Cloud Ventures

Recently I worked for PwC, advising Canadian governments on IT strategies. From this and many similar prior engagements I have developed a bank of knowledge about the real-world scenarios where there is potential for the practical and also visionary opportunities for Cloud computing. Cloud is going to be such a mammoth market because their requirements, even at the smallest provincial level, are exactly the same as those of the headline initiatives like the UK’s G-Cloud program or the USA’s 25-point “Cloud for Clunkers” equivalent. Build a working solution set around one and et voila, you have a blueprint for a global practice, and with the UK and USA alone having a combined budget of $100 billion a year that they’re directing towards Cloud services, it’s a super-sized growth stimulus for this industry. Best practice solutions This repeatable practice is very acce... (more)

Microsoft's David Chou on Azure Open Government

In this blog David Chou provides an excellent synopsis of the core mechanics and fundamental value of Cloud computing. He focuses on Microsoft Azure naturally, and so does this other recent white paper. Business elasticity – As a service In a nutshell these articles describe that the primary business benefits of Cloud computing is that it frees you up from the operational burdens of maintaining the underlying machinery of databases and servers yourself, while enjoying a scalability of platform as if you had deployed a huge farm of them. You can simply rent this capability of be... (more)

Blueprint for a G-Cloud Marketplace in the UK

While the ‘Cloud first’ policy of the US Government to stimulate the migration to new Cloud computing services is the $80billion gorilla in the industry, the UK’s ‘G-Cloud’ initiative is similarly large, and indeed more comprehensive in its vision for the role the technology will play in transforming government. Within 5-10 years the program will establish the G-Cloud as the predominant model for ICT delivery in the public sector, involving a wholesale shift to utility services being the norm. Transform Maturity Model As such it can act as the definitive reference maturity mod... (more)

Open Government = Social Innovation

Our McS consulting practice specializes in fast-tracking cutting edge, new innovations such as Cloud computing, Open Government and Social Innovation. These can be utilized by start-ups, providing them a unique invention to launch and grow their business, and it can also be leveraged by large organizations and governments. The essential ingredient is that rather than these being seperate, standalone topics, the critical point is how they overlap and enable one another. As the title suggests, Open Government is actually a form of Social Innovation. Canadian Federal Government rese... (more)

Cloud UVC: Unified Virtual Collaboration

The Canadian government calling out for insights into the gaps in their R&D; innovation strategy is timely and provides a context for the market opportunity for Telco Cloud Services. Telcos can offer Cloud platforms that not only meet the core IT needs of governments but can also be aligned with these high-level strategic priorities. Most notably and critically important in these difficult financial times, it can be positioned as economy-boosting 'Innovation Infrastructure', on a SaaS basis. Unified Virtual Collaboration One of the hottest application areas for Telco Cloud servic... (more)