- How Things Got Off Track
- SOA to the Rescue?
- What the Heck Is SOA, and Why Should I Care?
- SOA Meets Cloud Computing
- Defining Cloud Computing
- The Components of Cloud Computing
- The Dream Team of Cloud Computing and SOA
- What SOA Can Learn from Cloud Computing
- What Cloud Computing Can Learn from SOA
- Making the Leap
- Being Positively Disruptive
Being Positively Disruptive
The idea is to drive change for the better. Many enterprises are in such bad shape that it makes sense to leverage disruptive technology and approaches to drive that change. This is really about rethinking, redefining, and shaking things up. The use of SOA using cloud computing is analogous to the first movement to the Web years ago. The use of the Web revolutionized the way we access and view information, and cloud computing will revolutionize the way we look at IT resources. It is about making major disruptive changes to very poorly planned IT infrastructures that drive changes for the good.
You must keep in mind as you read this book that the shift to cloud computing is all about change for the better using intense approaches and technologies that make sense. It is also about changing hearts and minds about adapting these technologies and approaches, and in essence, that is the most difficult part of the journey.
Many of you will face resistance from people in your organization who are reluctant to support the change. While many who drive disruptive change tend to view their reluctance as a hindrance, it is really an opportunity for you to test your ideas and learn how to explain them. Testing your ideas means listening to the points made by those resisting the change and using those points to see if you have missed anything in your assessment of what must be changed and why. While the naysayers may be overly negative at times, you need to welcome the opportunity to review your approaches and perhaps make revisions based on their feedback. You will have a firmer belief that what you are doing is right and perhaps will gain new knowledge and insights in the process.
Your role as teacher gives you the opportunity to learn how to educate people about what you are doing, and why. Those who are most successful in driving positive disruptive change are those who can thoroughly and with conviction explain the value of the new approach and new technologies.
The benefit for you is that if you successfully shift your company to a cloud computing and SOA architecture, your enterprises will be much more effective and efficient, able to meet most, if not all, of the needs of the business. You will have a key competitive advantage that allows you to increase your market share, build better products, and live up to the mission of the organization. You will have a healthy IT infrastructure that enables you to do more with less.