HBR’s blog post “How Cloud Computing Can Transform Business [1]” (June 4) provides a clear brief overview of cloud computing and its benefits to organizations. It argues that cloud computing’s low cost and agility allow it to deliver real business value. The post goes on to provide the definition of cloud computing and its five main characteristics according to the National Institute of Standards and Testing, part of the US Department of Commerce:
- On-demand self service.
- Broad network access, mobile and multi-device.
- Resource pooling.
- Rapid elasticity.
- Measured service.
It illustrates how Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s use of cloud computing enabled it to respond quickly to a valuable business opportunity, and it concludes by linking to the HyperStratus Cloud Computing Agility Checklist, which provides ten conditions that indicate a business case for adopting cloud computing.