PRINCIPLE 3. DELIVERING THROUGH A CLOUD PLATFORM
The previous communication on Cognitive Business covered the second principle of BUILDING WITH COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION and explored Innovation with Open Technologies and The Choice of Optimization.
This final article will explore the third principle of concept of DELIVERING THROUGH A CLOUD PLATFORM and will explore the idea of Locking Down While Opening up and Controlled Integration at Scale as one prepares for COGNITIVE BUSINESS.
a) LOCK DOWN WHILE OPENING UP
Securely connect business systems and data to cloud through enhanced security that protects sensitive assets.
The Part of Cognitive Business That’s Changing Everything
It’s no surprise that the Cognitive Business era is coinciding with the dawn of the Internet of Things. Data growth is enormous now, and IoT will usher in an age of everything from connected cars to service requesting sensors in soda machines.
A car in your company fleet requesting its own oil change? Crops requesting an extra watering? A refrigerator ordering a replacement part for itself? We are on the verge of a new connected age and these examples are already happening. Organizations that embrace this and build their own cognitive journey will be poised to have a competitive advantage. But they have to do one big thing first:
Learning to Love the Cloud
A full embrace of cloud computing is essential to the Cognitive Business Era. Organizations are no longer defined by just their in-house resources. Social and mobile are here, and IoT technologies open up an even greater world of possibilities. But to get there, smart technology leaders need to embrace cloud integration across enterprise IT and hybrid clouds. This needs to happen in a way that unlocks new value for the business.
Leveraging the cloud can give organizations an open ecosystem of technology and partners. Traditionally this has come with a sacrifice. The sacrifice of security.
How can you accelerate innovation without sacrificing security and control in the Cognitive Era?
Locking Down while Opening Up
Locking down while opening up means securely connecting business systems and data to cloud through enhanced security. Done properly a secure cloud approach will:
- Protect sensitive assets
- Ensure integration across enterprise IT and hybrid cloud
- Enable workload isolation
- Provide file-level security so that insiders cannot exploit legitimist access
- Encrypt data at a massive scale—both at rest and in flight
- Avoid performance sacrifices for the sake of security
Secure IT infrastructure for the cognitive era
Delivering through cloud platforms means extending existing infrastructure investments by providing controlled access to business assets. It is critical to understand what systems need to be protected and what need to open up and integrate across the ecosystem. IT infrastructure for the cognitive era lets you extend the value of systems and data.
System of Record and System of Engagement Modernization
IoT, Mobile, digital, and social means that modernization of SOR and SOE will have to be evaluated. This will be daunting for any enterprise with a large application portfolio. Enterprises need to take a strategic approach in defining their modernization path. Cloud will be a part of this transformation, but security can’t be sacrificed just for the sake of innovation.
Through Cognitive Business infrastructure organizations will be able to connect business systems and data to cloud through enhanced security. Sensitive assets are protected through encryption:
- High Speed
- Chip
- File & transaction level
- Server through storage
Preparing your Cloud Strategy for the Cognitive Business Era
As you consider starting your cognitive business journey you’ll need a sound Cloud Strategy in place. IBM’s security specialist can help understand the security and privacy risks associated with cloud computing. They’ll work with you to assess your level of risk, establish appropriate risk management strategies and help improve security controls so that you can better manage regulatory and industry requirements.
Cognitive business mean opening up, but it also means locking down and securing your data. Ready to start your cognitive business journey? Make sure that security is a part of the conversation.
b) CONTROLLED INTEGRATION AT SCALE
Run services at scale with microsecond response time while developing and iterating quickly.
Controlling your Cloud in The Cognitive Business Era
In the Cognitive Business Era business leaders need to be able to quickly determine and request the development of new business capabilities. This means a little bit of experimentation and a lot of collaboration. This also means that the business requires controlled iteration at scale.
When Technology Leaders Lead
DevOps teams need to be able to scale rapidly so that they can help the enterprise test out new markets, ship new products sooner, and create new differentiators among current products via product enhancements.
The ability to scale means that your organization will have the ability to deliver services rapidly and get rapid feedback to help inform adjustments.
Controlled Iteration at Scale
Here’s what controlled iteration at scale means in the Cognitive Business Era:
Running services at scale with microsecond response time
- Seamlessly supporting Billions of web interactions, Millions of transactions and Yattobytes of data
- Improving development quality, speed and predictability
Questions to Consider – Controlled Iteration at Scale
- How are you ensuring that you can take full advantage of infrastructure investments now and in the future?
- What advantages would come from running services at scale with microsecond response time?
- How quickly can you currently scale out, scale up, and scale on demand?
Controlled Iteration at Scale – Success Story HealthPlan Services
We’ve mentioned HPS before, but they’re a great example of controlled iteration at scale. Their membership increased by over 250% with the advent of the Affordable Care Act. They needed to accelerate their business transformation during open enrollment.
Capacity on Demand allowed for production capacity (over five billion transactions per week) to scale within minutes, and then scale down. IBM’s LinuxOne allowed them to “RightSize” and “RightFit” their workloads. That with a combination of hardware advancements combined with the software stack helped them control the unpredictably high impact on their systems during open enrollment.
IBM Solutions Utilized :
for API security
Your Cognitive Business Journey
Cognitive Business means outthinking the boundaries of contemporary business. Cognitive business is here and it’s built with cloud computing. IBM is helping to lead this charge with their own cloud services, and with the push to social, mobile, digital, and IoT, cloud is becoming pervasive.
Businesses run on data, and having the ability to scale up and down depending on workload is essential for making the most out of your resources, when you need them.
Find out how top companies are putting their data to work with scalable cloud solutions or discover how you can start your own Cognitive Business Journey
