Future Of Enterprise It In The Cloud World

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

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The Future of Enterprise IT in the Cloud World

Introduction

The Enterprise IT has undergone numerous developments over the last couple of decades owing to the innovations in mainframe and personal computing. The scale of IT systems has rapidly multiplied over a coupled of decades from dozens to hundreds of thousands. The enterprise IT is subject to significant changes based on the rapid development in cloud services there is a significant change in the role of IT from being a provider and support of IT services to being a broker of IT services as well as an integrator of hybrid portfolio of IT services. The future of enterprise IT will be overwhelmed by a number of innovations and changes by providing scalable platforms, business models, scalable delivery, operations and support. The current developments in cloud computing has ignored the challenges facing the service consumer side. This is in regards to designing, acquiring, managing, and operating diverse portfolio of IT services. The main issue of concern is that the future of enterprise IT will be characterized by a shift of the role of enterprise IT from a provider of IT services to a manager and broker of hybrid IT services. The future of enterprise IT will also be dominated by a series of challenges mainly at the service consumer side regarding acquisition, designing, operating and managing the diverse service portfolio. In this research paper, the fundamental shift of enterprise IT from provision of IT services to management and broker hybrid IT services as well as the emergence of new challenges will be discussed.

The enterprise IT has encountered significant developments in the recent past. These innovations and advances are aimed at providing scalable platforms, operations, business models, and scalable delivery. The neglect of the challenges facing enterprise IT will pose a great threat to the efficiency of the system to consumers. The introduction of hybrid service portfolio does not only enhance efficiency in IT operations but also poses new challenges. Over the recent past, there has been a growing pressure in the enterprise IT sector to incorporate new operation models. This has been witnessed over a span of period, where more IT solutions are becoming available as well as the increasing demands of businesses. A new scenario in the enterprise IT is that a new population of IT vendors has emerged. The major trends in enterprise IT which will dominate the future include cloud services, mobile consumer devices, and increase in need for cross-enterprise collaboration (Erbes et al 66).

Cloud services

The future of enterprise IT will be characterized by a rapid increase in cloud services. Cloud services is an upcoming trend in enterprise IT which is breaking up integrated stacks in enterprise IT infrastructure. Cloud services has also seen rapid changes in enterprise IT applications as well as restructured them into services driven by internal and external service providers. Cloud services will rapidly change enterprise IT into cloud service providers. From another perspective, cloud services will also lead to the restructuring of enterprise IT applications into services addressing integration of problems in enterprises. These new developments will also see the expansion of services from design, architectural, and implementation patterns in different business relationships, mostly between service providers and consumers in all levels of IT stack (Erbes et al 66).

The rapid developments and innovations in cloud computing will see a holistic transformation of the different processes in enterprise IT. Business relationships regarding service consumers and providers will be ultimately integrated. The various levels of IT stack including infrastructure as a platform, as a service and as software will emerge. This will result into a complete overhaul of the enterprise IT. In this case, the new innovations in enterprise IT through cloud computing will see the provision of infrastructure, software, and platforms functions. This IT functions will be owned and operated by service providers to serve diverse business units. The role of enterprise IT will hereby change from providing IT to brokering as well as overseeing service delivery from the providers to consumers. This will not only lead to high efficiency in the enterprise IT and business sector, but will also lead to a demand of new functions and skills, thus decreasing the traditional skills (Erbes et al 66).

Consumerization of IT

The consumerization of IT is also a major trend in enterprise IT. At present, more and more employees bringing their devices to the workplace. Employees and other business personnel have also stepped up their use of consumer services like personal instant messaging networks as well as social networking. All these developments are taking place in work-related context, where individuals are using their private application for different business purposes. For instance, employees are using personal applications from desktop search to connectivity suites all due to the innovations in cloud computing. The attitude of end users concerning consumption of IT services has greatly changed over the last decade. For instance, the pervasive use of mobile networks and devices for transferring business information has increased. This new trend has been dominant where a large portion of business data exchange has adopted this new trend. It is worth noting that the boundary between business and personal application is rapidly disappearing. This is because these new applications site besides one another on business and personal devices (William 99).

The concept of cloud computing has been positively received in the business world following its new efficiencies in information management. Cloud computing has transformed enterprise IT by giving a new platform for providing software, provision of services from remote data centers into the web, and storage of date. The cloud world is enabling enterprise IT to stop relying on data or software installed on personal computers. This is the new trend which has characterized the business world. Cloud computing has become the new standard of technology in big business. Employees across organizations are using different devices from different locations to access, share, and transfer data. Cloud computing has brought up a seamless and essential experience to enterprise IT. People are now able to carry solutions offered by enterprise IT vendors like Microsoft, Google, and IBM. The business life has in general been made easy owing to robust growth in cloud computing technology. Users have been enabled to access shared information regardless of the gadget they are using. The cloud world has really brought have a new experience of universal access of services and storage which not technically exist in personal devices (Erbes et al 66).

The day to day business in the workplace has been greatly transformed by cloud computing technology. Ease in sharing, access and storage of information has been attained thus changing the functions of enterprise IT. The new developments in enterprise IT through cloud computing has rendered many technologies and applications like FTP servers and email a thing of the past as far as sharing of files is concerned. The frustrations in enterprise IT faced by employees is also rapidly eroding away. This is because; the cloud world means that file and software storage has been made accessible anywhere thus creating a new mobile workforce. Software ad file storage are now accessible using any device and is not subject to stacking in any place. The IT team has now been freed much of the cumbersome tasks thus enabling them to concentrate on their core competencies (Heyong 445).

Cross Enterprise Collaboration

With the rapid innovations and developments in enterprise IT, the collaboration between businesses has increased. Enterprise IT has not only grown to be a new trend in business but also stood out as a business necessity. Enterprise IT is supporting effective collaboration between businesses with suppliers, customers and partners. Enterprise It through cloud computing has facilitated cross enterprise collaboration by allowing the exchange, sharing, and management of information needed for cross enterprise collaboration. A point of concern is that the collaboration for engagements of projects between enterprises expands above the virtual conference of meeting rooms calls. Cross enterprise collaboration supported by cloud computing include temporary access, controlled access of internal information systems, information distribution, and knowledge bases accessible to employees (William 99).

The innovations in enterprise IT through cloud computing is opening the various information systems allowing for more sharing, benefits, and participation of different partners. Enterprise It through the cloud world is creating a platform of increased collaboration which is suited for joint development, research, distribution, manufacturing, and support contexts with distributors, suppliers, and consumers. These developments create a new set of ecosystems which depend on the ability to selectively and effectively enable access of information to required services and systems. These are hybrid information systems which are built with subjective and granular access control mechanism, thus avoiding any form of leakage. It should be noted that the new trend in the collaboration of enterprises leads to enterprises which need to be more accessible and open with reference to their IT ecosystems.

The developments of the different innovations in enterprise IT results into an integrated environment where enterprises have a choice to act defensively by preventing and deferring changes. The new trends in cloud computing have also impacted positively on enterprise IT by enabling enterprises to respond on offences embracing new benefits and opportunities for competitive advantage (Heyong 445).

The enterprise IT is at an inflection point with numerous innovations and developments. The future for enterprise IT is even projected to be much brighter owing to the developments in cloud computing. A number of pressures and trends such as explosion of integrated devices in the marketplace led to a transition to the future where employees use a number of diverse to access information from different locations. This is in contrast to traditional client computing models. Enterprise IT will see a holistic transformation in through cloud computing where seamless and consistent experience across devices will be witnesses through a compute continuum (William 99).

The cloud world will see a significant shift in the focus of delivery of specific services to all devices. Employees will be able to access information with multiple devices. Cloud computing will enable enterprise IT to take advantage of a wide combination of trends and technologies like ubiquitous internet connectivity, cloud computing, and virtualization so as to meet the changing needs of users. This will also help in redefining the way IT services are provided (Erbes et al 69).

Brokerage and Management of Hybrid IT Services

There is an emergence of a new trend in enterprise IT due to the rapid developments in the cloud world. The role of enterprise IT has fundamentally shifted from IT services provision to brokerage and management of the services. The need for speed, flexibility, low risk, reliability, and lower costs has led to the brokerage of IT services. Business organizations are at present relying on the services offered by IT vendors to get different information technology services. There is a rapid change in the use of IT services. This is evident in cases where organizations seek to purchase and use IT services offered by vendors rather than manage their own IT systems. Users are at present enabled to take quickest, easiest, and lowest-cost path to services from IT service providers. The multi-source hybrid mix of enterprise cloud model has led to new complexities in enterprise IT. This has led to the emergence of brokers to specialize in the provision and management of hybrid IT services. The increased need for aggregation, integration, customization, and automation has created the need for specialization in the provision of IT services thus bringing in brokers (Heyong 445).

There is a fundamental market shift in enterprise price due to the developments in the cloud world. Brokers and managers of IT services have emerged to solve the demand for cloud consumption as well as the complexity challenges. The integration of public and private cloud services has led to high complexities in management of IT services hence calling for brokerage services. The high need for security and on-boarding management makes it cost inefficient for businesses to manage their IT systems. It is notable that without the right strategy, businesses may end up spending more that cloud saves them. This is due to the high complexities which make it essential to seek the services of brokers and vendors of IT services (Timothy 995).

Cloud service broker is a major trend in enterprise IT. The broker integrates implements, customizes and aggregates cloud services. This is an intermediary which helps in removing the complexities and burden which customers consuming cloud services may encounter. Businesses of individuals using IT services offered through cloud computing will definitely face many complexities. Through the emergence of brokers of IT services facilitated by cloud computing, customers or consumers of IT services do not necessarily need to be cloud experts. Cloud service brokers provide a one stop shop for management and procurement of cloud solutions. This is an important trend in enterprise IT which reliefs businesses and individuals the complexities of installing and managing information systems. Efficiency in business operations related to IT is attained as a result of this trend of broker and management of IT services (Erbes et al 68).

The cloud brokers offer an ecosystem of cloud integrator which automates the deployment of cloud processes. Issues to deal with enterprise multi-cloud integration and management are also catered for by cloud brokers. This is essential for ensuring ease in business operations. Cloud brokers also provide easy and simple access to various solutions on different platforms. This is in addition to the sourcing, integration, procurements, governance and management of IT services. It is important noting that brokerage of IT services has brought about the management of platforms, security, growth planning, and cost related to enterprise IT (Erbes et al 66).

There is a high level of business value resulting from cloud computing, particularly the brokerage of IT services. Brokers and managers of IT services gives business choice, control, and savings of their finances. The costs of installing IT systems as well as hiring of experts are done away with since the brokers take all responsibility. Businesses also benefit from ease in use of cloud services. Another key business value attained from brokerage of cloud services is the leveraging of private & commercial cloud services (Timothy 995).

Enterprise IT will enable new efficiency in the delivery of service model. Cloud computing is offering solutions, which would have otherwise not be attained in enterprise IT. Cloud service delivery will prospectively empower CTOs and IT managers to reach the same levels as Cloud Service Brokers. This will mean higher internal efficiency in business organizations. Another key vision for enterprise IT in the cloud world is the provision of the capability to accurately measure and manage different cloud solutions. It is a key goal of cloud service broker to enable organizations to centralize their IT systems and simplify cloud for customers. Cloud service brokers will rapidly deploy and build cloud solutions with cost-controls, choices, and governance. Alongside the visions and goals of cloud service brokers, there are also a series of benefits. For instance, cloud service brokers will transform IT solution delivery by maximizing the value of the cloud. Cloud brokers will also enable choices of services, control, integration and savings for businesses. Another key benefit of cloud service brokers is the deployment of automated marketplace for ensuring efficiency in cloud applications and infrastructure (Timothy 995).

Challenges of Enterprise IT

The development of cloud computing presents new challenges for enterprise IT. Alongside the different benefits and efficiencies brought by the cloud world, a series of challenges also emerge from the cloud world. The consumerization of IT has posed a great challenge to the enterprise IT. The integration of private and public IT services into a hybrid model of IT has led to complexities in consumption of IT services. The management of IT service provider explosion is also a key challenge into enterprise It brought by the cloud world. There is a new trend of emergence of small and more specialized IT service suppliers which serve the enterprises. Enterprise IT is now posed with the challenge of using external services, where the businesses face it difficult to manage relationships with the service providers. The challenges of marginalized value as well as management of complex hybrid IT ecosystem have also emerged. These scenarios have complicated the operations of enterprise IT hence calling for further research into more sustainable solutions (Timothy 995).

Conclusion

The new trends and challenges facing the enterprise IT yield a fundamental force on how business organizations are run in present days and in the future. Over the last two decades, tremendous changes and developments in enterprise IT have been recorded owing to the innovations in cloud computing. As observed in the study, the cloud world has brought up diverse developments on how enterprise IT is managed. The issues of cross enterprise collaboration, consumerization of IT and cloud services have been witnessed. The shifting of enterprise IT from provision of IT services to broker and management of the services has been the most fundamental phenomenon at present and which is expected to dominate the future. The various challenges associated with cloud computing and more specifically the brokerage of cloud services is also a major trend in enterprise IT. These phenomenon calls for better planning and systematic approach in the management of hybrid IT services in the cloud world.