Cloud Computing

00:07 Before we talk about the cloud, I have a question: Do you know anybody who still works like this? Or do you know someone who utilizes something similar? There's already a trend here.

00:22 Folders are getting digitalized; you can transfer them from A to B using a USB stick, and now we have the next step.

00:31 Everything is now in the clouds in some way; the cloud is trendy; everything lands in the cloud. Everything is available from any place with an Internet connection.

00:41 Now I'd like to ask you another question: What comes to mind when you think of Amazon? I equate Amazon with the phrase "Okay, now I can buy a lot of things." And I enjoy doing so. However, Amazon was the first provider to rent out computers and storage space to other businesses in 2006.

01:01 AWS, or Amazon Web Services, was the first public cloud service.

01:07 It was revolutionary at the time, but it is now extremely common.

01:11 What we'll talk about today is how a cloud operates.

01:16 I'd like to begin with Software as a Service, or SAAS for short.

01:21 The concept is straightforward.

01:24 For example, we have a project team of 10 people from all across Europe, and in the past, it was quite usual to have software installed on your computer that came with a CD ROM that you had to insert and then install.

01:38 You would be charged for each CD-ROM.

01:40 This works a little differently now.

01:42 Nowadays, you normally pay a monthly subscription per user, and the program is hosted elsewhere in the cloud, where anyone with an Internet connection may access it.

01:53 The benefit is clear; the software itself can be used concurrently; 10 people can collaborate on a document, a presentation, or an Excel spreadsheet and see everything at the same time. That is how software as a service functions.

02:10 Salesforce, Microsoft 365, Apple's iCloud, and Google with its universe are the major vendors in this space.

02:20 Aside from software as a service, there are other components.

02:25 There is another platform as a service, which is a software development platform.

02:30 So a platform gives a service for them to experiment with.

02:34 On this platform, they create their own applications.

02:39 We have the infrastructure in addition to the platform as a service.

02:43 This is about providing storage space, data processing systems, or data transports, for example, but you could say it relaxes our IT, especially if maintenance is included.

02:56 Someone is in charge of the infrastructure; that is the cloud in a nutshell.

03:00 This is reasonable. However, the issue remains, "Why should we actually go into the cloud?" I don't have to go with the cloud; I could easily set up a server in my basement.

03:19 The truth is that renting the cloud will be less expensive than setting something up and implementing it myself.

03:26 As a result, I save capital, have greater liquidity, and can put the money to better use. At the same time, I relieve my IT department, save resources by doing my own maintenance, and so on.

03:45 This will be a challenging task for the IT department.

03:49 Because current cloud systems are already available and do not need to be constructed from scratch, the installation is faster.

03:57 We can scale since we don't have any local constraints.

04:02 These are the benefits of the cloud, and I am confident that if you consider it in the context of your organization, you will discover one or two more.

04:12 So, where do I begin? When discussing the cloud, I always start with the question, "What does our work process actually look like?" What are our communication requirements? Do we, for example, have a sales force that is always in contact with us in the core - the base? Do we have multiple teams across Europe, the world, or a certain continent? How does communication function? Do we have a significant proportion of remote, location-independent work? Then, in some cases, a cloud makes sense, which takes us to the second argument.

04:50 What types of data can be stored in the cloud? This makes sense for customers and the customer database - the sales force, as well as customer support in the centre, requires access.

05:00 In terms of project management, human resources, and finance, you may say, "Does this have to go into the cloud?" You must define this, and the final question is, whose data? Is it legal for me to disclose it and store it on the cloud? The servers are located in Asia, the United States, Switzerland, and many other countries, but which data is so vital, sensitive, and confidential that I need to keep it in my basement? And thus the question becomes, "Do I have a public cloud, a private cloud, or a hybrid solution?" You must specify these terms in order to find a solution.