Cloud and Enterprise Architecture
The definition of cloud from an enterprise architect perspective is that cloud employs enterprise architecture as a critical tool used in fitting external services into the current environments with technology. Enterprise architecture has taken a new shape in the age of cloud services. Thus, with cloud-integrated into enterprise architecture, the cloud customers can find it quite easy to understand the approach towards the advantage of the new model of business [1]. Cloud technology altogether can be perceived by an enterprises architect as an alternatively more efficient and cheaper option in a business enterprise.
Before taking any considerations into account as an enterprise architect if cloud computing needs to be implemented, it is imperative to learn the issue being dealt with in the enterprise in question. Furthermore, an enterprise architect ought to be perceived as a tool with features capable of managing information and responding to the demands in the modern day complex environments. An enterprise architect should then figure out the need for cloud in an enterprise to help determine the considerations made in support of cloud computing. One of the factors would be the cost of implementation. In fact, the price should be among the topmost considerations. The cost of implementing cloud thus ought to be compared to being the cost of its existent alternative. That is, for cloud storage, the architect can compare it with local manual storage that is accessible off-line. Another consideration that can be made is efficiency; how efficient is the new cloud technology compared to the existing technology regarding functionality. The other concern would be security. Since and enterprises do not wish to be compromised whatsoever, security is a prime consideration. Other considerations worth giving a though include cloud’s compatibility with the system already in place and the ability of the firm to adjust to it. However, the accounts can be categorized into primary and secondary for through prioritization.
Apparently, cloud technology has more benefits than challenges in an enterprise setting. Therefore, in perceiving cloud from EA perspective, benefits as the reduced cost of storage, ease of information accessibility, and information backup are some of the benefits that can be realized. An enterprise forever strives to lower costs of production and increase amount of income. Thus, on the perspective of an EA, the cloud would reduce the costs of storage since with cloud technology in place you only pay for what you use so that you do not have a lot of storage space going to waste [2]. On the subject of accessibility, an EA would find cloud just appropriate for that business as it enables access to business information from anywhere and at any given time. One other benefit that would be noticeable is how secure the cloud platform is. The security is achieved through authentication.
However, the manner in which cloud customers use the technology expose its challenges. The challenges that can be associated with this on EA perspective security. Hence security is both a benefit of a problem when not adhered to accordingly. For instance, a staff member in a business may be working on some data in the cloud account and forget to log out hence exposing the information to security risks.
References
[1] IBM, (2012, September 25). Enterprise
architecture in the age of cloud services. Retrieved from
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/enterprise-architecture-cloud/
[2] Rhoton, J. (2009). Cloud Computing Explained. New York, NY: Recursive Press.
