By wutaojun | May 8, 2011
The 8th annual MIT Sloan CIO Symposium is fast approaching. On May 18, this one-day, international conference for CIOs and IT leaders, will take place on MIT campus.
In plenary sessions as well as more intimate panels, leading academics from MIT join CIOs from leading companies including Brad Peterson,CIO, Charles Schwab, Kirsten O. Wolberg, CIO, salesforce.com, and Ina Kamenz, CIO, Thermo Fisher Scientific. Each will look beyond the day-to-day issues and explore a wide spectrum of solutions that will prepare IT executives for the dynamic times ahead.
One of the panels will discuss Cloud Computing Spectrum: From Low Hanging Fruit To Game-changing Transformation. The panel comprises CIOs, leaders from mainstream cloud computing providers, and management and technology consulting executives:
Ted Schadler (Moderator), VP & Principal Analyst, Forrester Research
Ina Kamenz, VP & CIO, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Alexander Onik, Director of Partner Architects, VMware
Ali Shadman, VP & Chief Technologist, Technology Consulting, Hewlett-Packard Company
Kirsten O. Wolberg, CIO, salesforce.com
The panel blurb reads:
Cloud computing is an evolving concept with many different implementations. Numerous cloud computing offerings, such as public, private, and hybrid clouds, and service models, such as SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, confuse even industry veterans and slow down decision making. This Cloud Computing Spectrum panel will invite technology and business leaders of mainstream IT industry vendors to explain the ecosystem of cloud computing and characteristics of future computing. They will analyze how traditional vendors advance towards one-stop IT shop through independent R&D, M&A, or coalition with partners. The panel discussion about switching cost, technology trend and provision model will help CIOs to understand various cloud computing solutions and prepare for the cloud age.
Other industry experts include: MIT Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson, author, Tami Erickson, MIT research scientist, Jeanne Ross and executives from McKinsey and the Corporate Executive Board, among others.
For more information, visit www.mitcio.com. This symposium is a part of the MIT 150th Anniversary celebration, where tomorrow is being invented today.
Topics: Business & Strategy, CIO Track, Cloud Computing, Economics: IT Staffing & Discretionary Budgets, innovation | 2 Comments »
2 Responses to “Cloud Computing Spectrum: From Low Hanging Fruit To Game-changing Transformation”
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I’d be keen to get a transcript of the symposium, if at all possible.
I have had solid realworld commercial and technical experience in implementing private cloud and integrating it with public cloud in the enterprise. The reality has only some bearing on the ‘hype’ of quick, easy and cheap in many cases.
It was only after I transformed an organisation’s entire IT cost base to a per user per month per application (PUMPA) equivalent, did I prove that a ‘low cost’ enterprise SaaS system was one of the highest per user per month costs for all enterprise apps, companywide. It was more expensive on a PUPM basis than the BI system, and well above the ERP system.
Not to mention the complexity and effort in managing the SaaS system’s governance to meet minimum SDLC change control criteria.
What percentage of SaaS providers can support an Escrow arrangement in case they go out of business (and some will)? Some can provide some sort of Escrow, others just cannot.
Moreover, the ‘commodity’ computing – electricity grid analogy is only partly true (at this stage in the maturity of Cloud) as, unlike the real utility companies, the interchange barriers for Cloud are rich with cost, risk and governance challenges for the unwary. The true analogy is like having to re-wire all or part of your house if you wished to switch electicity utility providers!
Proceed in haste, count the cost at your liesure, or you may be lucky and hit your goal first time. Most importantly, know which questions to ask.
Undoubtedly, in the right hands, and with the right due diligence, SaaS has the potential to be extremely powerful, high value and even transformational, however it’s not the answer to the world’s IT problems (in the enterprise, at least, at this stage)
A balanced approach is needed, especially in corporations where risk, cost and governance are of prime concerns.
Rob, you’re in luck. Video-on-demand of the 2011 sessions are now available at http://www.mitcio.com/ondemand/login.php, registration is free. The videos include “intelligent transcripts” which can be searched, and used to position the video by clicking on a word in the transcript. Let us know what you think!