Cloud computing is many things. It can be public or private, platform infrastructure of software. It can be geo-restricted or global. It can be bare-bones or come with a full suite of supporting services.
One thing that cloud is not, however, is price-transparent. Sure, organisations may post per GB storage prices or per minute processing costs on their home page, but these are often just headline prices. Working out how much cloud services will really cost going forward, with all the inevitable add-ons and integration, is a different matter altogether.
For example, if a block back-up service automatically stores all changes, then even deleting data can increase the size of the back-up in ways that are invisible to the user until the monthly bill arrives.
Like mobile contracts, cloud pricing is sometimes deliberately complex. It can be very hard to compare like with like when it comes to cloud services, and comparing the true TCO of infrastructure and cloud alternatives can be fiendishly tricky.
Complexity may also result as a company moves from one use case to another. For example it might do product R&D on a public cloud platform before moving to a hybrid model in production, with replication for reasons of security and performance. The running costs of each model are likely to be very different.
Vendors my provide their own tools but a one- size-fits-all tool will never provide accurate results because each organisation will benefit in different ways from cloud services. Other vendors provide too much detail, making it hard to sift the important data from the reams of log files.
During this web seminar, our expert panelists will be looking at the vexed issue of cloud pricing and considering how innovative companies can plot the lifecycle of their cloud-based products and services with a keen eye on the bottom line.
Presenters
John's primary role in Oracle is Head of Technology and Cloud developing the strategy for UK and Ireland while in parallel managing the business development and sales consulting function. John has worked in Consulting, Support, Education and Business Development, he has a very wide view of the Oracle landscape which helps customers define and drive their own strategy.
Michael Winterson joined Equinix in September 2007 when the company acquired London AIM listed IXEurope. At Equinix, he held the positions of VP of Marketing and VP of Sales before his current role. Joining IXEurope as part of the startup management team in January 2000, he brings over 14 years of datacenter services experience and held senior positions in country management, sales and marketing.
Adam Sewell is CIO at the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA). Since joining the company in 2012, Adam has helped drive CLA’s digital transformation through the development and launch of innovative new products and services. Prior to CLA, he was Associate Director of Business Systems for the leading global scientific publisher Nature Publishing Group (NPG). At NPG, he spent over ten years overseeing IT strategy and development for systems globally. Adam began his professional career at actuarial and business consultancy firm Lane Clark & Peacock LLP. Adam is also a trustee of Hamelin Trust, a charity supporting children and adults with learning difficulties based in Essex.
Peter is Special Projects Editor at Computing, V3 and The Inquirer, leading and co-ordinating native content for editorial campaign programmes, chairing the Enterprise Technology Group's web seminar programme, and providing editorial leadership for Computing's successful annual Vendor Excellence Awards. As a journalist, he specialises in technology trends, endpoint, big data and analytics, apps in the enterprise and IT skills. He has a particular interest in collaborative and cloud-based working, and enjoys talking to customers about enterprise mobility, remote working, cloud and social collaboration and ERP. Previously, he has written in the technology and videogames sectors, including Techradar.com and 360 Magazine, with a stint as News Editor on gamesTM magazine. He has freelanced across a range of other consumer and enterprise technology, entertainment and design publications.
Registration