The “Cloud” and How it Fits in the Business World

Cloud computing is not a relatively new piece of IT, and most people are familiar with this technology via such simple tech as “sending an email using a third-party Web-based email service provider, such as Google mail” (Price). Business and corporations, however, are having difficulty figuring out where cloud computing fits in the workplace. Cloud computing evolves the corporation by doing away with company kept software by “enabling IT products to be consumed as services” (Price). It is like taking scattered and dissembled information and putting it in one centralized hub for everyone to use. According to Simon Wardley, a researcher at CSC’s Leading Edge Forum, “’with cloud computing we’re seeing a shift from an IT product-led world into an IT service or utility world’” (Price).

So how exactly does the technology of cloud computing fit in the business world? The true answer is no one knows exactly where “The Cloud” will fit in, but it will definitely change the face of business with the sky being the limit (no pun intended). An article by Rajukmar Buyya, an associate professor of computer science and software engineering at the University of Melbourne, along with his colleagues suggest that there is a “perceived vision that computing will one day be the 5^th utility (after water, electricity, gas, and telephone).” (Buyya) This would suggest that like the other utilities, computing would be a public service that can be paid for on an individual user basis as stated before.

Skeptics believe that along with its inherent benefits cloud computing also poses. “Notably, these include security of enterprise data that stored in the cloud, risk of lock-in to cloud platform vendors, loss of control over cloud resources run and managed by someone else, and reliability” (Hinchcliffe). These are valid concerns pertaining to cloud computing especially in regards to security and reliability. There will always be a question of security when information is held in one central location with most of the content available to the public. In regards to reliability, Hinchcliffe comments, “for large organizations a risk-managed wait-and-see attitude tends to prevail” (Hinchcliffe). So basically, a new technology is suspect to most corporations until it “proves” its worth in business.

The excitement around cloud computing, however, far outweighs the skepticism, and companies are exhibiting varying results with this IT. A major reason computing is generating so much excitement is because it “ [allows] companies to mobilize IT resources quickly, cloud computing also improves business agility” (Price). Business agility is greatly shaping the world today and cloud computing is helping. It allows for companies to access information from anywhere around the world greatly facilitating the business process. For instance, a guy in India can negotiate with a guy in the U.S. via a Web 2.0 technology such as Second Life (Thomas). This is cloud computing. This is the future of business. So while we still might not know the full capabilities of cloud computing as a piece of IT in business, it already has created a buzz in the world and will continue to.

Works Cited

Buyya , Rajkumar, Chee Shin Yeo, Srikumar Venugopal, James Broberg, and Ivona Brandic. "Cloud computing and emerging IT platforms: Vision, hype, and reality for delivering computing as the 5th utility." SciVerse:Science Direct 25.6 (2009): 599-616. Web. 21 Feb 2011.

Hinchcliffe, Dion. "Eight ways that cloud computing will change business." Enterprise 2.0. Zdnet, 05-06- 2009. Web. 21 Feb 2011.

Price, Michelle. "Pinning Down the Cloud." Wall Street Journal: Tech (2011): n. pag. Web. 21 Feb 2011. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870473950 4576067461795827534.html? mod=WSJ_Tech_Above_Video

Thomas, Dave. "Enabling Application Agility - Software as a Service, Cloud Computing and Dynamic Languages." JOT: Journal of Object Technology 7.4 (2008): 29-32. Web. 21 Feb 2011. http://www.jot.fm/issues/issue_2008_05/column3/index.html.

New-Style Technology Helps Old-Style Sales

Laura Kate Bradley is one of many fashion boutique owners who have enlisted the Internet, and more specifically social networking systems, to increase sales and be able to compete globally with their larger competitors. The term ‘e-tailer’, has developed to identify this growing practice. Boutiques, storefronts, Main Streets, and downtowns have all begun to disappear, as small business can no longer afford to compete with companies that have been able to globalize with new technology.

            It is important that “mom and pop” stores can compete in today’s economy, and this is a great way to protect those types of institutions. Boutique owners are using that same technology to globalize, while using even newer technology for their strategies. Large competitors from GAP to Polo have used the Internet to sell their products for years. Unlike small boutiques, most of these brands already had a well-established brand name. Laura Kate Bradley is using social networking for her top line strategy, focused on increasing sales. Google has taken advantage of this new practice. “…the global Internet giant Google has launched a new service for its users, in which online shopping has been integrated with the social networking and allows making purchases on the Internet. The new service is located at: Boutiques.com” (Kar). The boutiques featured on the site will subsequently benefit from the marketing done by Google. Bradley, and other retailers, can use the Internet and social networks to support their main primary value process, which is marketing and selling their clothing.

            Rivalry among competitors in the clothing retail industry is extremely high, and doesn’t leave a great window for success for single store businesses. Having only one storefront restricts the traffic that is exposed to the merchandise everyday. This is very limiting to sales. New virtual storefronts have create endless opportunities for people to come across the products, whether it be someone searching for unique clothing or someone just surfing the internet at their leisure. Kelly Spors agrees; she advises, “You’ll also want to use social media like Facebook and Twitter to build a following and help your business rise to the top of the online search rankings” (Spors).

            Many e-tailers have agreed that social network sites like twitter and facebook have been the best resource for marketing and increasing sales. These sites allow customers to stay connected with other customers and the boutique itself. Customers that are particular to a certain brand can easily stay on top of new products and styles. When people write about products on their facebook or twitter, the products are marketed for the boutiques. This is extremely helpful for owners that do not have the time or resources to form a major marketing campaign.

            Some obstacles boutique owners should be aware of are the negative effects of social network marketing. Shoppers can respond to tweets and facebook posts, and leave negative comments that might turn other potential customers away. Social network marketing is riskier because business owners have less control. Also, the boutique owners are now incurring shipping costs that they need to make sure they can afford. Previously, customers could only buy items from boutiques when they walked in the store.

Customers may also worry about their favorite boutiques marketing and selling online. One thing many boutique shoppers enjoy is the uniqueness of products they buy. It is less likely someone else will have the same article of clothing if they buy it from a boutique. Now that they are online, this may not be true. Also, shopping at boutiques affords a unique experience. Laura Kate Bradley has tried to maintain this experience online, again by using social networks. Many women frequent boutiques with their friends, so she uses a “share it” link that allows people to stay connected through her site. By clicking the link shoppers can send a facebook link, tweet, or email of an article of clothing to their friends.

Works Cited

Britten, Fleur. "New-Style Technology Helps Old-Style Sales." New York Times February 21, 2011: n. pag. Web. 21 Feb 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/fashion/22iht-rvintage22.html>.

Kar, Naveen. "Google integrates social networking with online shopping in boutiques." Seer Press news (Nov. 19th 2011): n. pag. Web. 21 Feb 2011. <http://seerpress.com/google-integrates-social-networking-with-online-shopping-in-boutiques/14461/>.

Spors, Kelly. "Entailing Excellence." MyBusiness February 2011: n. pag. Web. 21 Feb 2011. <http://www.nfib.com/mybusiness-magazine/grow>.

Data-Mining and Insurance Rates

With the sudden burst of technology and social networking, information on people in a number of areas has become transparent and public. Data-marketing has become a popular area of interest for many companies. Now insurance companies are looking into using data-mining to determine life insurance rates and risk factors for their customers. Companies, such as Aviva PLC, have done studies on this new “predictive modeling system”(Scism). Instead of using the traditional method of examining blood and urine samples, insurance companies are now looking at magazine subscriptions, online purchases, and social networking sites to determine risk factors for a customer.
Many companies have now implemented data-mining for marketing purposes, and now insurance companies are using this technology to determine risk factors. With this sudden burst of data-mining use, comes many questions of privacy. Companies are digging into people’s search histories to determine risk factors which could affect their insurance rates. Studies were performed to discover how data-mining has become so effective and intrusive. “The study found that the nation's 50 top websites on average installed 64 pieces of tracking technology onto the computers of visitors, usually with no warning”(The Web’s). Many of these tracking devices allow companies to even discover what people are searching and writing in real time. One example on how companies are able to do track people this way is through the use of beacons or “web bugs.” These pieces of technology are stored as software on certain websites that allows information such as what was typed and the movement of the mouse of the user to be tracked and recorded and later sold.
However, with this new technology questions on accuracy and privacy are popular topics. How can insurance companies determine risks and insurance rates based on search histories and magazine subscriptions? Some people may search for information on eating disorders, however, they may be searching for someone they know and not for themselves. Although using personal information from data-mining will save the company money, it might not be the most reliable source to determine insurance rates. In addition, websites are installing these tracking devices on their users computers without their knowledge or consent (Scism). This growing concern for privacy has sparked many politicians to push for stronger laws to prohibit the using of these data tracking technologies. The Federal Trade Commission has recommended that lawmakers pass legislation for do-not-track features. Although no legislation has been passed yet, many companies, such as Google, allow their users to personally turn off any tracking technology there may be (Lawmaker).
Although I see many uses for data-mining especially for marketing purposes, I believe that it is an invasion of privacy. I especially believe insurance companies should not look at tracking information to determine insurance rates. The accuracy of the information they receive is questionable and people should not be punished through high insurance rates because of their online search history. I understand it is a cost effective method to determine insurance rates, but I feel that data-mining has become too intrusive and I support do-not-track features that may be implemented.


Works Cited
Angwin, Julia. "The Web's New Gold Mine: Your Secrets ." Wall Street Journal 30 Jul. 2010. Web. 21 Feb 2011.

Angwin, Julia. "Lawmaker Introduces New Privacy Bill." Wall Street Journal 11 Feb. 2011. Web. 21 Feb 2011.

Scism, Leslie. "Insurers Test Data Profiles to Identify Risky Clients ." Wall Street Journal 19 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Feb 2011.

Twitter: The Billboard of the Future

In this day and age, people wonder what the best way is to get their message across to people. In the same respect, large and small businesses are thinking the same thing. The answer has become what most people would consider to be an everyday thing: social networking. Twitter has been around for a few years now and, according to Jeanette Mulvey, “If you own a small business and you aren’t using Twitter, you’re a fool.”

Twitter and other social networking media are slowly replacing the advertising scene as we know it. The most notable quality of it is that, monetarily, it is free. Mulvey makes the point that if you were offered free billboard space, or a special section in the New York Times generated just for you, you would take it in a heartbeat. Joining Twitter, in her opinion, should be as easy as that. Simply by dedicating some of your time and creativity, you can create a vast network of followers, potentially more so than could be from the current advertising we are used to (Mulvey).

Already, most large businesses have got onboard with this mentality. For example, Dell has created a few Twitter accounts to deal with things such as customer service and to offer online deals. Even fast food restaurants, like Popeye’s, have created accounts to interact with their customer base not only to find out what they can do to be better, but also just to entertain their customers (Smarty). With well-known and respected businesses like these already using Twitter, it seems like a poor decision for any company to avoid using social networking.

So then why do these businesses not use Twitter? It seems like the most logical thing to do when looking at the marketing strategy of a company. Internet psychologist Graham Jones says different. He claims that businesses should not use social networking like Twitter. His reasoning behind the matter is that Twitter is not being used as a business tool in these companies. It is being used as a social tool, which works for some companies, but it is not for business. Jones makes the claim that in the past, when people wanted to gain a new client, they would go golfing and socialize with the potential client. If business was brought up during the meeting, then business would be lost. Looking at Twitter in this capacity has the same effects. When businesses use Twitter socially, people will look at it with interest. Once business is brought up, people want nothing to do with it.

Social networking has become a rather controversial topic. Is it a good thing or a bad thing, both socially and for business? People make their stands saying they’ll never be on Twitter or Facebook, but the reality is, can you avoid it and still be connected? Businesses face the challenge of answering this question. And so do people for that matter. Problems can be foreseen when mixing business and personal activity. Employees of a company may be spending their time at work checking their Facebooks and Twitters, which is why some businesses may be skeptical, and why some companies block social networking websites from their offices. It all comes down to what the future holds. Will social networking overtake the way we have done things for so long? It very well could. The real question though is will it be for better or for worse? That’s a whole other story.

Works Cited:

Mulvey, Jeanette. "Mind Your Business: Why You're a Fool If You Don't Use Twitter | Social Media Strategies | Business News Daily." Business News, Money & Finance | Investment, Technology Articles | Business News Daily. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

Smarty, Ann. "16 Examples of Huge Brands Using Twitter for Business | Search Engine Journal." SEO & Search Engine News : SEJ. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

Jones, Graham. "Do Not Use Twitter for Business | Marketing Wizdom." Marketing Wizdom | Mentoring Aspiring Market Leaders in World-class Low-risk/high-return Marketing Strategies. 2 July 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

New Meters Aim to Cure San Francisco's Parking Headaches

How many times have you been traveling to a city and had had to go through the bothersome process of finding an open parking spot? Previously, the only remedy was to circle the block continuously until you were lucky enough to see someone pull out. Then, when you finally do find that elusive spot, you have to make sure that you have enough change to cover the meter for the time you intend to remain there. Also, you may not be able to go far because you have to go feed the meter to avoid getting ticketed.

This is a problem that many have experienced. However, a recent article in The Wall Street Journal has illuminated San Francisco’s new plan to avoid these annoyances. “New Meters Aim to Cure Parking Headaches” explains that a new technology, called Streetline, will be put into effect allowing one to check where available parking spots are through social media and smartphones. IBM impressively labeled Streetline of San Francisco to be the “world’s smartest startup” last year” (Oran). It manages parking with sensors on the ground that will report when a spot is unoccupied and will save you the time of circling a block where there is no available parking. Further, one will no longer have to worry about staying close by to the car when then time expires, because one can add time to a meter through a smartphone app payment system. Originally, this service was “pitched as a sustainability play—as a way to reduce traffic congestion, gasoline use and carbon emissions” (Gunther). Actually, about “30 percent of traffic congestion in cities is caused by drivers circling the block looking for a parking space” (Lamba). However, it is obvious that it would make life easier when driving in a city overall.

I think that this could be a fantastic potential plan in large cities. This program is being used in Sausalito, California and, for the most part, glitches have already been recognized and then smoothed out (Worthen). Also, besides being extremely convenient, it could also be profitable for the city that utilizes it. In San Francisco, it could generate about $1.6 million in additional annual revenue for the city (Reisman). It would make the jobs for parking enforcement officers easier by telling them where expired meters are, rather than forcing them to periodically check every meter in the city. Also, in the future, they are thinking of adding a service to Streetline that would tell these officials if a car is parked by a fire hydrant and show meters that may need to be emptied or repaired (Lamba).

Eventually, the city would be able to track the peak times for parking, and adjust rates accordingly. This would be beneficial because people would be able to pay less at off-times and in less crowded neighborhoods. This way, people have the opportunity to adjust their schedules and arrange their travel plans in a way that they could pay the least amount of money possible and save time by parking when spaces are readily available.

This program could help those who live in the city find the closest available space to park in off hours. If someone was traveling back to their apartment in the city they might not want to risk parking far away because of walking distance and safety factors. For instance, a driver would feel more at ease using this application at 3:00AM when returning home alone.

“IBM chose to partner with Streetline because of its focus on efficient use of energy and resources, said Mike Riegel, IBM's vice president for independent software vendors, start-ups, developers and academic programs. The company is interested in working with firms linked to IBM's Smarter Planet initiative, which promotes improving environmental protection, healthcare, energy consumption and education.” (Oran) I think that this program is going to work well in San Francisco and will hopefully make its way east to other cities, such as Baltimore, New York, Chicago, and Boston. This would make parking more convenient for all people, and would make the parking system more efficient overall.

Works Cited

Gunther, Marc. "The Internet of Parking Spaces." Marc Gunther – A Blog about Business and Sustainability. 14 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

Lamba, Naveen. "Social Media Tackles Traffic | Autopia | Wired.com." Wired.com. 2 Dec. 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

Oran, Olivia. "5 Hot Start-Ups Big Tech Is Betting On - TheStreet." Stock Market Today - Financial News, Quotes and Analysis - TheStreet. 03 Feb. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

Reisman, Will. "Parking Meter Changes May Be Coming to San Francisco." San Francisco Examiner | Breaking News & Bay Area News. 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

Worthen, Ben. "New Meters Aim to Cure San Francisco's Parking Headaches - WSJ.com." Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. 27 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

Google Brings the Street View Indoors

At the beginning of the month, Google issued a Press Release announcing their Art Project. This new website, www.googleartproject.com, allows users to virtually explore museums using the Street View technology. Seventeen museums across the world signed up to take part in “Google Inc.’s latest interactive online resource” (Orden). Whether just browsing or looking for particular pieces of art, Google has designed this website to be as user-friendly as possible serving the needs of art scholars and inexperienced art appreciators alike. The information panel on the right hand side of the screen provides information about the artwork, the artist, and more works by the artist.

Emulating the technology used to design the Street View application on Google Earth, this tech team created a Google Trolley. This narrow cart, equipped with a computer, a camera, and sensors, took 360-degree images of the interior of the galleries, which were then stitched together, enabling smooth navigation of over 385 rooms within the museums (Press Release). Dan Ratner, Google’s Senior Mechanical Engineer explains, “A great deal of it (the trolley) was designed specifically for this environment.”

All of the pieces of art featured on the Google Art Project are high-resolution images. The custom-built zoom viewer allows users to get an even closer look; however, some images blur when zoomed in too far. Google has allowed each museum to select one piece to be featured in super high resolution. “Each such image contains around 7 billion pixels, enabling the viewer to study details of the brushwork and patina beyond that possible with the naked eye” (Press Release). The detail provided in these images is truly extraordinary. I visited the MoMA and looked at Van Gogh’s Starry Night in full zoom. The cracks, brush strokes, and layers of the painting are crystal clear, it’s truly amazing. Unfortunately only seventeen of the thousand plus paintings are featured in such magnificent detail.

While the technology behind Google’s Art Project is impressive, the goal of this project is to enrich the museum experience. Anna De Paula Hanika, one of the leads working on the project, explains, “We genuinely want people to see these works via their laptops and then be enthused enough to go and experience them first-hand.” The website does just that, as it encourages users to explore the museums by allowing viewers to personally tailor their findings into their own collection. The ‘Create an Artwork Collection’ feature allows users to save artwork into their own file, add personalized comments, and share their collection with family and friends. This feature fosters integrated collaboration environments as virtual teams can easily work on collaborated projects and collections.

Although still in development, Google’s Art Project proves to be an innovative tool not only providing users with access to thousands of pieces of art, but also helping museums adapt to the changing digital world (Bilton). Google designed the site so that viewers can really customize their search. From the information tab next to each painting allowing viewers to explore the artists more, to the Street View navigation simulating walking through the galleries, to the ‘Create an Artwork Collection’, this website serves as a solid foundation for museums to bring their work to the virtual world.

Works Cited

Bilton, Nick. “Google Takes Street View Into Art Museums.” The New York Times—

Bits. 1 Feb 2011. Web. 21 Feb 2011. .

Google. “Press Release—Google and Museums Around the World Unveil Art Project.” 1 Feb 2011. Google. Web. .

Orden, Erica. “The Art of Technology.” Wall Street Journal. 3 Feb 2011. Web. 21 Feb

2011. .

Business Travel Vs. Telepresence-A Battle for the Stronghold

Business Travel Vs. Telepresence-A Battle for the Stronghold

Business Travel is without a doubt a huge contributor to revenue for hotels, car-rental businesses, and of course air and train travel. Technologies such as video conferencing, [Skype], virtual worlds such as Second Life, and even applications as limited as Face Time have showed the benefit of communication sans travel and the headache and expense that comes along with it. However, beyond these emerging technologies are even more advanced ones such as high definition conference rooms [and evolving robots] to give way to new tools known as “telepresence.”

“Cisco and Polycom are currently the two biggest players in the field…and the market they’re battling over is growing” (Bennett). Further research has yet to determine the impact that these technologies will have on the airlines, hotel chains, and rental car companies. Cisco Telepresence, developed by Cisco Systems provides real like office suites designed to mirror images of each other and the rooms can simultaneously patch in participants from multiple locations,” (Bennett).

Telepresence is viewed in large as an eliminator for travel budgets. In addition the ability to see physical cues such as hand gestures and head nods would make it easier to communicate in international locations where language barriers would pose a problem (Talbot). The reason telepresence has a competitive advantage over other teleconferencing technologies (Skype or Face Time), is due to its high quality of image and sound. Co-workers can interact by actually seeing each other’s eyes and facial expressions. “Because there’s no transmission lag, it’s easy and natural for people to interrupt each other,” (Bennett). Compared to virtual realities such as Second Life, a person interacts with a real world distant location and human beings as opposed to avatars and a fictional space which relies heavily on graphics and the use of a keyboard or mouse (Clapp).

But is this the future? Is this the workplace environment every human being who feels, breathes and longs for human connection can survive in? Most complaints around the web have come naturally from high cost, but bloggers and journalists have also expressed the growing concern of a lack of real human interaction. Sure you can see the people’s eyes and hear their voices but what about that walk through the office where you see those who normally wouldn’t be involved in the meeting you’re about to enter. Or that break you love to take in the coffee room with coworkers from varying departments. “Every organization has a social network that you have to understand and build a relationship around to get a program off the ground…and every time you go back you build more rapport-‘management by walking around’-you learn a lot that way.” (Bennett).

Telepresence is most definitely a time-saving, travel expense limiting, beneficial form of communication in the work place. As an avid user of Skype and video-conferencing mediums, I know first hand how beneficial it is to use a form of technology that allows me to be with those I am not privy to actually being with in human form. I believe telepresence will have more prominence in the future, but I hope it will not replace entire human interaction among business.

Works Cited

Bennett, Drake. "I'll Have My Robots Talk to Your Robots - BusinessWeek." BusinessWeek - Business News, Stock Market & Financial Advice. 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

Clapp, Mari. "Use Telepresence To Simplify Business Meeting Solutions." Technology Articles - EzineMark - Free Content Article Directory. 2 Feb. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

Talbot, Chris. "Telepresence Use on the Rise, Says ABI Research - Video News from Channel Insider." Value-Added Reseller (VAR) and Technology Channel Partners News - Channel Insider. 4 Sept. 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

"TelePresence - Main Page - Cisco Systems." Cisco Systems, Inc. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .