Category Archives: Topic 2 – Application architecture layer; systems development

Topic 2 – Application architecture layer; systems development

Trust the Cloud… I think not.

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I’ve always been iffy about cloud computing.

The infamous cloud.

You aren’t using the cloud? No, I’m not.

I was already iffy about the cloud and then my feeling was confirmed when the U2 album randomly appeared on my iPhone (it’s still there and I can’t get it off). Where did it come from? Who put it there? Nobody knows or maybe somebody does, I just don’t.

Any who, although this article is a little outdated, I can see why some people and some company’s are apprehensive about cloud computing. In Bernard Golden’s article, The Case Against Cloud Computing, Part One, he lists out a few of the key reasons why enterprise’s are hesitant to adopt cloud computing. The five main reasons include:

  • Current enterprise apps can’t be migrated conveniently
  • Risk: Legal, regulatory, and business
  • Difficulty of managing cloud applications
  • Lack of SLA
  • Lack of cost advantage for cloud computing

I was always most concerned with the risk aspect of the cloud as the idea of the ease of access always seemed a little scary (I know that’s silly). What I didn’t consider was that people and companies may be hesitant to migrate their data and information to the cloud because it isn’t easy and most of the solutions that are available are not compatible with how the company is currently structured. As no company is structured in the same manner, a compatible cloud computing solution will be very difficult. Something that is completely customizable like the Amazon Web Services solution seems to be the best route if a company every plans to trust and migrate to the cloud.

The infamous cloud.

Source:

Golden, B. (2009, January 22). The Case Against Cloud Computing, Part One. Retrieved September 07, 2017, from https://www.cio.com/article/2431187/cloud-computing/the-case-against-cloud-computing–part-one.html

Topic 2 – Application architecture layer; systems development

Trust the Cloud… Maybe.. I.. Should

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I’m the type of learner that needs real life examples to understand a concept therefore reading the Gartner articles about Amazon and Netflix gave me a lot of insight into application architecture as a whole and cloud computing. For some reason, I wasn’t really considering that cloud computing can increase flexibility and agility within a company so it was helpful to gain that perspective. Amazon is a unique beast all on its own so I found the insight into Netflix to be the most valuable as Netflix started out as most traditional businesses do.

In Ross Altman and Bruce Robertson’s article, Learn a Few Lessons on Application Architecture From Netflix, they break down the article by addressing a few key recommendations. I found the below the most interesting.

  • Ensure that applications are designed to run in the cloud, even if they won’t initially run in a cloud environment, to realize flexibility, scalability and elasticity. I found this point to be very interesting as I think that most organizations would find this level of forward thinking to be very difficult. I feel that usually applications are developed or designed in order to solve a specific problem therefore to also have to think about solving the problem and then also incorporating cloud capabilities that you may or may not use can be challenging. Clearly it has some benefits as incorporating that flexibility up front allowed Netflix to make a shift and scale the business quickly as consumers demanded it.
  • Leverage the eventual consistency model for transaction management where user access to “slightly stale data” is acceptable to the business. Work with line-of-business executives to gain their agreement regarding the use of this model. I like this mentality because it takes a little pressure off of Netflix to be perfect. It’s kind of a fail safe and promotes the idea that “we as a company are not going to be perfect but we are going to try our best”. Within my own career in the highly demanding digital advertising industry, we were taught to never just say “no” but try to say “no, but here is what I can do” so I can completely understand from Netflix’s perspective that even though you may not be able to provide the exact solution at the time, you always need to provide alternative solutions in efforts to keep the company happy.

The infamous cloud.

You aren’t using the cloud? Maybe I will.

Source:

Altman, R., & Robertson, B. (2013, June 07). Learn a Few Lessons on Application Architecture From Netflix. Retrieved September 09, 2017, from https://www.gartner.com/doc/2509816/learn-lessons-application-architecture-netflix

Topic 2 – Application architecture layer; systems development

It takes two to Tango..

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I’ve been through a fair share of acquisitions and mergers so far in my career and I’m sure I will continue to face more in the future. As I was browsing the inter-webs, I came across an article that provided a unique perspective on acquisitions in today’s world. Jim Stengel’s opinion piece, Acquisitions are out: How companies like GE and General Mills partner with startups to avoid self destruction, gave insight into why partnerships in large legacy companies may be more beneficial than acquisitions.

Stengel used P&G, GE, and General Mills as examples of companies who find themselves at a cross road when it comes to innovation and growth. He likens acquisitions to marriages and pegs the question of “why settle on having one relationship when you can have many?”. By forming partnerships rather than embarking on acquisitions, these larger companies can dabble in several areas of interest and run with opportunities that make the most sense of their brand and strategy. Partnering will allow for a mutually beneficial relationship where the start up has the backing and support and the larger company can “seize the startup spirit” and start innovating again.

Additionally, from an application architecture perspective, I can see how it would be more beneficial to partner rather than acquire as combining application capabilities is costly and time consuming.

Stengel ends the article by crediting startups as “change agents” and insists that if companies need an example of how beneficial partnerships vs. acquisitions may be then GE is the perfect example for success.

Source:

Stengel, J. (2017, September 09). Acquisitions are out: How companies like GE and General Mills partner with startups to avoid self destruction. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/acquisitions-out-how-companies-like-ge-general-mills-partner-stengel/?trackingId=EKp1Epu7v0SjWTvvIHjHXg%3D%3D&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_search_srp_content%3BUB88UDHhThiwQbTvGVIz8w%3D%3D&licu=urn%3Ali%3Acontrol%3Ad_flagship3_search_srp_content-object