Enterprise cloud

Enterprise cloud computing is the special case of utilizing cloud computing for competitive advantage through breakout opportunities both for cost savings and, more importantly, for business innovation in terms of unprecedented speed and agility with vastly improved collaboration among business partners and customers.

On the cost side of the equation, many, but not all, IT and data center costs can be reduced and tied directly to usage, up or down as needs go up or down (rapid elasticity).

But theres more, much more, on the revenue side. Risk and startup expenses for innovation initiatives can be cut dramatically, letting companies take more small bets and test out more new ideas. With no upfront capital expense, new projects can be scaled up instantly if they take off, or shut down quickly if they fail. Massive scalability and up-or-down elasticity give companies a whole new sandbox for testing new business ideas and growing them if they take off.

Companies dont work alone, and, on average, over 20 companies make up todays value chains. Cloud computing allows a company to collaborate in new ways with its trading partners, and collaboration is the key to gaining competitive advantage across the value chain. By establishing shared workspaces in Community Clouds employees from multiple companies can work together as a virtual enterprise network and function as though they were a single company. They all participate in the same value delivery system, sharing computing, communication and information resources. This is especially important as no one company owns the overall value chain.