Cloud Computing
When we try to define cloud computing at first, it sounds so technical and difficult to explain. However, most of us that use the Internet today are using some sort of Cloud Computing service each and every day. Cloud Computing replaces the traditional applications and platforms that have been used by business over the years and is defined as the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a over a network. (1)
One specific service provided is Software as a Service (SaaS) and it is a new technique in the field of software technology and it enables you to hire any software application only when there is a requirement of such a utility. (2) Companies that use SaaS that are some of the top ones in revenue are Google and Amazon. Amazon went from a company that sold books to now selling any product that you can imagine at the lowest price. What makes the 2 companies more dominating than others is their promise to turn large amounts of operational competency and accumulated economies of scale into a highly competitive new software platform. Salesforce is another company that uses an SaaS service for business to connect with their employees and customers. (3) Radian6 is one of the services that they provide for Social Media Monitoring; track what people are saying about their business, monitor these conversations to better improve their products.
The benefits are great for big companies that want to be more efficient, not having to store the hardware required to run the business or to worry about data memory. Global reach, access from US to China has to the services that you want to provide and are instant, easily accessible. Flexibility to change your business instantly as the demands of your business requires. These businesses that use these services will increase productivity in other areas of the company and have less focus on IT support.
There are disadvantages that I see though in every one of them: privacy-everything that you do on the sites can be monitored and have access to your information. Security is also a concern- remote access is always associated with increased effort and a huge security risk. Companies would need to hire high-tech IT administrators to monitor their data. If there is a security breach, you may put your company in jeopardy.
There are very little improvements that one can recommend without utilizing and understanding the service itself. However, the Scope of search engines and the need to applications to run faster are some things than can always improve. Search engines will not always give you exactly what you are looking for, especially when there are companies that pay to have their services related to your search at the very top of your search!
There is nothing more frustrating than utilizing a system that is slow. In today’s word, some of the areas that a company measures its’ success is by being measured by quantity and speed.
Resources
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing
2. http://www.whatissaas.net/
3. http://www.salesforce.com/
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Query#2
Web 2.0/Social Networks
Should one imagine a set of people that created a network to connect with one another to share thoughts, experiences, facts, etc. on a specific interest through the Web, that network becomes a Social Network. A Web 2.0 site is an application that allows the network to be created and for the interaction of its users.
Human beings are a very unique species that have the need to interact with one another and most of us have special interests in life. A social network allows us and gives us the opportunity to explore, participate and learn. The network is created because of a particular interest but some are also very general, simply to have an interaction with our friends, families, or simply because we now can and have interaction, in our own home, with anyone across the globe. Facebook is a social network that most of have an account or at least are familiar with and usually its purpose is to interact with people that we know, or would like to know. Some may consider it the rolodex of the world. Linkedin is a social network that is very specific to business or professionals to get their name and working experiences to manage their careers.
When you explore the type of Social Networks that exist today, and continue to grow, you get a very good picture of the type of people that surround us, the differences in people’s interests within organizations, geographical boundaries, social boundaries and many others. As one explores any one of these areas, they may find an interest that they were not aware of.
Building these Social Networks on a Web 2.0 concept has become so affordable and easy that the concept continues to grow, allowing more users to educate themselves, communicate with each other. There is also a benefit to society itself or organizations that attempt to study the behaviors of human beings and certain patterns. Predictions can be made on social and economical behaviors of communities. When purchasing a product in today’s world, a consumer may take social networks and learn about the product and read other people’s opinion on the product or even the service that a company may perform. This type of interaction is new and can either make or break a business.
Web 2.0 has been accepted globally and more users are using Social Networking sites more than ever. Social Networks and its implementation of Web 2.0 is here to stay and will only become more popular as time goes on.
CDTABLE
Decison Making Lab
Decision Support Systems (DSS) in Organizations
Organizations that have proven to be successful often use Decision Support Systems (DSS) to help with forecasting, sales planning, revenue projection and other problem solving matters that a manager may come across. DSS refers to a computerized system that gathers and presents data from a wide range of sources within an organization. (2)
In general, the primary components of a decision support system are a database management system, a model-base management system, and the people that will be utilizing the data. All of these systems must be able to work with data that are internal and external to the organization. (1) Depending on who will be using the data, the systems used could be placed in different classifications:
A Model Driven system is one in which decision makers use statistical simulations models to come up with a solution or strategy. In this type of system, data is not the basis of the model.
A Communications system model is one in that involves a number of people to come up with a series of decisions depending on selected data that is then manipulated to fit the decision maker’s needs. An example would be the number of employees needed to run a call center based on call volume and trends and may vary from quarter to quarter.
A Document Driven system model uses documents such as text documents, spreadsheets, and records. When all put together, a decision can be made.
A Knowledge Driven system model uses special rules stored in a computer or that a human uses to determine whether a decision should be made. In the end it will come up with rules or facts that will be used to make a decision. (3)
Resources
1. http://www.answers.com/topic/decision-support-system
2. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/Ddecision_support_system.html
3. http://www.tech-faq.com/decision-support-system.html
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