Importance of Information Systems in Transforming Businesses. Cloud Computing - Essay Example

Importance of Information Systems in Transforming Businesses Importance Of Information Systems Cloud computing is a new development in the networking of computers to facilitate communication and resource sharing. Information systems have been improved and have a major function when it comes to aiding the accessibility and usability of cloud computing. The integration of information systems has helped developers to be able to understand the needs of organizations and people who create, process, filter and distribute data using hardware and software networks. According to (Dimitris 2010), cloud computing services have an ability to assemble wide networks because they are vital tools that manage software applications. Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, also called Amazon EC2, is an example of a web service that helps cloud computing developers manage cloud computing with ease (Agmon 2014). The service helps one to configure cloud computing capacity with minimal difficulties. The service developed by Amazon helps developers easily set up cloud computing services that will benefit their needs and be in a position to manage it well (Buyya et al, 2011). Since the inception of cloud computing, users have known its benefits and this has been noted by an increase in usage. The Amazon EC2 is an effective application when the user modifies the application to suit their organization functions (Agmon 2014). The services provided by Amazon EC2 are inexpensive and easy to use and compete favorably in the market space (Chee 2010). Information systems play a major role to facilitate cloud computing. The concept of cloud computing involves data and information not being stored at a static place, according to (Tarrant, 2014). This implies that the applications and software’s which are involved with cloud computing operate on the web these software’s have to be sophisticated, so that they can be accessed by users from different locations and still perform to their best. Accessing the web when you require some data generated or information to be processed is a challenge to many developers who lack appropriate information systems. The applications that run in cloud computing storage need to be efficient to be able to process information from different users (Chee 2010). Amazon EC2 provides developers with the tools which have great importance in maintaining their cloud storage. Cloud computing has enabled people in organizations who are distantly separated can access, share and process information from their remote locations. Cloud computing also enables users who have little knowledge about the system to use it to its full capacity. According to (Dimitris 2010), the Amazon EC2 service has an ability to detect security threats from applications and remove them. This feature has enabled the Amazon EC2 program to compete favorably and stand out of the rest.The use of cloud computing in banks has helped them attract more customers and have benefited (Dimitris 2010). The Amazon EC2 service, when compared to its rivals, can support a greater number of processing tasks and this makes it very efficient for developers. The success of the Amazon EC2 service has also reflected in other companies that attribute to cloud computing. According to (Rainer, 2008), companies such as Mechanical Turk and Powerset have both recorded success. As discussed by (Agmon et al, 2014), the Amazon EC2 has its usage billed according to the number of hours the clients have been hosted at the Amazon data centers. The users can also customize the application to suit their usage and this implies that the Amazon EC2 has well built infrastructures (Agmon et al, 2014). According to (Tarrant, 2014), cloud computing expands the business market of a company and also helps to increase the efficiency of staff production. When an organization uses cloud computing, it helps in the easement of their work load. Employees in the organization can work from any point since while using cloud computing, the data and processing are not made from a specific location. Staff production increases as the staff feel free to perform their roles from any location. (Tarrant, 2014) claims that when an employee is free to perform his or her duties from their satisfactory areas, it builds their commitment to work which in the end will improve on the productivity of the organization. Cloud computing has several benefits which relate to the organization and the employee. Cloud computing has helped businesses to reduce costs, which would otherwise have been used in operations such as site hosting (Asia Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation, 2012). Organizations need to outsource the cloud computing services as this will help ease the burden on the employees and can help provide time that can be used on other productive tasks (Tarrant, 2014). Outsourcing cloud computing services will also help the organization to stay abreast and know about new information systems that have been released into the market. Cloud computing gives users the ability to choose the programs which they want to use. Businesses can have access, use, and be in a position to pay for what they used (Kushida 2011). Cloud computing has come as a problem solving tool in many organizations which embrace it (Chee 2010). Organizations which major in the production and distribution of products have benefited from the tool. However, organizations which are poorly managed run high risks of creating other problems which may make them incur losses (Heijden, 2009). Poor management can result to excessive energy usage, which will make the organization risk incurring a loss. Businesses are also required to uphold ethical standards of professionalism while using cloud computing. The effective management of cloud networking in an organization help ascertain sustainable environment which is necessary for future generations (Heijden, 2009). Public cloud computing has been considered as an interface which helps ensure the users save on cost and this has served as a primary motivating factor. The model has improved computing workloads over the internet, and this benefits its users (Buyya et al, 2011)The interface allows users to accommodate changes by allowing them to modify the information technology resources. The model has its weakness in that its suitability to different organizations can be put into question. According to (Buyya et al, 2011), the developers have to rewrite the workload codebase to suit the subscribed cloud provider. Private cloud computing helps users to minimize costs and some users prefer it because of the automation of various information technology tasks. The model covers for an efficient use of information systems and many users benefit from workload scalability (Buyya et al, 2011)The model has its drawbacks which include its inability to run some programs without difficulties and the support offered is a challenge. Hybrid cloud computing on the other hand, records a more efficient use of resources when compared to private cloud computing. However, users using hybrid cloud computing state that the model has problems when integrated with public and private cloud computing models. This may pose a real problem when one tries to move data from local applications to cloud hosted applications according to (Dimitris et al, 2010). Cloud computing, as discussed by (Kushida 2011), is an important revolutionary tool that when a developer understands the core dynamics, the tool can help increase productivity when efficiently applied. When the office network fails, cloud computing cannot operate and this is a setback to effective office performance since network problems cannot be completely eliminated. The safety of information in the network can be put into question since the information can be available to everyone (Kushida 2011). Cloud computing can be considered as a cheap option to the traditional manual creation, processing and distribution of data, the cost of installation may be high for small businesses and thus as a manager, you need to know the impending costs that come associated with the implementation of advanced information systems (Rainer 2008). The market of cloud computing has grown in the recent years and this shows that the service has a growing market (Kushida et al, 2011). Business executives, scholars and policy developers have all noticed the importance of cloud computing and are keen to implement it in their organization. Government agencies and private clients implement the service as it helps them execute their operational functions and also helps them to keep at bay with their competitors (Kushida et al, 2011). When an organization implements cloud computing, it shows their assertiveness and ability to embrace new upcoming information systems and illustrates the sophistication of the business. The implementation of this information system can give the history of the evolution of cloud computing as a business function (Chee et al, 2010). Cloud computing is a new technology that requires implementation of advanced information systems. As a manager, cloud computing helps influence the corporate efficiency, and help kick start business ventures, you need to consider its drawbacks and its applicability in your organization. As a manager, you need to ensure that the implementation of cloud computing is a priority activity which needs to be well managed. The cost of installation and maintenance and the security threat the organization faces when the information systems are installed. References Agmon Ben-Yehuda, Ben-Yehuda, Muli, Schuser, Assaf, Tsafrir, Dan. ACM Transactions on Economics and Comaputation, ISSN 2167-8375, 1.3 (2013): 1 - 20 Web. 22 Feb. 2014. Asia Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation. Cloud Computing for Business Sustainability. Sage Publishers, 8.4 (2012): 461-474. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. Buyya, R., Broberg, J., & Gościński, A. (2011). Cloud computing: Principles and paradigms. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Chee, Brian J.S and Franklin, Curtis Jr. Cloud Computing: technologies and strategies for the ubiquitous data center. CRC Press, 2010. P. 289 Dimitris, Chorafas N. Cloud Computing Strategies. ISBN Publishers, 2010. P. 350 Heijden, J. G. M. (2009). Designing management information systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kushida, Kenji E., Jonathan Murray, and John Zysman. "Diffusing the Cloud: Cloud Computing and Implications for Public Policy." Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade 11.3 (2011): 209-37. ProQuest. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. Rainer, R K. Introduction to Information Systems: Supporting and Transforming Business. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2008. Print. P. 26 Tarrant, Stuart. Discover How Cloud Computing can improve efficiency & Staff productivity. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. Annotated Bibliography 1. Rainer, R K. Introduction to Information Systems: Supporting and Transforming Business. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2008. Print. P. 26 In the first chapter of this book, the author focuses attention on Amazon EC2 product with the whether this application meets its required targets especially with the emerging market competition trends. However, this chapter asserts that IT solutions offered by Amazon Elastic Cloud are still relevant despite competition from its market peers because of the price attached to accessing the product, which is relatively cheaper. The author further highlights that the success of companies such as Powerset and Mechanical Turk attribute to the cloud computing facility offered by Amazon EC2. The other benefit that EC2 has over other cloud-computing providers as intimated by the author is that it accommodates a high percentage of processing tasks, making it to be far much more efficient as compared to their market peers. The other efficiency created in using Amazon EC2 is that it filters spam content for an organization and also detects malicious software and removes it, which in turn influences high productivity and efficiency for a company using it. 2. Tarrant, Stuart. Discover How Cloud Computing can improve efficiency & Staff productivity. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. In this article, the author discusses the importance of using cloud computing to a business and expounds on how this can increase efficiency in staff productivity. Further, the author also explains the need for outsourcing cloud-computing services as this eases the workload for employees and allows them to concentrate on other productive matters. As per the article, cloud computing also increases worker satisfaction and helps them in developing organizational commitment as this makes their work easier and allows them to work on tasks that will increase productivity. In addition, the author also highlights the need for applying cloud-computing application as this allows for employee mobility as they are able to work from any location. Generally, this author focuses on the positive attributes brought about by cloud computing as the article gives insights as to why this application is an efficient application for business practice and operations. 3. Kushida, Kenji E., Jonathan Murray, and John Zysman. "Diffusing the Cloud: Cloud Computing and Implications for Public Policy." Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade 11.3 (2011): 209-37. ProQuest. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. This article illustrates the benefits that cloud computing has to offer to companies, private consumers and government agencies that use this application in the execution of their operational functions. Further, this journal highlights the actual constitution of cloud computing and the ways in which the market is becoming diverse in applying this function. The journal mainly targets business executives, policy developers, and scholars in the IT field as it is an essential tool for facilitating development in the cloud computing sector as per the changing dynamics of the market. This journal article also illustrates the relevance of cloud computing as an avenue for influencing corporate efficiency and a basis to which entrepreneurs can kick-start their ventures. The argument carried in the article is that cloud computing is a revolutionary technology tool and that understanding the core dynamics embedded in it is the only way of ensuring that this tool increases productivity when applied. 4. Agmon Ben-Yehuda, Ben-Yehuda, Muli, Schuser, Assaf, Tsafrir, Dan. ACM Transactions on Economics and Computation, ISSN 2167-8375, 1.3 (2013): 1 - 20 Web. 22 Feb. 2014. This journal article gives insights on the introduction of the Amazon EC2 application into the cloud computing and gives the terms of use. It discusses how usage of this function began through an hourly rental rate as clients were hosted at a data center hosted by Amazon. The benefits of using this form of cloud computing as discussed by the author is that users can customize the application as per their usage, meaning that it is a well-built infrastructure tool. As per the article, the principle advantage that Amazon EC2 cloud computing offers is that it allows for modification of software configurations in order to make it more efficient towards the intended function. This means that Amazon EC2 cloud computing can be an effective application if modified by a user or tailored to suit the business functions intended as communicated by the author of this journal article. Lastly, the article also points out the increase in usage of this application since its inception as users have understood the benefits associated with its usage. 5. Dimitris, Chorafas N. Cloud Computing Strategies. ISBN Publishers, 2010. P. 350 Here, the author emphasizes that cloud computing services is a virtual evaluation tool that manages software platforms because of its ability to assemble wider networks. This article focuses on the advantages of cloud computing in general and their impact on the productivity of a business or in other fields. Further, the author highlights the various industries in which its application is relevant and the continuing shifts aimed at making this function to be applied in its field. In addition, the author gives the diverse application of this function that stretches out to hardware such as the storage network and the CPU together with software systems that may include databases. On the other hand, the article gives the challenges that this form of cloud computing experiences in the process of executing its functions at both the theoretical and practical levels. According to the author, the discussion on these challenges, aims at making this service delivery avenue to be better and relevant to its target market. 6. Chee, Brian J.S and Franklin, Curtis Jr. Cloud Computing: technologies and strategies for the ubiquitous data center. CRC Press, 2010. P. 289 This article focuses on cloud computing in general as an application that business enterprises, government agencies, and private users have come to rely on as an essential tool for influencing productivity. The article dwells on the price factor associated with putting up the cloud computing services as being relatively fair as compared to the service that it can deliver to a business entity that applies it. The main target that this author had in mind are IT managers as this helps in answering the many questions that they may have about the future of using cloud computing. Further, the article asserts that using cloud computing illustrates the sophistication of a business and gives the history of the evolution of cloud computing as a business function. The author also looks at cloud computing a solution to the many IT challenges that modern day business are facing, especially if applied as per the required standards and tailoring as per the needs of the user. 7. Asia Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation. Cloud Computing for Business Sustainability. Sage Publishers, 8.4 (2012): 461-474. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. This article takes a diversionary approach as the author discusses cloud computing, such as Amazon EC2 as a way enforcing sustainable business practice in terms of profit generation and the management of resources. The author views cloud computing as an IT solution to the many challenges that business organizations face in the execution of services or in the production of goods intended for distribution. However, the article is keen on noting that poor management of this function is also likely to create further problems that may spread to excessive energy consumption that might influence a business to incur losses. Therefore, this author creates a link between cloud computing and the sustainable management practice, which is one of the ways of protecting ecosystems and the environment for future generations. Subsequently, this journal article establishes a link between these two vital practices while ensuring that a business generates profits while still applying ethical standards in the process. Lastly, the author asserts that this journal article is an effective human resource management tool that can help in influencing sustainable environments while still making profits in the present. Read More