CloudBus

This week has been busy as I had to review a number of cloud based solutions SAAS and cloud hosted for a contest among Indian Software companies. Some of the solutions were outstanding in compliance, workflow,agriculture,  abstract word search engines, patient management, rewritten ERP solutions, content management, specific business vertical solutions   optimization solutions all were world class solutions and can be used anywhere in the world. It is a wide open marketplace, can Indian Companies tap the opportunity ? Photo Credit : Amitav Thamba  BUT here is what these companies need to do to compete in the world market place 1. Declare the name of cloud vendor they are using, it is difficult to ascertain whether they are in the cloud or a traditional hosting environment. 2. Provide a free trial of your solution, with ability to regularize it after the trial period. Most companies wanted a big form to be filled before the trial, you have...

Today an old friend of mine asked me on my idea of selling SAAS software solutions to a CIO. His contention was since I was a CIO  could I share my perspective of how to go about selling SAAS solutions to CIO's. The CIO The CIO - Chief Information Officer is a busy person, who is more like a juggler who has to make sure that the digital infrastructure and solutions are working like a well oiled machinery for the success of  the business. CIO is a busy person and it is important you have your elevator pitch ready to get your product into his.her eco system. Pitching to the  CIO Will the solution be useful for his business, does it feel a need that a Business has been asking for  a while. If it is a new fad the CIO has no time for your solution. Important for you to map the CIO with the benefits and advantages for your software product. Remembers not more than 7 points .. that is all his attention level, so get the best first. Here goes a sug...

One of the challenges in any metro today is reaching your destination in time and comfort. Today it took me two hours to travel a distance of less then 20 Kms ( 12.5 miles) which was a real waste of my time and not a nice experience. The best way to beat the traffic in metros like Mumbai is to travel between 3 a.m. to about 7 a.m. when the roads are mostly empty, signals do not operate and it is a free world. This is also the graveyard shift and no business can be done at this time. Evening Traffic near IIT Powai -Mumbai One of the solutions of managing traffic is using mobility, cloud computing for algorithmic engines which can guide the users in wading their way through traffic. Some of the cities where I have seen this can be immediately implemented is Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, London (M25), New York, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Tokyo and many more. The convergence of cloud, mobility, big data brings an opportunity to use technology to tackle traffic cong...

Big Data makes a big difference in how we generate and distribute energy and forecast our energy needs. Let's take a closer look at how the energy sector is levaraging Big Data to ensure cost-effective energy generation. The world’s demand for energy is insatiable whether it is solar, wind, tidal, oil and gas, thermal, hydro-electric, wood, nuclear energy. There are two types of energy -- renewable and non-renewable. The non-renewable energy is scarce such as fossil fuels and nuclear material and is found in earth and there is a limited availability. This energy we use in our daily lives, whether in our automobiles or for generating electricity, which powers our home. Renewable resources regenerate as we use them and include solar, wind, water, magnetic and bio-fuel created from farming. This is the future of energy for the planet and its inhabitants and is generally known as green energy. As the cost of energy increases and its availability decreases there is an extensive us...

The Big Data Conundrum continues, those who are innovative and know how to leverage it, benefit. Big Data is not for everyone, just like market research is not used by all enterprises.  The first answer you will need is will Big Data be useful to my business and can I get the required investment ? If your Business can benefit, then do you have clean data? the job of cleaning and collating Big Data is a challenging task and is not for the weak.   You will then need to build a team with complementing skills to work on big data, though the attitude needed will be the ability to sift through chaff for grain, with patience and a need to win.  Big Data cannot be driven by the CIO rather it should be driven by the leadership team who handle the business strategy, the CIO can help with the technology tools and solutions to make Big Data Reality. Big Data similar to a Bougainvillea Bush, Beautiful but one needs to manage the thorns! So who should...

Today I had the honor to address a small focused group of  Chartered Accountants ( the Indian CPA)  on cloud computing. Their ability to grasp quickly the business benefits, the huge economics by moving to OPEX and  their experience in financing cost and time over run IT projects made them see the benefits of cloud computing adoption. The local Chapter of ICAI have now decided to include Cloud Computing in their Continuing Education was heartening. The Accountant will Harvest the Benefits of Cloud ! Many of them were seasoned system auditors and senior professionals in government and corporate in Mumbai. It was indeed a pleasure to see how quickly they could identify the challenges in cloud computing from a legal and data security point of view and its offering as an utility. They were quick to seize the benefits of cloud computing for business, the accelerated time to market  and the benefits of starting small with a few SAAS cloud solutions and al...

The CIO on his own cannot introduce cloud computing in the Enterprise, even if the CIO is a believer in cloud computing his business leadership may not accept cloud computing adoption;  they have bigger risks to handle with higher rewards which takes priority over technology and as a business priority they still believe in the old saying " If it ain't broke don't fix it " when it come to corporate computing. The CIO needs the Cloud Evangelist to Navigate the Cloud ! Business Leadership look at CIO's as people with high IQ who are a necessary evil in the business ecosystem and are best left to do what they need in their own Ivory Tower. A smart CIO can use some help from a Cloud Computing Evangelist to convince the business leaders in  on the benefits of Cloud Adoption. The Cloud Computing Evangelist can work with the CIO to pitch the cloud as a strategic business enabler and as an utility to steer the the Business leadership's understanding a...