazon AWS for their business and also the IaaS, PaaS and SaaS services have been explained elaborately. This report show lights on use of Salesforce service.

References

Gesvindr, D., & Buhnova, B. (2016). Performance challenges, current bad practices, and hints in paas cloud application design. ACM SIGMETRICS Performance Evaluation Review, 43(4), 3-12.

Zhang, S., Zhang, X., & Ou, X. (2014, June). After we knew it: empirical study and modeling of cost-effectiveness of exploiting prevalent known vulnerabilities across iaas cloud. In Proceedings of the 9th ACM symposium on Information, computer and communications security (pp. 317-328). ACM.