In an article published recently on Forbes.com, contributor Joe McKendrick wrote about a study that claims that cloud computing makes it easier to innovate. In the Accenture-sponsored study titled, “A new era of innovation: Cloud and the future of business,” the study’s authors identified the adoption of a company’s use of cloud computing in three stages:
1. Technology and operational changes – McKendrick describes this level as, “The one-of-one exchange of traditional applications and resources for those offered as services through the cloud, such as Software as a Service (SaaS).”
2. Business process changes – This stage allows companies the capability “of delivering market innovations that enhance existing products and services, create new ones and enable entry into new markets.”
3. Innovation in business design – The final stage is considered the stage that a company reaches when the commit fully to cloud computing, and “may provide a platform for radical innovation in business design.”
Through this article and study, we’re able to gauge where InfoSpace is positioned among these stages.
For the first level, an example of where InfoSpace made an exchange from traditional software to cloud computing services is with our WebPosition SaaS Reporter product, as referenced in an earlier blog entry.
We have been using cloud computing services, such as those described in the second phase, to enhance our current portal service offerings for our distribution partners. Our new content experience platform, which expands our portal offering to include access to content using mobile phones, tablets and readers, was developed on the Heroku platform (Platform as a Service or PaaS), which, in turn, is hosted on Amazon’s Web Service (Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS).
Despite its current popularity, cloud computing hasn’t entered the technology space without concern. InfoSpace CTO Travis McElfresh is well aware of the potential risks of relying completely on cloud providers, yet considers the public cloud to be an important part of the company’s IT strategy.
“We are at the beginning of reaching the third stage,” he said, “with a considerable amount of attention dedicated to ROI and risks associated with a transformative move towards a deeper leverage of a cloud strategy”, he said. “Still, we expect to be well into this stage by the end of 2012.”
McElfresh shared this and more of his thoughts on cloud computing as a panelist at a recent Harvey Nash CIO Forum.
InfoSpace CTO Travis McElfresh talks a bit about the public cloud before sharing his viewpoints with a panel of other CTO/CIOs.
Whether your company is in the first stage of cloud computing, fully embracing it, or not using it at all, there is still a lot to be discussed over cloud computing, including privacy and security issues to name two. To continue the conversation, or to share how your company is using cloud computing, please visit us on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/infospace.
Tags: cloud computing, Harvey Nash, InfoSpace, Travis McElfresh