Comprehensive System Analysis Report: Cloud Computing and SDLC

This report provides a comprehensive system analysis of cloud computing and Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). It explores cloud-based solutions, emphasizing security measures like firewalls and data encryption, along with the importance of user-friendly interfaces and improved organizational agility. The analysis delves into the strengths, such as cost savings and accessibility, and weaknesses, including customization limitations and security concerns. The report also examines the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), differentiating between predictive and adaptive methodologies. Predictive SDLC is discussed in terms of its advantages (control, planning) and disadvantages (cost, time constraints), while adaptive SDLC, which emphasizes continuous adaptation, is also examined. The report considers user input, the evolution of system requirements, and the importance of collaboration and learning cycles within the SDLC process. The report also looks at the importance of usability and reliability in cloud solutions, which are essential for ensuring the effective functionality of cloud-based services.

Running Head: SYSTEM ANALYSIS 1
System Analysis
Student’s Name
Institution

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System Analysis
Cloud computing is an information technology field which enables ubiquitous access to
resources which have been shared and configured to be provisioned with very little effort on the
internet. A cloud based solution a system or program which has been deployed is hosted on the
cloud and is accessed through the internet (Taylor, 2004). Cloud based solutions need to be
secured so that they are not breached by unauthorized malicious individuals. The deployment
and use of firewalls enables a cloud based solution to be kept secure and far from reach from any
unauthorized persons. Data in cloud based solution should also be encrypted. This security
measure helps in keeping the data in a cloud based solution safe by ensuring that even if the
firewalls and intrusive detective measures do not work effectively and an unauthorized
individual is able to gain access to the cloud based solution they will not be able to understand
the data or information which they have accessed (US Department of Justice, 2003). If they are
unable to read the data they have accessed they will not be in a position to tamper with the data
or use it for any kind of malicious intent.
The interface of a cloud based solution should be user friendly and simple to use. This
will ensure that the users of the solution are able to utilize it effectively with ease. The interface
should also be designed in a professional manner based on the context it will be utilized for so
that it serves the purpose it was meant to (Schmidt & Rosenberg, 2014). A cloud based solution
improves the agility of an organization which uses it. For the organization which has
implemented and utilizes a cloud based system it will enable them to increase user flexibility by
expanding the technology infrastructure resources they will require to accommodate a large
number of users. In the past companies were faced with a huge problem in being able to meet
the needs of their users. As they grew they needed more resources in terms of infrastructure to

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accommodate the larger number of users who had subscribed or were using their services. It was
a costly endeavor which was very hard to keep up with. Cloud solutions came up to salvage the
situation by offering the needed infrastructure which such companies needed to ensure that they
would be able to adapt according to the technology resources they needed (Radack, 2011).
The use of cloud based solutions has helped many organizations in saving of costs which
were incurred in purchasing and maintenance of the IT infrastructure needed to help them serve
their clients. The money and resources in which most companies have saved from the use of
cloud based solutions has led them improve on other areas in their business. They are now able
to fund other non-technical resources of the organization such as marketing and customer
support to grow and improve their business. Usability is the way in which a system has been
developed to enable users to actively benefit from its use (Qusay, Riad & Ahmed, 2012).
Usability is a key concept in ensuring a system serves the purpose it was meant for as it was
built. Reliability is the act of being able to depend on a certain resource for your needs. In the
context of cloud based solutions they should be reliable to ensure that the operations of a
business are always in check. A company outsources its cloud needs to a cloud solutions
provider. If the provider is not reliable it may cause a company to lose a lot in terms of clients
and resources. It is therefore important that a cloud solution provider is reliable in their
operations. A cloud solution being internet based should be able to perform at peak levels to
ensure that it provides quality services to its clients and users. If it does not perform well and
lags it might lead the companies which are dependent on it to stagnate or lose business. The
security aspect of a cloud based solution is of top priority. The information stored in the cloud is
very sensitive and therefore the security measures employed to protect this data should be state
of the art so that the systems are protected from any dangers (Qusay, 2011).

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The constraints of a cloud based solution are that they are not customizable. This is
because the system is developed and maintained by the owner of the cloud service. It is a cheap
service due to economies of scale but the cloud solution provider is the one who determines
when the interface of the cloud based system. Some cloud based solutions are also not compliant
to legal regulations. This may put the companies which are using the services of these non-
compliant cloud solution providers to be at risk of legal action. Most companies usually operate
within the law to ensure that they are able to serve their clients adequately. It is within their
mandate to ensure that if they outsource or use outside resources such as a cloud solution
provider they should utilize service providers who are complaint to the law (Parag, Rodgerb &
Girish, 2008). The policies and security measures which are used by a cloud solution provider
are usually managed by them. This leaves the companies who use theses solution providers at the
mercy of their service provider.
The strengths of using a cloud based solution are that they are very affordable due to the
economies of scale. The cloud solution provider usually setups up the necessary infrastructure to
run a cloud system and then offers their service to various clients. The presence of many clients
will ensure that they can cost share the use of these IT infrastructure resources (Oestreich, 2010).
The use of a cloud based solution give its users the ability to access the system from any location
they may be in as long as they have an internet connection. This is very beneficial to
organizations because their employees are able to work on the go and achieve more productivity.
The company will not be dependent on having the solution on site to access the services they
offer. Mulitlatency is a process in which many companies are able to share resources and save on
cost of use and maintenance. The use of a cloud based solution will enable all the companies
using it to use a cost effective solution in their operations. They will not need to invest in the

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technology infrastructure which is usually very costly to buy and maintain. The weaknesses of a
cloud based solution are that the information of a company is usually held in it and it can be
taken or stolen from the cloud service provider through various ways for malicious intent (Mell
& Grance, 2011). The design of the cloud solution is also dictated by the cloud service provider.
The company does not have any way in which they may be able to change the interface so that it
conforms to its designs. The company can lose clients due to this because they may find use of
this cloud based solution to be hard and not user-friendly.
Software development life cycle (SDLC) is a process which is usually used as a guideline
in the development of a software solution (Marakas & O'Brien, 2010). In the use of the software
development life cycle there are specific deliverables which are set to ensure that they are
achieved at each step. Predictive software development life cycle is the utilization of the SDLC
process effectively by being able to predict the processes which will be needed in every step of
the methodology. The use of predictive SDLC has the advantage of control because it enables
the users of this process to have an idea of every stage in the process and what is entailed within
every step. After they are aware of this they can be able to control various factors such as setting
the budget and the amount of time to achieve deliverables to each specific phase in the software
development life cycle. Predictive SDLC can be used in large projects to help in managing them
so that their objectives are achieved (Kay, 2002). In any project if there is no prior planning
before the project begins there are various risks which will be encountered. The greatest of them
is the project becoming a failure. When individuals set out to start a project they purpose to
complete it and that is why planning is needed to ensure the project is a success (Haghighat,
Zonouz & Abdel-Mottaleb, 2015). When working on large projects the use of predictive SDLC
can help by being able to monitor these projects easily. By following the SDLC process the

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projects can be monitored by evaluating the outcome of each phase to ensure it is completed on
time and on budget with a positive outcome. The user input which is provided in the process will
enable the predictive SDLC process by giving a description of how the system being developed
will look like and the functionality it should have (Gruman, 2008). If user input is not considered
in the predictive SDLC process the project being pursued might not be successful or it might
yield results which are not of use or productive to the user.
The cons of using predictive SDLC are that the costs used in the process might not be
correct. This is because a prediction is only an estimate and the facts used when a prediction is
made can easily change over time. It is therefore important to always have an overestimated
budget when using predictive SDLC to ensure the project will be able to run smoothly without
constraints so that its goals can be achieved (Elliott & Strachan, 2004). Predictive SDLC might
not be able to predict the right amount of time which should be set to ensure a project achieves
its objectives. When using predictive SDLC the amount of time needed to deliver the project is
usually set then the various phases are allocated time within this scope to ensure the project is
delivered on time (Dealey, 2013). Most projects are usually faced with time constraints. It is very
hard to set a time frame for any emergencies or inconveniences that may come up during a
project. It is therefore standard to ensure that the project is allocated emergency time to achieve
on its deliverables. This time however should not be too long to a point that will compromise the
project. In predictive SDLC the systems to be developed and used might be defined upfront. The
use of prediction can be used to define the systems to be used. However these systems may need
to change so that the project objective is achieved (Baburajan, 2011). It is a very big
disadvantage but it is a necessary requirement so that the SDLC process can be developed
appropriately based on the needed deliverables. The use of predictive SDLC needs the input of

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users. It is however a hard task to predict the input in which users may give in the process. The
input they give is also limited which makes the process become compromised or limited in its
purpose.
Adaptive SDLC is a software development methodology that came up from rapid
application development. It involves the continuous adapting of the process to the tasks being
performed to ensure the current project being undertaken achieves the best results possible. The
benefit of this process is that it revisits the speculative, learning and collaboration cycles of the
SDLC process. This means that project planning which is the speculation phase is revisited and
adapts to change as the project is ongoing. Collaboration is whereby individuals work to share
the tasks which has been predicted as being needed to accomplish the project goals. Learning
focuses on the design, build and testing phases. Here the process is iterated by making small
mistakes and false assumptions then correcting them to ensure all possible errors are tested and
the system can be of good quality. The disadvantages are that this process may use a lot of
money and time. It also risks a project becoming obsolete if its need is surpassed by the time it is
ready for deployment. The two methodologies are all good while used in different settings. I
would recommend the adaptive SDLC approach because it encompasses a more realistic view of
the challenges and events that happen in present day.
References
Baburajan R. (2011). "The Rising Cloud Storage Market Opportunity Strengthens Vendors".
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Dealey C. (2013). "Cloud Computing Working Group", Network Centric Operations Industry
Consortium – NCOIC.

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Elliott G. & Strachan J. (2004) Global Business Information Technology. p.87.
Gruman G. (2008). "What cloud computing really means". InfoWorld.
Haghighat S.M., Zonouz & Abdel-Mottaleb M. (2015). CloudID: Trustworthy Cloud-based and
Cross-Enterprise Biometric Identification. Expert Systems with Applications, 42(21),
7905–7916.
Kay R. (2002). "QuickStudy: System Development Life Cycle". ComputerWorld.
Marakas J. A. & O'Brien G. M. (2010). Management information systems. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
pp. 485–489.
Mell P. & Grance T. (2011). The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing (Technical report).
National Institute of Standards and Technology: U.S. Department of Commerce.
Oestreich K. (2010). "Converged Infrastructure". CTO Forum.
Parag C. P., Rodgerb J. A. & Girish H. S. (2008). "An empirical study of the Cobb–Douglas
production function properties of software development effort". Information and
Software Technology. 50 (12): 1181–1188.
Qusay H. (2011). "Demystifying Cloud Computing". The Journal of Defense Software
Engineering. CrossTalk.
Qusay H. F., Riad l. M. & Ahmed H. E. (2012). "Software reuse in the emerging cloud
computing era". In Yang, Hongji; Liu, Xiaodong. Understanding Cloud Computing.
Information Science Reference. pp. 204–227.
Radack S. (2011)."The system development life cycle (SDLC)". National Institute of Standards
and Technology.
Schmidt E. & Rosenberg J. (2014). How Google Works. Grand Central Publishing. p. 11
Taylor J. (2004). Managing Information Technology Projects. p.39.

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US Department of Justice (2003). INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT Chapter 1.
Introduction.

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