Cloud technology: a transformational dynasty on the ICT evolutionary continuum and contemporaneously a societal speciation event.

AuthorPonschock, Richard L.
  1. INTRODUCTION

    Gharajedaghi (2006) submits the game is changing. The game Gharajedaghi focuses on is business in general and business architecture specifically. This paper examines the technology layer in the organizational structure. CLOUD computing may be the ambiguous driver of change. "CLOUD" computing is the internet-based, just-in-time delivery of data, applications, storage, and computing power as services, done in a way that completely shields consumers from underlying technical details." (Moser, 2009, p.2) The commentary will explore the probable necessity for empirical research to clarify if the CLOUD architecture is the ends or the means on the ICT transformational continuum. Utility computing, the long-held dream in computer architecture, has the potential to transform a large part of the IT industry, making software even more attractive as a service and shaping the way IT hardware is designed and purchased. Developers with innovative ideas for new Internet services no longer require the large capital outlays in hardware to deploy their service or the human expense to operate it. (Armbrust et al., 2010). Are the changes that CLOUD technology is bringing, or will bring to the business landscape transformational or simply an evolutionary step to a broader progression? ICT has influenced the business landscape unlike any other innovation. Additionally, ICT riddled organizations with disruptive introductions from its inception. Gharajedaghi, (2006) advances that "ends and means are interchangeable concepts; an end is a means for further ends." (p.70) We contend that this cyclical principle lives on the Information Communication Technology (ICT) evolutionary continuum. Figure 1 illuminates the evolutionary continuum of the business technology epoch, although unbroken, it has four distinct domains. This paper will refer to these domains as innovation dynasties (enthralled, diffusion, mobility, and commoditization).

    These tremors resulted in both the end of the current dynasty and the beginning of the next. The question that arises: are these tremors a paradigm shift at the core of ICT or a transformation on how information will be governed and delivered? Kuhn, (1996) authored the theory that a paradigm gains status because it is more successful than its predecessor. It is a solution to a problem that practitioners in a specific discipline view as acute. (Kuhn, 1996) The end of each dynasty is the beginning of the next advancement. The intent of this examination is exploratory. Will the CLOUD be more than just the beginning of a new ICT domain or will it be the accelerant for a technology transformation?

  2. HISTORICAL FOUNDATION

    In 1936 Alan Turing a 24 year old Cambridge University mathematician invented the idea of what progressed to today's digital computer (Carr, 2008). The actual beginning of the computer technology era for business applications can be argued. This paper will consider the late 1950's as the beginning of the computer era for business. This is the period when data processing "tabulating" machines were transitioning the business landscape into the computer age. Information Technology has been in a continual state of evolution since the beginning of the computer age. (Ward, Peppard, 2009) The acronyms attached to computer departments have evolved over time. The names ranged from Data Processing (DP) to the current tag ICT; an acronym for Information Communication Technology. Between these two designations were MIS, CIS, IS, and IT. (Ward, Peppard, 2009) Gordon E. Moore the co-founder of Intel set the advancement metric with his statement "The numbers of transistors incorporated in a chip will approximately double every 24 months." This simple phrase is now known as MOORES LAW (Moore, 1965). Intel's silicon wafer set in motion a progression along the current continuum of technology evolution.

  3. DYNASTIES DEFINED

    Enthralled Dynasty

    Overlapping the use of tabulating machines, the general purpose business computer era started with IBM's commercial offering of the IBM 1620 in 1959. Although a business machine, the IBM 1620 was still marketed as an inexpensive "scientific computer". (IBM 1620, 2011) The System 360 was the first mainframe family of computers entering the business landscape and sold between 1964 and 1978. The IBM 360 series was designed to cover the complete range of applications, from small to large, both commercial and scientific. (IBM, 2011)

    During the birthing years of business computing; computers were put into glass walled rooms so the status and stature of the company could be touted. Businesses were enthralled with computers both from their capabilities and potential. It was equally prestigious to utilize computers or be an employee with computer skills. From an organizational perspective, the computer department was a productive and at the same time a disruptive force in the organization; the computer operators, programmers, and analysts were "behind the looking glass". Computer technicians needed special training and were almost set on a pedestal from an organizational perspective. They were generously paid and it was commonly said that they spoke a different "language". (Forester, 1989)

    Diffusion dynasty

    In computer time the "enthralled" period was short lived and the large mainframe computers began sharing the landscape with the mini-computer,(Ward, Peppard, 2009) personal computer, and laptop. We refer to this as the "diffusion" dynasty. (Rogers, 1965) For the first time, computer technology, was moving into functional departments. Although the major technology tasks of computer operations and application programming were still in the hands of the computer specialists, transaction entry and simple inquiries were being migrated to functional personnel. Computer terminals were showing up outside of the computer rooms and on desks of accounting staff, and even being utilized on manufacturing shop floor.

    During the 1960s major shifts in computer architecture and use were occurring. The transition from room sized machines was cemented by minicomputers to inexpensive personal computers (PC's)^The term minicomputer evolved in the 1960s to describe the "small" computers that became possible with the use of integrated circuits and random access core memory. The minicomputer usually took up one or a few large refrigerator size cabinets compared to the room size mainframes. The first successful minicomputer was Digital Equipment Corporation's PDP-8. (Bell, et al., 1970)

    Machine size alone did not make this era significant. With the minicomputer came the video display terminal (VDT). The display terminal although still tethered by cable, emancipated the business user from the data entry function of the computer department. The business user was finally permitted to enter, edit, and view their data. In addition to delivering information on to a video screen, central reporting was also being diffused. Printing began occurring on demand and...

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