Magento SaaS

As more services, applications, and data are developed for — and delivered via — cloud models, how do business-to-business commerce and procurement adapt? Or, perhaps we have the cart in front of the horse. Are the new requirements and expectations of modern, global business processes, in fact, driving the demand for IT solutions that can be best delivered via cloud models?

There’s no question that the substantial growth of the cloud computing market has become a hot topic, generating almost as much debate and conversation as it has confusion. Many etailers have already realized the benefits of cloud computing, but the different types of public and private clouds and cloud services make it difficult for businesses to decide how to make the transition when shifting to the cloud.

Microsoft’s launch of its Windows Azure platform appliance included more than a handful of significant partners. On the end user side, eBay said it will use the Azure platform appliance to manage and deliver customer services. However, Microsoft also announced that Dell, Fujitsu and HP have signed on as infrastructure partners. Of these three, Dell’s involvement is the most intriguing.

Welcome to a special BriefingsDirect podcast coming to you from the Ariba LIVE 2010 Conference in Orlando. This podcast is a presentation of a stage-based panel event on the implications of cloud computing for procurement, supply-chain management, and a host of other business functions.

One of the most vexing problems facing organizations for years has been knowledge management. In the past, the task of capturing, organizing and disseminating valuable information so it could be properly utilized by end-users and business executives was an herculean effort that produced limited results. Today’s cloud computing movement offers exciting opportunities to remedy those age-old challenges.

As cloud computing in its many forms gains traction, higher levels of management complexity are inevitable for large enterprises, managed service providers, and small- to medium-sized businesses. Gaining and keeping control becomes even more critical for all these organizations, as applications are virtualized and as services and data sourcing options proliferate, both inside and outside of enterprise boundaries.