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The locally sourced Wild Pheasant for this dish was shot in the grounds of Chipchase Castle, near Hexham, Northumberland

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The lamb for this dish was raised by the Wilson family on their farm in the Northumberland National Park near Alnwick. Their award winning herd of organic Blackface sheep are fed on a diet of grasses, clover, heather and wild herbs resulting in a unique taste to the lamb.

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Let me start by recapping some of my thoughts expressed throughout my blog.

• Cloud Computing as a term is too broad
  • At least a distinction into consumer cloud and enterprise cloud computing is needed
• Cloud Computing is a business concept
  • Though the majority of the discussion is technology focused cloud computing remains a business approach
  • This is where Oracle sets the wrong focus in the discussion. They display what is under the hood rather than talk about the ride that is enabled.
• Very few real private clouds are being built. The majority just use enabling technologies.
  • More or less a direct result of the technical focus of the cloud computing debate

On that foundation I’d like to get to another level of crispness. Cloud Computing is all about IT Operations in a different way. It is just another arrow in the quiver of an IT department to deliver IT. Therefore the margins are marginal and only through scale it can work economically. And in that per se it is a cost cutting approach which in itself is of limited business value.

The business value of cloud computing is elsewhere. It is in the areas enabled through cloud computing. It lies in the possibilities to create small and grow big without the restraints of investments into operations and brick. It is about enabling creativity by giving business departments the power to trial, to create and to share. The magic of software is what makes the difference and cloud computing gets software into places where it was too expensive before or other blockers were in place.

So can a CIO ignore cloud computing? I would say no but also would argue that cloud computing should not be front and center of a CIOs mind. Sounds strange to you? Think about it, cloud computing is a delivery option and therefore needs to be evaluated whenever something must be delivered. A CIO should focus the thinking around how to deliver business value. This is not a new statement and is a constant demand on CIOs for years. Nevertheless the reality makes it difficult for CIOs to live up to that demand and it will become more difficult due to cloud computing. Cloud Computing enables business departments themselves to become creators in an IT sense. The IT department is reduced to provide the technical abilities to cater for this creativity. They service the engine so to say. There are two areas though where the CIO needs to have a clear strategy

Define and manage the rails for business department developments

While cloud computing enables business departments to create themselves it is important for an overall functioning system as well as to avoid duplicate work to set guidelines and guard these. You want to avoid that anybody just creates on any platform; you would want to ensure a minimum quality and enable sharing.  It is the CIO’s job to set the rules that enable rather than stifle creativity. It is the IT department’s job to provide the foundation on which developments can happen. And it is up to the CIO and his team to tightly observe the developments. Here are some ideas to drive further value:

• Application Store
• Create an internal application store where business department solutions are presented and available for other departments to use.
• Make it mandatory that all developments are open for sharing
• Make it mandatory that the source code is openly available
• Development Team
• For those departments having ideas but lacking development capabilities the IT department should offer development services
• This can also help to ensure that business departments are not creating their own programming sub groups
• Budget Control
• Work with the board to come up with rules on what percentage of budget a business department can spend on developing applications on their own and by when it needs to be sourced to or through the IT department
• Also set clear rules on application maintenance and support. Who does what and who pays for it?

Collaboration internally and externally

In the past the internal collaboration was put in the desktop services group within the IT department. Let’s face it; working on desktop services is not the place to become loved by everybody. The users did not like the desktop services folks if not to say they hate them because the users never get the Apple Mac or the nice flat screen or that other mail system they prefer. With Microsoft licensing in the back and a regular need to upgrade not only the front-end but also the back-end desktop services are also a constant thornin the side of the CIO.

Why should that area be a focus of the CIO then? The reason is simply because a huge shift, a transition or if you want to call it that, a paradigm shift is taking place. It is about transforming the separated streams of communication (email, voice …) towards an integrated experience. It is about using the means of social media to improve internal collaboration.  The bits and pieces that are currently delivered under the theme desktop services need to be evaluated and either discarded for a new integrated world or if kept upgraded into the new world of collaboration.

Internal collaboration though is only half of the story. Even though an improved internal collaboration already has a long-lasting business effect combining it with external collaboration creates real business value. Actually let us call it what it is – creating the social enterprise –

This is the current challenge for a CIO. Identify how a social enterprise should look like and create it with maximum force and speed. It could make the difference to your competitors if you listen to your customers where they do not. It certainly will be one of your major benefits attracting talent to your company as the next generation will expect to have the social media tools in place.

And this is where cloud computing as an enabler comes into play again. It is a viable business option for the collaboration tools needed but also you need to consider a bridge to the consumer cloud in case you customers are consumers. If your customers are business customers only you need to create bridges to their social enterprise systems, if they have any, or let them participate in yours, if they have not.

These are the challenges a CIO should focus on. Cloud Computing as a focus topic in itself is over!

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The pork for this dish is raised by Mr Mark Bradley of North Crane Row Farm, Hamsterley, near Bishop Auckland from his herd of pedigree Welsh pigs

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Picture It.

You arrive to a real open fire and a glass of red wine. There is trad music in the bar with the locals.

Maybe you join them

Maybe you don’t

The bedroom is warm and the linen is fresh.

You sleep like a child.

Breakfast is freshly cooked with home made bread, local bacon and sausages and free range eggs.

The day is ahead of you.

Walk around the town.

In the afternoon, head for Banna Strand for a walk along the Atlantic,

 or if its raining, take in a movie, or head to Manor Retail Park. Its got one of the best TK Maxx in the country, along with Next, Debenhams, Top Shop, Sam McCauleys.

The boys will probably watch the match on the plasma screen in the bar.

Dine in style in our Michelin Guide Recommended Restaurant. Our food is sourced locally, and is as fresh as it can be. Pat our head chef is our own “Master Chef”.

Round off the evening with a couple of drinks and enjoy the craic in the bar with the locals.

Its Sunday already.

Have breakfast in bed with the paper.

Take your time.

Stroll around the park which is beside us or take a walk along the canal.

Its only 3 1/2 hours to Dublin.

You still have time to pick up that dress in TK Maxx before you head for home.

Any 2 nights bed and breakfast plus 1 dinner €99.00 per person sharing if you ring us at 066 7121499.or email at

info@grandhoteltralee.com

First 10 couple enjoy a complimentary bottle of house wine with dinner,

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The pork for this dish is raised by Mr Mark Bradley of North Crane Row Farm, Hamsterley, near Bishop Auckland from his herd of pedigree Welsh pigs

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Basic idea

The safe haven for data should be a place where data privacy is the highest value and safeguarded at all cost. In the book it is situated on a fictitious sultanate on an island in the Pacific. There are two motives explained in the book:

• ·        Holocaust Education and Avoidance Pod (HEAP) media
• ·        Anonymous Internet banking using a new digital currency aka electronic money

The safe data haven is a huge underground data center with lots of storage and great connections to the main data network cables in the Pacific. It could be at least technically compared with what todays cloud computing data centers would be.

The key to the idea is the fictitious sultanate guaranteeing absolute privacy together with strong encryption. The data stored in this data haven would be safe. Even governments and governmental agencies could not gain access.  In that sense it is the counter idea to what many fear in today’s world of cloud computing– authorized/unauthorized access by the US government where authorized refers to the Patriot Act.

Benefits

The rebellions around the world but especially in the Middle East have shown the value of giving the people access to communication methods outside of the control of their government. Also there have been numerous tries to block phone calls, text messaging and internet access from any devices at locations of uproar. A safe data haven would allow ensuring data privacy and protection of those publishing content. This is where the idea of HEAP starts but does not end. If you want to get a deeper view on HEAP I recommend that you read the book.

Also many companies would value bringing their IT ship into a safe haven with guaranteed security.

Another benefit would be a currency of the 21st century that is not as unpredictable as the Dollar, the Euro or the Yen have been in the last decade. A currency not controlled by a single country (but by whom? See challenges below).

Challenges

The challenges can be structured in three different areas

Moral Issues

The data haven would attract especially unlawful operations and customers in the first place. That is also pointed out by the author. Today that would even create a bigger resistance as we seem to be in a phase of civilization where the fear of few is valued higher than the privacy of many. So giving the unlawful, from burglar to terrorist and from internet high school mobbing to the illegal copying of intellectual property a platform of safe storage and communications would create at least a debate if not the prohibition of usage. So it is a judgment call whether you would grant child molesters a place to store pictures or deny the masses of people being suppressed by regimes and dictators the means to be informed and to act coordinated.

Technical Issues

First of all you need to find not one but at least two locations for the sake of redundancy. As the Tsunamis have proven there are uncalculated risks that even today could hit. Secondly you need to get real bandwidth into these places. In the book the fictitious island could be strategically placed. In the real world you need to look at what locations are available under the chosen conditions of having a government that supports the haven and its privacy. Secondly it is a question who owns the data connections and to what degree would these companies cave in towards claims from governments not to connect the haven.

Also the encryption is a challenge. They key success factor on encryption nowadays is the ease of use by the user. If the encryption adds additional complexity to our day to day tasks in the digital world than a huge distribution is unlikely. The whole concept would remain something for very few with special needs for protection of their data.

Implementation Issues

Is there such a country in the world which would be self-sufficient enough to withstand pressure from outside? Is there a country stable enough to ensure that the guarantee for privacy is not revoked with the next change in leadership (by whatever means)? Is there a country geographically located in a way that it is outside of harm’s way of the nature, close to existing network connection or already connected?

Is there such a country? Pick a map and look for yourself. It probably would be a small one so better have your magnifying glass close by.

Would the U.S.A. or other countries tolerate such a place and concept? Neal Stephenson predicts that the world would cut the haven connections to the internet at all costs. I could well imagine legal and illegal actions to keep the haven unstable and disconnected. The current strategy to privacy seems to be less privacy means more security and a safe data haven would contradict that.

On the currency part of the motive I am convinced that it would be out of the frying pan and into the fire to move from very few currencies controlled by governments to one currency controlled either by a company or a single state.

The enterprise customer view

Apart from the general idea I do believe the data haven would not change much for legal enterprises. They operate in countries under local law. They need to abide to these laws and in effect that forces them to open up data sources outside of the country even today. The Patriot Act is the best example for that.

Conclusion

The idea is great and given the fact that the book itself was published in 1999 it foresaw many of today’s challenges. I have been thinking about the idea of the safe data haven for a while and will keep on munching this over. It certainly would be a huge business opportunity but would any individual be able to accept the moral consequences? Also I am not convinced that from a geopolitical point of view we would want a currency living outside of the control systems. How difficult it is even within these control systems to prevent major crises we do see currently in Europe and the U.S.A.

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This fish for this dish were caught just off Cambois, near Blyth, on the Northumbrian Coast by our intrepid fisherman Chris, while on a trip with Northern Experience Wildlife Tours.

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The local Wild Rabbit for this dish was caught on Blanchland Moor, Northumberland

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The lamb for this dish was raised by the Wilson family on their farm in the Northumberland National Park near Alnwick. Their award winning herd of organic Blackface sheep are fed on a diet of grasses, clover, heather and wild herbs resulting in a unique taste to the lamb.

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The young Grouse for this dish is from Blanchland Moor, Northumberland

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Actually Microsoft is much more the Italian stallion that has just lost a fight to several Clubber Langs. But there is a road back to success. It is so that while Microsoft might have lost a fight or two they are still in the race for the championship even if called a mighty duck not to say a lame duck. So what is needed for Microsoft to once again shine and beat its opponents out of the ring?

What Microsoft needs is an Apollo Creed and the Eye of the Tiger!

Let’s look first at where Microsoft has a bright future. It is where the Clubber Langs – Google and Apple – fail. The key is the enterprise business, as neither Google nor Apple gets it right.

Apple’s small success in selling their devices into the enterprise market is mainly based on the consumerization of IT trend with regards to devices. There is no real enterprise strategy, neither in the devices / device management capabilities nor in the value business – the applications. Apple leaves the application market to many small or medium-sized developers but there is a lack of a consistent story to get enterprise relevant applications onto the device. These are two fields where Microsoft could strike big time. Rather than a fierce battle for the mobile handset itself Microsoft could focus on adding value to enterprise customers. Imagine Microsoft Office integration for the IPhone with access to CRM, SharePoint and other business resources. It could be linked to Office365, Apple has no competitive product at all, and made even more business relevant in a cloud context. Secondly imagine Service Center and Windows InTune having the capability to manage IPhones and IPads. This would really enhance the value Microsoft adds to Enterprises and enable customers around the world to trade the entire device management from one platform. This really fits Microsoft’s vision of adding value through software rather than through hardware which is exchangeable. Also it ensures continued strong ties into the enterprise business, one pillar of Microsoft’s success so far.

Also it ensures to have a future beyond Apple. Apple’s future is kind of question mark to me. How many more form factors of one hardware type (screen & touchscreen) could be sold? The innovation cycle is really in the phase of continuous improvements now.  But there is no real new product anywhere on the horizon. Microsoft instead could develop its management platform to be open for devices of all kinds independent of whoever is the successor of Apple as the supplier of the must have device.

Google on the other hand, while also competing in the mobile handset market, is narrowly focused on their search business. The Google Apps business really is more of a hobby in the real enterprise space. Surely there are nimble successes in the small enterprise market in the U.S.A. but large enterprise or businesses outside of the U.S.A. are more an effort rather than a success so far. Their search business is a success and even while Microsoft has a good product with bing the overwhelming position of Google makes this an uphill battle. Again the key question is where Microsoft adds value and will be able to do so in the future. It is the market only they seem to get, the enterprise market. Yes, there are others but let’s face it IBM is a services business much more than a software business nowadays and Oracle seems to have not yet identified where they want to be. Also they lack the same level of integration as Microsoft does.

Now let us get back to the theme of this post with an explanation of the need for Apollo Creed.

A turnaround is a leadership call but sometimes needs a little infusion from the outside. Like Apollo Creed getting Rocky Balboa out of his comfort zone and back to the basics Microsoft needs an external infusion of vision. If you look at the classic boxing fable it is the vision that was created by Apollo that met an internal craving within Rocky. Microsoft itself feels a similar craving for a vision. Something that unites the 90k+ employees is needed. A goal that makes the One Microsoft theme reality beyond quarterly sales targets like Bill Gates had once created with “one computer on every desk”. This vision or you might call it target is what creates the eye of the tiger in each and every employee. This vision needs to be simple, creative and something that could not really be battled by others. As much as I loved the “We are all in” theme for the cloud it was quickly copied by others and more a business statement for today rather than a vision for tomorrow.

So who could be Microsoft’s Apollo Creed? I have no idea but doubt that it is Steve Ballmer, who has not proven to be visionary, or Ray Ozzie, who has had the potential but was maybe too quiet to motivate the whole of Microsoft.Stephen Elop had the potential but now leads Nokia. I also disagree with the many voices calling Bill Gates back to arms. He is doing too much good for the world on a completely other scale to be distracted. So who is that shining star and what role could he or she have? I honestly do not call for Steve Ballmer to step down, even though that has become quite a popular demand as well. If he buys into that vision as well and focuses his strengths and efforts on that he will be a great leader to drive Microsoft further on.

On top of that you need to be willing to leave you comfort zone and take decisive steps. Look at IBM letting go of the PC business, or HP nowadays. It is like Apollo getting Rocky down to a pace where the only focus is boxing without any cameras and luxuries. Paulie might have complained continuously but the success in the end proved Apollo right. So take the vision, get out of the comfort zone and get working for real. Restart the innovation cycle that is the call for Microsoft.

So do not call Microsoft dead. They even have enough power and reserve to scrape along a few years before that Apollo Creed is found. But beware the moment they find the eye of the tiger again. They will not fool around and beat Clubber Lang out of the ring as Rocky Balboa did in his refight for world championship.

And the winner by knock out in round 3 is …

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• Is it legal to use a cloud service
• Risks and risk management

As privacy rules and laws differ country by country I have picked Germany as my example. Please be aware that you should always check your position with your legal counsel, in house or externally, and not act solely on my statements here. I am not a legally trained advisor and just speak from experience of over a decade of outsourcing and more than 4 years of cloud sales and management.

Is it legal to use a cloud service?

Privacy laws generally look at PII (Personally identifiable information, in German: personenbezogene Daten). This is important as it points out that they do not address your trade secrets, patents, etc. So what is PII? In short it is data about your customers and employees. If you want a deeper inside about the European view on this look here: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/index_en.htm

The basic rule is privacy data should not be transferred anywhere and access is restricted. As we all know in practice even in the past there were concepts like hosting by partners, outsourcing, etc. and still are. As a conclusion there must be rules and ways to transfer data. Let’s first look at the geographic stack of rules one by one.

• If you operate yourself you need to ensure that you follow the rules but need not to create a written agreement with yourself.
• If you task another company with operating your systems you do need a DPA (data processing agreement, in German: Vereinbarung zur Auftragsdatenverarbeitung). This puts you in a position to fulfill the local laws towards data transfer of PII (paragraph 11 of the local data protection law, Bundesdatenschutzgesetz). This is not a new piece to most customers and hosting/outsourcing providers but one step on the learning curve for software or hardware companies that have never offered services before or only in the U.S.A.
• If you / your contract /partner do fulfill the requirements for Germany a data transfer within the European Union does not require any additional agreements. This is based on the view that there is a comparable level of data protection and privacy within the EU
• If you know have a situation where the transfer of data outside of the EU is required there are two classes of countries.
  • The countries where the EU recognizes the level of data protection equal of higher to the rules of the EU. Into these countries the transfer is possible without further agreement.. examples are Canada and Jersey
  • Countries with a non-comparable or inadequate level of data protection. To legally transfer PII into these countries you do need to put additional agreements in place.

So there is a way to legally use cloud services as long as you have the agreements in place to transfer data. Especially for the latter group of countries which includes the U.S.A. the key question is what agreements are needed to have a legal setup. Before we look into that space I believe it is important to explain what a data transfer is?

Take physical copy of the data put it on a plane and fly it to a country or copy data from server in country A to server in country B. This is what most people have in mind when they think about data transfer. Hence the most frequently asked category of questions is: “Where is my data stored?”, “Can you guarantee my data stays in the EU?” While these are surely valid questions we need to ask ourselves is that all and are these questions really relevant? The one thing you have to keep in mind to get a grip on data transfers is that it is not about copying or storing but data access. So even if you store it in your basement as soon as you have a remote administrator accessing the system from wherever, you have data transfer or potential data transfer. So the right questions would be then “From where will the service provider, cloud or no cloud, have access to the data?”

Agreements needed to transfer data

Let’s have a look at the potential agreements needed to transfer data from Germany to the U.S.A. in a common cloud scenario.

• The cloud provider needs to present you a DPA as part of the contract as the minimum requirement. Companies like Salesfoce.com or Microsoft (O365) do this for enterprise customers.
• To move data to the U.S.A. there are certain agreements in place which are regarded with different views towards their usefulness and strength
• Safe Harbor Act of Data

This is an agreement between the EU and the U.S.A. about data privacy rules needed to allow a legal transfer of data. It is based on self-certification of companies providing services that include the transfer of PII (ITO, BPO, cloud, multinational operations, etc.). It is an agreement that is under fire by critics based on the concept of self-certification and the lack of control and enforcement in the U.S.A. There have been examples where companies signed up for it but where far away from fulfilling the requirements stated by the Safe Harbor Act of data.

• EU Model clauses

The EU model clauses are a collection of rules that should be added to a contract without change. These rules are quite strong in many senses. As they pose certain challenges to the concept of cloud computing especially in the areas of subcontractors and auditing not many cloud service providers do yet have these embedded in their contracts. From a legal perspective the EU model clauses put you in the position, if fulfilled, to legally transfer data. There are some bits and pieces though you should keep in mind about the EU model clauses. As pointed out by the article 29 working group and the Düsseldorfer Kreis there is a challenge about how you contract a service including the EU model clauses as you seldom have a contract with the US entity but more often with a European subsidiary. And for contracts between two EU based companies the EU model clauses are not needed. You can find the commentary and suggestions of the article 29 working group on this topic here. Be sure to question the cloud service provider on his view.

• Certifications like ISO, SAS 70, TrustE, TÜV, etc.

All these certifications do have no legal impact as per replacing the agreements above. They help you though to gain an additional level of trust. In addition there is a need to control your service provider that is generated by the DPA and the EU model clauses. As pointed out earlier audits are an issue for cloud providers. Not because they are against customers conducting audits in general but as they operate large scale environments with thousands of customers, allowing customer initiated audits would heavily and permanently disrupt operations. The silver bullet to fulfill the rules and operate a data center rather than a tourist visitor center is to perform audits that are recognized by customers and authorities alike. The customer has just to ensure that the provider is recertified on a regular base and read the audit reports or at least the measures recommended by the auditors. The audits recommended are ISO and SAS 70 Type 2. Most Europeans are not familiar with SAS70 audits. Therefore allow me to point out that Type 2 is important as it involves testing the processes and controls rather than just listing them.

 So my conclusion is that you can legally contract a cloud service if you have the right controls and contractual agreements in place. Is anybody wondering why we have not discussed the Patriot Act so far? This evil thing the press and many critics claim that it makes cloud services illegal. There is a simple reason. The major thing about the Patriot Act that is discussed is about fear or at least lack of trust into the U.S.A. and its agencies. And though it is always said that it is all a legal discussion, when it comes to data transfer of PII and agreements with the U.S.A, not one authority has pulled the plug and declared working with the U.S.A. illegal.

One additional remark here towards limitations in certain verticals or for specific businesses. There might be additional rules in place on top of the general data protection laws. Please work with your legal counsel to ensure that you know these and question your service provider how they handle these. One example is the banking law in Germany (Kreditwesengesetz) detailing the requirements for audits by authorities.

Risk and Risk Management

Finally this is where the Patriot Act will come into play. It will not be the main topic though. A lot of the privacy discussion is focused around the Patriot Act and creates a lot of fear. The interesting thing that an enterprise can from a legal perspective create an environment where it is reducing the risk towards legal actions quite massively by following the rules as pointed out above. But is this the major risk as perceived by the enterprises? It certainly is a part of it as nobody wants to be picked up by data protection authorities and even presented with fines but let’s face it, the bigger economical risk lies elsewhere. It is about trade secrets, patents not yet published, design of future products, etc. In addition it is about internal processes and past information. To get an idea on the value of these bits and pieces look at Toyota’s struggle with regard to their foot mats and the falsely accused self-accelerating cars or the Siemens corruption charges and the potential fines and damage to the image in both cases. 

So it is about trust, the calculation of probabilities and the cost/value of the risk itself. And this is now where it starts to become difficult as the risk assessment is and individual process by each customer. It happens that two customers value the same risk completely different. And that is perfectly fine as with risk management there is no right or wrong.

The laws do not look beyond PII. So when it comes to the precious data of an enterprise how far could that be exposed and what is the cost saving in comparison to the risk. I have been in negotiation with customers that clearly stated that saving 2-3m$ per year does not counter the risk of exposing data that could produce harm of hundreds of millions either through fines or missed business opportunities.

What makes the assessment so difficult is the difficult distinction between lawful requests and cloak and dagger actions. The Patriot Act and the lack of trust towards the U.S.A. is reason for that. Most of the times the Patriot Act is referred to as the one law giving US agencies free access to any data just by sending in a letter.  Let’s start dissect this a little bit. First of all the Patriot Act is a collection of amendments to already existing laws.  The patriot act among other things allows new means to access data. The general procedure is to go to court get a subpoena and present this to the owner of the data and press for the release of it. This is a general process in place in countries all over the world. Then there is the so-called sealed subpoena which might go to a service provider directly to get the data immediately and without notification to the data owner. Does this sound scary? Yes and no, first of all the sealed subpoena still comes from a judge so the judicial system is involved. Secondly the question is with what probability does this happen. And how can you protect yourself if you want to? The experience shows that within 6 years of operating a cloud service one of the top cloud providers has not seen a sealed subpoena yet so it seems the risk is rather low. Secondly the means of avoiding data access are limited. As soon as you have significant subsidiary or business in the U.S.A. you are subject to the Patriot Act. You could claim that this only encompasses your US subsidiary and you do not have to hand over data hold by your European entities in European datacenters but that is wishful thinking. In doubt the US would take your US board / management team into custody to enforce an imprisonment for contempt. This is then a decision for each company to consider how to handle this situation and this is also where companies like Microsoft are quite clear that they will not send their CEO into prison to hold back customer data requested according to laws.

One quote from Toyota which I admittedly did not receive first hand: “Throughout the crisis around the foot matts and the accused self-acceleration we have learned that the US courts will get access to relevant data independent of the physical location and therefore have come to the conclusion that this is not a roadblock anymore that prevents us from using cloud computing offered by US companies.”

The other area is the cloak and dagger stuff. People have a fear for economic espionage by the US government to strengthen local business. Whether this is a valid assumption or not I cannot judge but if you believe in it you need to act accordingly. Just consider one thing; this should not stop you from using cloud computing in general. It just stops you from using it for certain areas like R&D or M&A. You could still use it in many other areas and create a benefit.

One interesting tidbit is that a lot of the discussions only came up with cloud computing but the rules are all the same for outsourcing, hosting and even self-delivered IT. Isn’t it strange that we questions things for one side of the coin but not the other? I believe in an evaluation of business options, and sourcing strategies are business options, the evaluation matrix should be the same for all. Any other approach to me is either cheating or a strategic decision that overrules the evaluation.

Additional quick overview information is available in this post: http://clouddiscussions.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/common-misperceptions-fear-uncertainty-and-doubt/

 update December 15th:

EU model clauses and data processing agreement as a standard

http://bizcloudnetwork.com/office-365-becomes-first-and-only-major-cloud-productivity-service-to-comply-with-leading-eu-and-u-s-standards-for-data-protection-and-security

Microsoft has taken a bold step here. So far the EU Model clauses have been granted on exception base only and the DPA (data processing agreement) has been shaky.

With these news now Microsoft is taking a lead. Google is far away from EU model clauses and DPAs in their contracts hence them not being active so far in e.g. Germany. Salesforce.com has a DPA (a good one!) and is relying on the Safe Harbour Act. This Act is under criticism for many reasons and the only other way are the EU Model Clauses.

I will need to dig a little bit to see how Microsoft finally implemented the EU Model Clauses. Critical points are:

- list of subcontractors and right to disagree

- Article 29 group comments on which parties can actually agree on model clauses contractually

- audit rights

If Microsoft takes this and gets the marketing wheels turning it could be a starting point for SaaS use in the enterprise space on a broader base.

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The lamb for this dish was raised by the Wilson family on their farm in the Northumberland National Park near Alnwick. Their award winning herd of organic Blackface sheep are fed on a diet of grasses, clover, heather and wild herbs resulting in a unique taste to the lamb.

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The categories are:

Price and Extras; Flexibility Part 1; Flexibility Part 2; Warranty and Support; Verdict

Why cars review? It does fit, doesn’t it? Like a car, email is what we use every day at work and in private life. It is about collaborating with others in traffic but also within the car. Not much different from a collaboration service.

One small hint for all the readers. Please read with a smile. This is not intended as a feature by feature comparison. You should always try for yourself before you by a car … err a collaboration service. This is based on an enterprise and not a consumer point of view. But enough of this let’s get started.

Price and Extras (both cars available for rent only)

Doesn’t it sound great, one very cheap price and it is all the same for everybody? The GAP is a car that is focused really on what is needed – Driving.  And to get from A to B all we need are four wheels and that is all what we get guaranteed. Surely there are options beyond this but they are not part of the contract and you never know whether you get anything beyond the basic capability. The GAP team has great ideas and shows fantastic things at car fares but all you can buy with a real contract are the one size, one flavor fits all cars. Independently of your requirements as e.g. a soccer mum with needs to transport 5 kids or a small entrepreneur selling wine needing to transport boxes of wine or a car enthusiast in for a luxury treat there is no real choice.

The O365 follows a different approach. It offers you extras based on your needs. You can tailor the car in a way that you get the full functionality for the best price if you pick the so-called ”deskless car” or a fully equipped car at a reasonable higher price point. Ok there is a downside, the price list is somewhat longer and it forces you to think about what you really need but on the other hand all the extras you pick are part of the contract and you have certainty you’ll get them and you keep them. The O365 might be in for less flashy innovation show time action but it is based on the world-class O2010 the luxury car of the past, the present and the future. This O2010 by the way is the car you can buy compared to O365 and GAP which can only be rented.

Flexibility Part 1

The marketing team for the GAP calls it the most flexible car in the world but let’s have a look whether that is true. It runs on the most distributed fuel the so-called “Browser” and therefore can run on almost any road, as long as it is a road and connected to the road network. So it is fair to say it is pretty flexible. The missing pieces are quite important though. What about using a back road kind of thing where you are disconnected from the real road network? Doesn’t happen is what the GAP maker claims. But ever brought your daughter to riding classes? Horse farms usually are not in the city center. Or ever wanted to work while in the Eurotunnel without a steady road network? These options are not there.

The O365 runs likewise on all the roads and uses the so-called “Browser” fuel. But in addition you can also order an engine that runs with native “Windows” and “Mac” fuel types. This is not only another engine but also enables you to travel on roads unconnected and therefore gives you the full flexibility.

Oh, not to forget one general downside of the “Browser” fuel that limits both cars. While running on “browser”, the cheaper fuel compared to “Windows” and “Mac” you have limited power and features. So only O365 offering additional fuel types gives you the flexibility to use the full feature set if you need it and you can easily choose it by changing your fuel. There is no lock in to “Browser” only fuel engines.

Flexibility Part 2

So now think about a company having a fleet of cars. There is the possibility to cut down cost if you go down for one size fits all. This is a route that is open to you if you choose either car the GAP or the O365. But in reality you need a little bit more flexibility to cater the needs of your board, your management, the travelling sales men and the office workers. No doubt your board members would be a good group to get the GAP as their focus is on being driven rather driving. But would they enjoy driving the GAP personally on weekends or does the GAP represent their status? And do not underestimate the importance of things like this when it comes to cars. So there is the first group in need of something special and as you go through analyzing your fleet you soon recognize that there is a need for other types of transportation as well. Some of your research people use sophisticated security cars to have their heads (data) protected. While these run on “Windows” and “Mac” on private roads they would not work on “Browser” on the public road network. Also some of your workers do need extras in the cars beyond get from A to B and only with O365 these are available in a reliable way. So beyond the flexibility in the car the flexibility of the car use scheme for enterprises has a huge impact on which way to choose.

Warranty and Support

Your car is important to you. It is your major means of transportation. You need it running 24/7. This both cars claim and duration tests show that the GAP and the BPOS (the older version of the O365) are quite close when it comes to running times statistically. We expect the O365 to pick up where the BPOS left. One thing though is that we get letters from our readers now and then complaining about the reliability of the GAP. Single cases sure but the interesting pattern here is the way the GAP maker supports these car owners. You could post a message up in the internet (you know, this computer communication thing) and hope to get a reply. There is no way to call them up.

The O365 has a dial-up option as well as a premium service offering upgrading the car to personal car service manager. Also you can bring you O365 in to a number of partner workshops for support and tuning. So that makes a difference to a car.

In case your car fails you want a warranty and your costs covered. The GAP warranty only covers the drive train and excludes secondary components. Why is that? Remember only the drive train is what you can really buy and nail down contractually. The other pieces are there or are not. The warranty itself will not pay you money but offer you a weekend in another GAP at free cost.

The O365 has a full coverage warranty that is backed up by financial agreements.

Speaking of warranties we need to speak about road worthiness in a sense of legal requirements. Let’s look at the most famous car market in the world – the German market. Here you need to fulfill a row of regulations before you get your car on the road and you need to have it evaluated on a regular base. While O365 comes with full package of papers, namely a data processing agreement and the European document on model clauses, there is not much information on the set of documentation delivered with the GAP. Surely it runs in the U.S.A. but we know all about American cars, don’t we? So there seems to be a gap with GAP.

Verdict

The GAP is a great concept. And I know that there is a bunch of GAP lovers out there like there have been people wanting to get a Trabant. But let’s face it, we as car aficionados, decision makers for fleets or simply people wanting to have choice probably will pick the O365. If not for all cases maybe we just pick it for the weekdays and drive a O2010 the ultimate road car on the weekends.

Matthias

Authors Note:

Yes,the GAP car does not look to good up there and I know that by now some SLA’s have been extended to other features beyond just Google mail. This was written for the fun of it and I do believe that apart from small slips which the GAP enthusiasts will happily point out it is based on real differences between the offerings. Hope you enjoy it

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The pork for this dish is raised by Mr Mark Bradley of North Crane Row Farm, Hamsterley, near Bishop Auckland from his herd of pedigree Welsh pigs

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