Enterprise Cloud Computing: A Strategy Guide for Business and Technology Leaders [Perfect Paperback]

Andy Mulholland (Author), Jon Pyke (Author), Peter Fingar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2010

We are witnessing the third seismic shift in information technology over the past fifty years. In the beginning it was centralized computing where mainframe computers gave companies economies of scale in handling their data processing. Then it was client-server computing driven by networks and PCs that gave companies new sources of efficiency. Now we are witnessing the emergence of a third computing model and it will have a huge impact on business, -- especially in today's economy full of unexpected change. As with the first two computing models as they emerged, we may not be totally sure what it is or how it will change the rules of business and create new winners and losers in the marketplace. It s called Cloud Computing and the economic and innovation implications are game changing. No one needs to know more about the business implications of Cloud Computing than C-level executives responsible for the future of their organizations, for the wow isn t just about technology, it s about the promise of on-demand business innovation. But even more than understanding this new wave, they need to act, and act now. Written by industry veterans with a combined leadership experience of over 100 years at the intersection of business and technology, Enterprise Cloud Computing provides strategic insights, describes the breakout business models and offers the planning and implementation guidance business and technology leaders need to chart their course ahead. This is the companion book to "Dot.Cloud: The 21st Century Business Platform."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ANDY MULHOLLAND is the Global Chief Technology Officer of the Capgemini Group. An early pioneer in PC/Network technology, Andy's focus on Information Technology, as opposed to traditional Computing, brought him international recognition for Internet-based technology. Andy drew on his wealth of knowledge of Web 2.0 and Service Oriented Architecture technologies to coauthor the book "Mashup Corporations" and a sequel, "Mesh Collaboration." Andy's role of Global CTO includes advising the Capgemini Group management board on all aspects of technology-driven market changes. Andy serves on the technology advisory boards of several organizations, including Cal IT, (the Californian State Technology Board), and has served as a director of various Indus-try boards including the Open Mobile Alliance, and the MIT Supply Chain Group, both working on approaches and standards for aspects of the Mobility and Sensors market. He is also a Fellow of the British Computer Society and a Director of the Open Group, the main forum for introducing Services-based business approaches. Andy regularly gives keynote speeches at major industry events including Oracle OpenWorld, SAP Sapphire, Gartner Symposium, World Customs Organization Conference, GE Research Symposium and Forrester Emerging Technologies Summit.

JON PYKE has over 30 years experience in the field of software engineering and product development. During his career he has worked for a number of software and hardware companies as well as user organizations. Jon is one of the most influential figures in the Business Process Management (BPM) sector. As CTO of Staffware plc (now Tibco) for over 12 years, he can truly claim to be one of the founders of BPM as a means to implement a process improvement culture in business. He was personally responsible for defining many of the key software metaphors that enable BPM to work, and as Chair of the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC), he has also overseen the development of standards. As one of BPMs great thinkers, he has written and published a number of articles on the subject of Office Automation, BPM and Workflow Technology. Jon Coauthored a book covering both technical and business aspects of BPM, "Mastering Your Organization's Processes." Jon demonstrates an exceptional blend of business and people management skills; a technician with a highly developed sense of where technologies fit and how they should be utilized. Jon is a globally recognized industry figure, an exceptional public speaker and a seasoned company executive.

PETER FINGAR, Executive Partner in the business strategy firm, Greystone Group, is one of the industry s noted experts on business process management, and a practitioner with over thirty years of hands-on experience at the intersection of business and technology. Equally comfortable in the boardroom, the computer room or the classroom, Peter has taught graduate computing studies in the U.S. and abroad. He has held management, technical and advisory positions with GTE Data Services, American Software and Computer Services, Saudi Aramco, EC Cubed, the Technical Resource Connection division of Perot Systems and IBM Global Services. He developed technology transition plans for clients served by these companies, including GE, American Express, MasterCard and American Airlines-Sabre. In addition to numerous articles and professional papers, he is an author of nine landmark books including "Dot.Cloud: The 21st Century Business Platform" and "Business Process Management: The Third Wave." Peter has delivered keynote talks and papers to professional conferences in America, Austria, Australia, Canada, China, The Netherlands, South Africa, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Germany, Britain, Italy and France.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Meghan-Kiffer Press (April 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929652290
• ISBN-13: 978-0929652290
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #633,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

PETER FINGAR is an internationally recognized expert on business process management and business strategy. He is a former CIO and practitioner with over thirty years of hands-on experience at the intersection of business and technology.

Peter has taught graduate computing studies and has held management, technical and advisory positions with GTE Data Services, American Software and Computer Services, Saudi Aramco, EC Cubed, the Technical Resource Connection division of Perot Systems and IBM Global Services.

In addition to numerous articles and professional papers, he is an author of nine best-selling books including the just released Dot Cloud: The 21st Century Business Platform Based on Cloud Computing. Peter has delivered keynote talks and papers to professional conferences across the globe. www.peterfingar.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, November 17, 2010

By 

Adrian - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enterprise Cloud Computing: A Strategy Guide for Business and Technology Leaders (Perfect Paperback)

This book is exactly what it claims to be, no more no less. Firstly, what this book is not - it is not a technical introduction to Cloud Computing, SOA, BPM or any of the other acronyms being thrown around lately. It is also not one author's viewpoint on these topics.
It is simply a comprehensive, up to the minute compendium of the state of the IT industry with respect to these new concepts and ideas. And in this respect it is brilliant. It provides an incredibly accurate account of the meaning behind the terms Cloud, SOA, BPM, SaaS, Social Networking, tweets and a dozen other buzzwords, painting a picture that is unified, and complete. How it manages to draw upon so many different viewpoints, from so many experts and SMEs and bring all of this information together to form a cohesive whole is impressive. But it does so. And in doing so this book captures how the IT industry is and will evolve around these issues at a strategic level - exactly as it promises on the cover. If you are a business leader wanting to see into the future, then the only thing that would make this book better is if it was spherical and made out of solid crystal.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Particularly enjoyed Private/Public/Hybrid cloud discussion, September 14, 2010

By 

Vinnie Mirchandani (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Enterprise Cloud Computing: A Strategy Guide for Business and Technology Leaders (Perfect Paperback)

Good, crisp read. We are seeing the battle for the soul of enterprise computing for the next decade or so depending on whether they virtualize and keep computing in-house or take to the far more efficient public cloud. I enjoyed that discussion in book the most. I also enjoy Peter Fingar's style (from earlier books) - he is about big IT and BPM thoughts and unafraid to use colorful language to make points.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for c-level executives, September 12, 2010

By 

A Reader from Chicago (Windy City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enterprise Cloud Computing: A Strategy Guide for Business and Technology Leaders (Perfect Paperback)

If you are looking for a bunch of techno-speak, look elsewhere. This book is not for programmers or technologists looking for technical guidance or programming recipes. It's about how cloud computing is being forged with new categories of resources and services that give business people control over their business processes to compete for the future. The book makes an interesting point that business units, not IT departments, are often driving the uptake of cloud services to solve business problems...in some cases all it takes is a credit card, not an annual IT budget, to tap needed business resources in the Cloud.

The book explains in lay terms what cloud computing is in order to set the context for what it means for the enterprise.
Then it looks at the newly emerged social networks and how they are changing the ways businesses must operate. The book describes the needed shift from Information Technology (IT) to Business Technology (BT) being driven by the ease of use of Consumer IT, and provides the rationale for a Service-Oriented Enterprise that operates in the Cloud. It explains the how business process management (BPM) can become a 'business operating system' in the Cloud, and sets forth a high-level process for the adoption of cloud computing in the enterprise.

The book provides insights and guidance for people who are in some way responsible for the future of their organizations including CEOs, CIOs, CFOs, CMOs and other C-level executives. It will also be useful to IT staff in order to gain common ground with non-technical people on the 'business issues' related to cloud computing.