El cloud tiene la capacidad de transformar los negocios actuales, tanto por un factor de ahorro de costes, como por ser una plataforma para desarrollar la innovación aplicada al negocio.

1. Private shopping communities like fab.com (home
accessories, USA) or Polyvore and brands4friends
(design accessories, USA and Germany) are known
for moving items within a few days, and sometimes
even hours.To make sure all members get their fair
shot at limited quantities, newsletters are sent to
all registered users shortly before the sales. Once
the newsletters go out, user numbers skyrocket.
One study conducted at the FOM University of Ap-
plied Sciences in Essen, Germany, found that site
traffic is six to ten times higher during this presale
interlude.The authors concluded that cloud tech-
nologies are an especially viable solution for dealing
with these types of traffic surges. In their final
analysis, the verdict was clear: “Cloud computing
has proven to be more economical, efficient, and
flexible,” an endorsement that is backed by a com-
prehensive costbenefit analysis. (Source: FOM
Berlin Evaluation*)
In today’s global hightech market environment,
companies are constantly faced with new and even
bigger challenges.When it comes to solutions,
cloud services have repeatedly proven their merit
as the foundation for powerful IT and a successful
business. Larger data volumes, fastpaced markets,
and new feedback channels such as the Internet,
smart apps, and social media mean that companies
need to continuously adopt new solutions and stra-
tegies.They are also called on to manage the grow-
ing number of digital interfaces with partners,
suppliers, and customers that these channels require.
According to Gartner’s list of strategic technology
trends for 2014, companies will also need to deal
with an increasingly diverse device landscape in
terms of providing company data.The same applies
for mobile apps. Digital networking will evolve into
a veritable thicket, encompassing interpersonal
links, as well as links between goods, information,
and locations.The bottom line for businesses:
IT needs to reflect these changes. (Source: Gartner
PR Oct. 23, 2013)
In addition to these factors, highly mobile custo-
mers and employees who are Millennials bring
new expectations to the table: business devices
and apps need to offer the same level of intuitive
handling that these users have come to expect
from consumer products. To stay afloat in the
global marketplace, companies need to make
their IT more flexible and efficient. IT systems
are ultimately the gatekeepers that grant greater
proximity to customers, employees, and key
decisions. Enhanced IT is an important interme-
diate target that helps companies retain their
competitive edge.
The primary task of IT departments is to develop
concepts for business trends such as big data, busi-
ness intelligence, mobility, and collaboration, and
to manage demanding projects – all while catering
to the growing requirements of specialist depart-
THE TRANSFORMATIVE
POWER OF CLOUD
BUSINESS ON HIGH: HOW TO JOIN THE CLOUD
EXECUTIVE BRIEFING
Looking beyond costeffectiveness, businesses are increasingly opting for cloud solutions
for more flexible and agile IT. Nonetheless, this transition requires thorough planning.
A threestage approach is currently the best route for companies that want to get their
IT environment cloudready.
“Cloud computing
has proven to be
more economical,
efficient, and
flexible.”

2. 2
ments. At the same time, regular operations need
to stay on track, usually based on an IT landscape
with its own historic quirks. Data and information
must remain secure for future tasks and applica-
tions. In other words: CIOs need to walk a fine line
between “keeping the engine running” – a task that
already drains managerial resources – and design-
ing and implementing innovations to make sure
that their companies are fit for the future.
TRADITIONAL IT LANDSCAPES NO
LONGER EQUIPPED TO MEET NEW
REQUIREMENTS
It’s no easy task, but also an opportunity to en-
hance competitiveness through innovative IT.
The prerequisites: a flexible, powerful, and highly
adaptable IT landscape. Numerous IT experts
believe that cloud computing is the solution.
“In a global, cutthroat and constantly changing
environment, companies need to be able to adapt
their business processes at the drop of a hat.Tradi-
tional IT systems and applications are often heter-
ogeneous and high maintenance – sometimes even
obsolete.They are no longer equipped to meet
today’s requirements. Cloud services, on the other
hand, support dynamic business processes and
mobile work,” states Matthias Kraus, research
analyst at the market research firm IDC in Frank-
furt, Germany, describing the advantages of cloud
computing. (Source: IDC Recommendations*)
The number of companies that use cloud has grown
considerably in recent years. Based on an interna-
tional analysis from the U.S. venture capital firm
North BridgeVenture Partners, at the time of the
survey in 2013, 75 percent of respondents used
cloud services – compared to 67 percent in the pre-
vious year. Further, U.S. market research company
Gigaom Research projects 2014 revenues of about
115.5 billion euros for the cloud computing market.
This represents a 126.5 percent increase from 2011.
(Source: BusinessCloud*)
Gartner has identified a clear shift in why compa-
nies choose cloud computing: whereas costs were
an important motivator when cloud was first intro-
duced, now the transition is clearly driven by the
desire for greater agility (Source: Gartner PR Oct
24, 2013) Figures from North Bridge confirm this
assessment. According to the venture capital firm,
only 48.1 percent of respondents (two percent less
than in 2013) identified cost as the most important
objective for their cloud activities. In contrast, 54.3
percent prioritized agility (Source: North Bridge
Cloud*). “More and more managers are starting to
see cloud technologies as a tool for strategic cor-
porate development. Meanwhile, the cost-saving
potential of cloud is a given,” states Sebastian Paas,
InformationTechnology partner at KPMG Consul-
ting, in an article published in CIO which draws
from the study “The cloud takes shape”, a joint
project from KPMG and Forbes Insights.
(Source: KPMG Cloud*)
Shifting priorities also have consequences for the
future of cloud computing. Sameer Dholakia with
the virtualization specialists at Citrix has comment-
ed that these changes will involve “providing busi-
nesses the flexibility to deploy across internal and
external clouds, while seamlessly aggregating inter-
nal and third-party SaaS services”.This approach
will wind up “giving LoBs the agility and rapid
response they need,” states North Bridge citing
Dholakia in one of its presentations.
SECURITY FEARS RECEDING
Despite the obvious advantages, there are still
cloud skeptics with a wide variety of reservations.
These include fears of data loss, problems integra-
ting new technologies in an existing IT infrastruc-
ture, insufficient interoperability of cloud solutions,
a vague legal standing, fears of losing IT expertise,
general doubts about the usefulness of cloud ser-
vices, and a presumed incompatibility with com-
pany culture.
But even though security is still the main reason for
rejecting cloud services, the number of companies
with reservations about security in the cloud is de-
clining.With regard to the importance assigned to
security, North Bridge recorded a decrease from
55 percent in 2012 to 46 percent in 2013.
Cloud services – when correctly designed and
deployed – indisputably usher in a number of
advantages that go far beyond cost. New dynamics
enabled by cloud computing make it possible for
companies to implement innovative business pro-
cesses and models more quickly and economically.
Setting up a new server is just one popular example:
in traditional IT environments, this process
often took three to four weeks. By configuring
a virtual machine in a virtual, automated cloud
environment, it can now be accomplished in five
to ten minutes.
of the respondents
prioritized agility.
U.S. market
research company
Gigaom Research
projects 2014
revenues of about
115.5 billion euros
for the cloud
computing
market.
54.3%
115.5bn €

3. 3
Integrated development environments (IDEs) are
an additional relevant application case for cloud.
“Desktop/OS-specific IDEs can impede the devel-
opment process … because they do not give devel-
opers the flexibility and autonomy to work anytime
from anywhere,” says Boni Satani from Cygnet
Infotech in his blog. “It’s imperative in fast-paced,
competitive business environments for developers
to find a coding environment that is free from the
challenges of specific OSes and machines.”The
solution, Satani argues, can be found in the cloud:
cloud-supported IDEs not only offer opportunities
for collaboration, but also provide easy access to
code and libraries, and can be accessed from all
devices and browsers. In addition, IDEs offer a
compact, centralized environment for program-
ming. (Source: Satani IDEs*)
Concrete scenarios can be found in the automotive
industry.There, manufacturers have long simulated
the effects of crashes on different vehicle materials
and constructions.The smart twist: they perform
these tests in the cloud and not on their own infra-
structure.This gives developers far more compu-
ting capacity, software costs are scalable, and the
simulation environments can be accessed from
different locations and edited collaboratively.
LONG-TERM IMPROVEMENTS ARE
THE REAL BENEFIT OF CLOUD
In his commentary on the KPMG/Forbes cloud study,
RickWright, Global Cloud Enablement program lea-
der at KPMG, summarizes: “Indeed, gaining real
cost savings from the cloud is about more than sim-
ply moving from fixed costs to operating costs; the
greatest cost savings – and, more importantly, the
transformational business benefits – will come from
the longer-term outcomes such as more efficient
processes, more flexible operating models and fas-
ter entry into new markets and geographies.”
However, it is important to bear in mind – a point
rightly noted by skeptics – that integrating cloud
services in an existing IT infrastructure or transfor-
ming IT landscapes that have emerged over time is
no small task.While it is relatively easy to add indi-
vidual cloud services parallel to existing systems,
in reality an increasing number of employees use
cloud computing – often bypassing their own IT
department. In order to reap the benefits of cloud,
certain groundwork is required. Core applications
or businesscritical applications with complex data
relations can only be moved to the cloud when the
IT architecture is up to the task.
To get IT cloud-ready, a progressive three-stage
approach is currently the best fit for most compa-
nies. Depending on the readiness of existing sys-
tems, a direct transition can be made during the
individual stages as well.
CLOUD READINESS STEP 1:
STANDARDIZE & HARMONIZE
Complexity is virtually ubiquitous in modern IT.
Silo architectures have almost always developed
over decades. During this time, they have also
added a steady stream of new adaptations and
interfaces, increasing their interconnectedness.
Each new tweak and new interface increases the
level of complexity. For most companies, the result
is a murky IT landscape that can only be serviced
with an enormous effort and high costs.
Given these factors, the first step toward cloud read-
iness is standardization.This step should be as
comprehensive as possible, ranging from hardware
and software to interfaces and the harmonization
of processes. One important objective is to elimi-
nate any existing media and system discontinuities
to order to achieve a faster and more economical
data exchange. Ultimately, the goal is automated
communication among systems. Standard software
is always preferable and legacy systems should
be replaced. If this is not possible, they should be
set up as a black box with a standardized and
documented interface.
It almost goes without saying that organizational
structure needs to be factored into a largescale IT
standardization project.Thus, all processes need to
be adapted to the new IT structures. ITIL provides
solid guidance, especially for large companies. In
this new world of IT and processes, certain long-
standing habits like adhoc system changes will
need to become a thing of the past. Consistently
standardized and harmonized IT landscapes do not
permit impromptu, oneoff changes. During this
reorientation phase, cloud assessments and cloud
readiness services can be helpful for companies
looking to integrate their cloud objectives early on.
Because security considerations play an important
role in the cloud, this aspect must be included as a
design element in conceptual planning.Otherwise,
companies run the risk of no longer being able to
optimally integrate security mechanisms that are
In reality an
increasing number
of employees use
cloud computing –
often bypassing
their own IT
department.

4. 4
implemented at a later date.The result: complexity
increases.
CLOUD READINESS STEP 2:
VIRTUALIZE & AUTOMATE
Once the standardization and harmonization phase
is complete, the next step is to increase the agility
of the IT infrastructure with virtualization and
automation.The rule of thumb: virtualize to en-
hance flexibility, automate for speed. In addition
to clear cost advantages, this combination results
in a dynamic IT landscape that can address new
requirements with greater precision and speed.
At the outset of the conversion, strategy is requi-
red.Which systems can be virtualized?Where does
virtualization truly make sense? It’s also important
to quickly discover which applications cannot be
restructured. Not every system needs to be integra-
ted in the cloud infrastructure. However, dynamic
systems that are subject to frequent changes or
systems required on a temporary basis should be
strong virtualization candidates for cloud. At the
same time, businesses need to identify which
processes will be affected and how they need to
be changed in order to interact efficiently with a
dynamic and flexible IT architecture.
During the conceptualization phase, external servi-
ces from the public cloud should also be integrated
into the new structure.This prevents new islands
from springing up – for instance, when departments
install their own SaaS solutions without consulting
IT. If a company’s infrastructure is insufficient or not
equipped to handle recurring peaks like seasonal
business or quarterly or annual statements, IaaS (In-
frastructure as a Service) can be employed to tem-
porarily expand resources. Security aspects and
legal issues must be taken into account – both for
hardware and software as well as for data center lo-
cations.Companies must consult carefully with their
legal team and observe relevant national legislation.
Overhauling IT also means comprehensive changes
to the working environment for all parties – both
in IT and in other departments.Virtualization and
automation eliminate routine tasks and administra-
tive work for IT personnel, allowing them to con-
centrate on higher-value tasks. For non-IT person-
nel, faster and more intuitive applications mean
more individual freedom. Self-service portals are
just one example: IT experts are no longer called
on to install applications; employees can select and
install the applications they need. Individual emplo-
yees have more freedom to customize their appli-
cation environment, while the task of IT experts
shifts from simple installations to defining relevant
standards in advance.
CLOUD READINESS STEP 3:
TEST & DEPLOY
In the third phase, companies have already crossed
the finish line: a simple, flexible cloud-based IT in-
frastructure opens up new possibilities for handling
business processes and doing business. IT can adapt
more quickly to the requirements of the market and
colleagues in other departments.The objective is
not always a full launch of new processes and
models: thanks to the new possibilities of dynamic,
agile IT, new services can be set up for trial purposes
at a speed that companies could only dream of in
the past. Now, it’s possible to implement new busi-
ness ideas and test their marketability with far
fewer resources than those required in classic IT
infrastructures. New concepts and models can be
tested under real conditions and adapted to custo-
mer needs and market conditions long before they
go out on the market.
On the whole, less complexity leads to better
acceptance of company systems, since they
become simpler, faster, and more transparent.
As an added bonus, costs for maintenance and
hardware decrease. Hardware expenditures go
down because the systems no longer need to han-
dle ultra-high loads and resources can be allocated
as needed.With IaaS and SaaS, companies can
simply pay as they go: unused cloud services don’t
trigger any costs.
CLOUD ENABLES NEW BUSINESS
MODELS
Runtastic is a prime example of the new systems
and business models that burst onto the scene
when cloud IT services meet new technologies.
Runners, cyclists, and other recreational athletes
can use the fitness portal to track performance data
such as times, speed, calories burned and pulse and
measure their improvement. Collected using apps,
data are then transferred to the fitness portal, where
analytics and statistical functions are applied to
generate a detailed evaluation. Since its debut in
2009, the app has been downloaded more than 60
million times – 28 million downloads occurred in
2013 alone. Sports enthusiasts can even share their
Not every
system needs
to be integrated
in the cloud
infrastructure.
Since its debut
in 2009, the app
Runtastic has
been downloaded
more than
60 million times.
>60m.
downloads

5. 5
progress or goals with friends and fellow app users
via Facebook and other social media.
Because of its high user numbers, the key challenge
for Runtastic is ensuring the maximum availability
of its apps and portal.To complicate matters, user
numbers also tend to spike on weekends, holidays,
and with good weather. Health and fitness-conscious
users among the 9 to 5 crowd normally take advan-
tage of these days for sports. Although these fluc-
tuations are predictable, responses to the launch of
new products and services as well as traffic during
sales and marketing campaigns are hard to plan.
To ensure availability and thus customer satisfac-
tion, Runtastic needed a flexible IT infrastructure
model.The young company didn’t want to keep
investing in new servers to handle traffic spikes,
since they tie up large chunks of capital and remain
unused when traffic is lighter.To solve this problem,
Runtastic turned to cloud. In June 2013, Runtastic
connected itsVMware virtualized infrastructure
withT-Systems’ vCloud Data Center Services. Now
the company is equipped to respond to temporary
increases in demand.
Resources can be flexibly scaled up or down, and
costs are only incurred when the service is actually
used. Runtastic app users can upload their data
after workouts and can always access the portal to
check their progress.The system is always availa-
ble – even when faced with unexpected traffic –
whether in the morning, evening, on the weekend,
with sunny skies, or in the direct wake of marketing
campaigns.
GET ON BOARD –
CLOUD IS A SURE THING
IT experts have no doubts: cloud will conquer the
business world. Gartner has predicted that cloud
platforms and applications will make up the bulk of
worldwide IT spending by 2016. Nearly one-half of
all major corporations will have implemented cloud
solutions by the end of 2017.
It’s not only competitive pressure that is forcing
companies to make their IT more flexible and make
the shift to cloud computing. Internal pressure is
also increasingly palpable: “IT departments
shouldn’t waste too much time; the business units
are already purchasing cloud services on their own.
Plus, alongside management, these units will have
a growing influence on IT investments,” IDC analyst
Matthias Krauss warns.
Outside IT, business units tend to think that it’s bet-
ter to use a public cloud solution and get a modern
application with the latest functions now than wait
for years for the people in IT to get up-to-date.
These types of solo efforts may pay off in the short
term. In the long term, this is where CIOs come in
with a role that is constantly changing with the re-
organization of the IT world. As experts for corpo-
rate goals and business processes, CIOs need to
become advisors to the business units and set new
business requirements in motion with technical
solutions such as cloud services.
“No matter what level they operate at within the
company, CIOs need to understand the use of cloud
as a holistic approach that affects both IT and busi-
ness,” says IDC’s Krauss. As he sees it, improving
the efficiency of IT is just the first shortterm benefit;
with enhanced agility, the cloud will also become
increasingly beneficial to business.
The pathway to the cloud will doubtlessly be paved
with a few setbacks.The transition will also have an
impact on companies as a whole. Perhaps we’d do
well to remember an old adage: “a journey of a
thousand miles begins with a single step.” Enter-
prises need to embark on increasingly difficult
ventures to face global competition. Combined
with innovative technologies such as big data,
business intelligence, mobility, collaboration, and
social media, cloud computing provides the basis
for developing new business models that ensure
longterm success in the marketplace.
©IDG Business Media GmbH, Germany 3/2014
*Sources:
Boni Satani, Cygnet Infotech: 12 Cloud-Based IDEs Boost
Productivity, ROI; blog entry from 12/23/2013 (Satani IDEs)
BusinessCloud from 10/2/2013 (BusinessCloud)
FOM Berlin: Evaluierung von Cloud Computing zur Bedie-
nung von Lastspitzen einesWebservers im E-Commerce,
www.WinfWiki.wi.fom.de (FOM Berlin Evaluation)
Gartner Press Release, Oct. 23, 2013: Gartner Identifies the
Top 10 StrategicTechnologyTrends for 2014, Oct. 23, 2013
(Gartner PR Oct. 23, 2013)
Gartner Press Release, Oct. 24, 2013 Gartner Says Cloud
ComputingWill Become the Bulk of New IT Spend by 2016
(Gartner PR Oct. 24, 2013)
KPMG:The cloud takes shape, 2013 (KPMG Cloud)
Matthias Kraus, IDC, cited from CIO.de: IDC-Empfehlungen:
Die 5 Stufen zur Cloud-Transformation (IDC Recommenda-
tions)
North BridgeVenture Partners:The Future of Cloud
Computing, 2013 (North Bridge Cloud)
“IT departments
shouldn’t waste
too much time;
the business units
are already
purchasing cloud
services on their
own.”
IDC-Analyst
Matthias Kraus