On Top of the Cloud E-Book

Hunter Muller

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: Wiley CIO
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 245

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Praise for ON TOP OF THE CLOUD "21st-century CIOs have a dual responsibility: driving down costs and creating new business value. Managing this seeming dichotomy is the domain of top business executives everywhere, and CIOs everywhere are learning to step it up. The original research contained in Hunter's book serves as a practical road map for IT strategy in today's ultra-competitive markets." --Randy Spratt, EVP, CIO, and CTO, McKesson Corporation "This is a thoughtfully written book, and the timing is perfect. Hunter really understands the challenges confronting transformational CIOs in today's markets, and he captures the choices they face as they work to create value for their organizations while driving down the costs of doing business in the modern world. The wealth of information contained in this book makes it truly valuable to career IT leaders and future CIOs alike." --Mark Polansky, Senior Client Partner and Managing Director, Information Technology Center of Expertise, Korn/Ferry International, North America "The cloud involves more than just technology. It's really more of a new business model. Hunter grasps the central truth about cloud computing, and that's why this is a valuable book. Hunter understands the issues and conveys them in a conversational tone that is truly refreshing." --Dave Smoley, SVP and CIO, Flextronics International "You may think this is a book about technology; well it's not. It's a book about leadership, packed with stories about real leaders finding new customers and markets, transforming the way their organizations work, and adding value--with the next generation of technology as the enabler. The cloud holds real potential. Read this book to see how top CIOs are positioning their companies." --Tony Leng, Managing Director, Diversified Search "Hunter has the unique ability to distill the best thinking of world-class CIOs into something you can act on. If you are a technology executive trying to find the right balance between generating business value and managing IT costs, this is the right book for you. On Top of the Cloud will be especially useful for transformational CIOs tasked with developing their company's strategies for technology-driven business growth." --Randy Krotowski, CIO, Global Upstream, Information Technology, Chevron Corporation

Leseprobe

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

A New Business Model

“Thoughtfully Progressive”

Part I: Transformational Leadership

Chapter 1: The Rising Tide

The CIO as Rock Star

Real Stories from Real IT Leaders

Learning from Listening

More Than Technology

The Real Challenge Is Organizational

Leadership Is Essential

Chapter 2: IT Does Matter

Stay Focused on Delivering Value

Replacing the Perpetual Pendulum

Driving the Innovation Agenda

It's All a Question of Perspective

Chapter 3: The Engine of Innovation

Bringing Innovation to the Surface

Incentivizing Innovation

Chapter 4: Finding the Right Balance

Winds of Change

The Third Bucket

The Closer

Outside versus Inside

Articulating the Value of Technology

Chapter 5: The Customer-Focused CIO

Top Line or Bottom Line?

Driving Business Growth

The Rapid Enabler

Own, Rent, or Both?

Multiple Models

Also Consider the User Experience

Chapter 6: To Cloud or Not to Cloud

Fail Fast, Fail Cheap

A Skunk Works in the Cloud

Weaving the Seamless Tapestry

Part II: Driving Change

Chapter 7: In Front of the Firewall

Avon Calling

When the Model Fits

Chapter 8: The New Speed of Change

Updating the Mental Model

Innovation under Pressure

The Cloud on Wheels

Campaigning in the Cloud

Part III: Building Value

Chapter 9: Pushing the Envelope

Two Sides of the Same Coin

A Multiplicity of Clouds

Turn of the Tide

Translating “Speeds and Feeds” into Cash Flow

Chapter 10: Entering the Cloud

Governance Is Fundamental to Success

Due Diligence

Taking “No” Off the Table

Afterword

Meet Our Sources

Recommended Reading

About the Author

About HMG Strategy LLC

Index

Copyright © by Hunter Muller. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at [phone], outside the United States at [phone] or fax [phone].

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Muller, Hunter

On top of the cloud: how CIOS leverage new technologies to drive change and build value across the enterprise/Hunter Muller.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-118-06582-2 (hardback); ISBN 978-1-118-21443-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-21454-1 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-21458-9 (ebk)

1. Information technology—Management. 2. Technological innovations—Management. 3. Cloud computing. 4. Chief information officers. I. Title.

HD30.2.M8495 2012

658 0.0546782—dc23                                                                                 2011038803

For Sandra, Chase, and Brice

Foreword: The Four Horsemen

I think it's safe to say that cloud computing is emerging from a period of chaos and entering an era of increasing standardization and stability.

That doesn't mean the cloud is fully mature, but it does appear to be heading in that general direction.

Why do I believe the cloud is evolving toward maturity? There are several reasons.

First, I believe that a dominant design for the cloud has already emerged. Almost every new technology undergoes a chaotic period of rapid development, followed by the emergence of a dominant design—a set of de facto standards.

For example, when the railways were initially constructed, there was little agreement on how wide apart to place the tracks. Each railway company had its own gauge, its own standards. Eventually, the companies settled on a single standard gauge.

Sometimes an innovative design is so powerful and so compelling that it becomes an icon of the new standard. The Model T Ford is a classic example. A more recent example is the iPod.

For the cloud, this phenomenon is represented by what I call “the four horsemen of dominant design.” The four horsemen are:

1. Servers

2. Network

3. Storage

4. Software

The following table shows the dominant standards emerging in each of the four areas:

Serversx86 architectureNetworkInternet (IP/TCIP)StorageSolid state (SSD)SoftwareSoftware-as-a-Service (SaaS)

These “four horsemen” are the pillars of cloud infrastructure. They are also becoming the lingua franca of a new era in which the interplay between technology and the consumers of technology becomes much more focused on delivering value.

The emergence of a dominant design for cloud computing will likely enable a fundamental shift in information technology (IT) strategy. This shift will inevitably create challenges and opportunities.

Unlike most of our proprietary legacy systems, the cloud is a “tap into” technology. The “tap into” model is very different from the model we've grown accustomed to managing. As a result, IT leaders will be required to develop new skills and new capabilities. We will need to assume a more proactive leadership role in helping our companies make the most of the cloud's potential.

Throughout our history, FedEx has been focused on making connections, all over the world. It's the core of our business. That's one of the many reasons we find the cloud exciting—because it's a platform for making connections on a much larger scale than was imaginable in the past.

To me, the cloud represents the future. Here's a quick story illustrating why I feel this way: We were on a family vacation in the countryside. We had downloaded an app onto my digital tablet that enabled us to identify the stars in the night sky. Because the tablet has a cellular GPS, the app knows where I am. It can even tell which direction of the sky I'm pointing the tablet and the angle I'm holding it. Then it lights up a map of the sky, showing the stars and constellations. Naturally, my kids love it.

And while we're playing with the app and looking at the stars, I'm thinking, “All of the data resides somewhere else, and all of the calculations are being performed somewhere else. And I'm tapping into all that technology capability from the middle of a field.”

The utility and potential of cloud computing seem virtually unlimited. Like emerging technologies of the past, the cloud is evolving from an early state of chaos into a state of greater maturity and stability. Now it's up to us, as leaders and executives, to devise practical strategies for leveraging the cloud's potential as a platform for innovation and success.

Robert B. (Rob) Carter Executive Vice President of FedEx Information Services and Chief Information Officer of FedEx Corp.

Preface

What's Really New about the Cloud?

It seems to be a recurring phenomenon: I finish the manuscript for a book and I am ready to send it to my publisher. Then I find additional sources with fresh insights and great ideas. I call my editor, he growls at me, and we agree to extend the deadline so we can include the new material.

It happened with my first book, The Transformational CIO, and it happened with this book. Days before finalizing the manuscript, I was fortunate to secure interviews with three top thought leaders at IBM—Leslie Gordon, vice president, Office of the CIO, Application and Infrastructure Service Management; Jim Comfort, vice president, Integrated Delivery Platforms, Cloud Computing; and Lauren States, vice president, Enterprise Initiatives, Cloud Technology and Client Innovation, IBM Strategy.

Now my only problem was figuring out where to put their comments in the book. Fortunately, the solution to that problem became apparent almost immediately. The wisdom and insight that Leslie, Jim, and Lauren shared with me were so valuable that I knew they had to go right here, at the front of the book.