The Cloud in Practice

The cloud is a trendsetter, an enabler of new business models and the engine driving digitalization. But what does a cloud model capable of actually leveraging this new potential for businesses and the economy at large really look like in practice? An awareness of digital strategies in the minds of decision-makers is just one side of the coin—although it is a very important one. Beyond this, however, the right organizational setup—both technical and strategic—is also essential, and this is an issue that affects both IT service providers and all other companies alike. Partnerships (both inside and outside the company’s own sector) are a key element here, as is having the right sales strategy across new digital channels. Last but not least, a foundation must also be laid that enables future-proof digital models in the first place: data center technology in the form of virtual IT resources, provided as Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) to appropriately serve the principles of simplicity, security and affordability. Here, the factors of availability and scalability also play another important role. Digital sales concepts, partnering, IT delivery models and security and/or data protection issues are therefore topics that must be scrutinized closely in the context of new ideas and innovations before these can grow into successful business models. This chapter takes a two-pronged look at these topics.