ITECH 5404: Cloud Computing and Business Process Analysis Review

This report is a comprehensive review of a journal article focusing on the benefits and challenges of Business Process Management (BPM) in the context of cloud computing. The report begins by introducing the growing competitiveness of the business world and the importance of leveraging collaborative concepts and cloud computing to sustain and survive in the market. It then establishes a peer review on the journal by Ute Riemann, titled: Benefits and Challenges for BPM in the cloud (Riemann, 2015), relating the ongoing challenges discussed in the journal with the other journals reviewed by the group members. The review delves into the business framework, emphasizing the need for process enhancement and customer satisfaction through efficiency, effectiveness, and flexibility, highlighting the role of cloud computing in delivering these aspects through service computing and operation management. The report defines cloud computing from various perspectives, then classifies cloud services into PaaS, SaaS, BPaaS, and IaaS models, discussing their respective functions and benefits. It also explores the advantages of cloud services in a business context, such as abstraction, virtualization, cost reduction for start-ups, and business flexibility. Finally, the report addresses the challenges associated with cloud computing, including security concerns and data transfer costs. The report concludes with an appendix that details the student's experience with the reading circle, including their article selection, preparation, and the value of team discussions.

Running head: ITECH 5404 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS AND CHANGE
ITECH 5404 Business Process Analytics and Change
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ITECH 5404 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS AND CHANGE
Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
Understanding the business framework...............................................................................3
Cloud computing definitions...............................................................................................4
Cloud services structuring...................................................................................................4
PaaS.................................................................................................................................4
SaaS.................................................................................................................................4
BPaaS...............................................................................................................................5
IaaS..................................................................................................................................5
Benefits of cloud services in a business..............................................................................5
Abstraction.......................................................................................................................5
Virtualization...................................................................................................................5
Lower costs for start-ups.................................................................................................6
Business flexibility..........................................................................................................6
Challenges of using cloud services......................................................................................6
Security............................................................................................................................6
Data transfer.....................................................................................................................6
Appendix..............................................................................................................................7
References............................................................................................................................8

2ITECH 5404 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS AND CHANGE

3ITECH 5404 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS AND CHANGE
Introduction
The competitiveness of the world in terms of businesses is growing every single day. In
order to sustain and survive within this competitive market, it is immensely important for any
company to take as much help as possible be it by implementing collaborative concepts or any
other means. Over the years, cloud computing has transformed the working framework of several
organizations by providing many benefits in the form of service computing and operation
management. This article establishes a peer review on the journal by Ute Riemann, named:
Benefits and Challenges for BPM in the cloud (Riemann, 2015). In addition to it, this article
relates the ongoing challenges discussed in the journal with the other journals reviewed by my
group members.
Understanding the business framework
The prime focus of any particular business is process enhancement and ensuring that
these processes meet the risk regulations and other compliances. Moreover, the customer needs
are increasing day by day and they want their services and products to be delivered as soon as
possible. In order to deliver proper customer satisfaction an organization needs to be effective,
efficient and dynamic in providing their services and products (Nallusamy & Ahamed, 2017).
One of the best ways to address the increasing challenges in terms of efficiency, effectiveness,
flexibility, capacity and responsiveness is process improvement. Although there are various
technological tools that can be implemented in order to improve the business processes of an
organization, some of the aspects need to be refined. In that case, social media plays a vital role
in managing the business processes and it is quite evident from article 2.

4ITECH 5404 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS AND CHANGE
Cloud computing definitions
There are a range of definitions for cloud computing that have been represented in
this journal. One of the most impactful and appropriate definitions is provided by Brendl.
According to him, cloud computing can be defined as a collection of IT resources (Applications,
databases and servers). Generally, it is available on demand basis that is provided by any service
company with the help of internet (Puthal et al., 2015). Other popular definition has been given
by the NIST which comprehends cloud computing as a framework that helps in enabling on
demand and convenient network access for a set of computing resources.
Cloud services structuring
This part of the journal provides a firm guidance towards the cloud market scenario.
Generally, clouds can be systematically classified as Private clouds, public clouds and hybrid
clouds based on their purpose of implementation. There are a range of business models in the
field of cloud computing, namely PaaS, SaaS, BPaaS and IaaS (Chun & Choi, 2014). These have
been discussed below.
PaaS
PaaS is the abbreviated form of Platform as a service. The PaaS architecture comprises of
a platform for the purpose of development along with a middleware with the purpose of
providing the users (especially IT designers and application developers) to develop and operate
applications in the cloud base. As the name suggests, it provides a platform for the purpose of
various services.

5ITECH 5404 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS AND CHANGE
SaaS
SaaS stands for Software as a service and contains the topmost architectural layer within
the cloud. SaaS generally comprises of traditional users within the business units. It is one of the
most basic and well known service models. As the name suggests, this architecture model
provides the users with software for the purpose of various services (Kavis, 2014). Generally a
dedicated server is bult to host the software which is accessed by the users with the help of web
browsers.
BPaaS
It stands for business process as a service and is a form of outsourcing (Lynn et al.,
2014). The BPaaS architecture model; helps in decreasing the number of labours by introducing
automotive concepts.
IaaS
Infrastructure as a service can be stated as the basis and core foundation of the cloud
architecture. It provides a dynamic aspect to storage, computing and other networking resources.
Generally, the IaaS users (especially the IT architects, System administrators and developers)
have the authority to access the resources of these infrastructure on the basis of their
requirements. Time reduction and efficiency enhancements can be achieved with the help of this
architecture model.
Benefits of cloud services in a business
Abstraction
A detailed implementation information of the system can be abstracted by implementing
the concepts of cloud computing (Jain & Sharma, 2016). This information can be gathered from

6ITECH 5404 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS AND CHANGE
the developers as well as the users. Physical systems on which applications work are usually
unspecified, data and information are stored in unknown locations and outsourcing the system
administration to others.
Virtualization
Virtualization of the systems can be done via cloud computing by implementing the
concepts of resource sharing and pooling. In addition to that, provisioning storages and systems
on the basis of centralized infrastructure requirements can also be done with the help of cloud
computing (Malhotra, Agarwal & Jaiswal, 2014). Furthermore, enabled multi tenancy, accessing
costs on a metered basis and scalable resources are some of the inevitable beneficial factors of
using cloud services in a particular business.
Lower costs for start-ups
Cloud services help in the upfront cost reduction for software as well as IT infrastructure.
Also, the cloud computing services are available without capital commitments which is one of
the most valued aspects of these services. Moreover, it also allows the companies to adapt to new
business models by converting the fixed costs of the company into variable costs.
Business flexibility
In terms of strategy, the prime objective of the companies is to achieve flexibility in their
IT infrastructure. Deploying the cloud services helps in replacing the associated risks in terms of
large capital investment with smooth expenditures. Flexibility in the business framework helps a
company to maintain the competitiveness along with adapting to emerging technological needs.

7ITECH 5404 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS AND CHANGE
Challenges of using cloud services
Security
According to Oredo & Njihia (2014) the data stored within the cloud can be accessed via
internet which raises various concerns in terms of compliance and confidentiality of the
information.
Data transfer
Since there is a large amount of data that is transferred between several business bodies
for the purpose of collaboration, there is a potential increment in the pricing (Ahmed & Hossain,
2014). The core reason for the increment in cost is the fact that the billing is done on the basis of
transferred data and the storage.
Appendix
Since Ute Riemann is a famous author and has published many popular books, locating
the article on the internet was not a tough job. Moreover there are several reasons why I chose
this article over others. Business process management is an inevitable aspect within the
organizational framework. “Benefits and challenges for BPM within the cloud” by Ute Riemann
provides in depth knowledge of the current scenario and the lingering challenges faced by the
companies. After going thoroughly through this journal, I found that it had covered almost all the
areas like challenges of using cloud services, the beneficial aspects of it, the service architectures
etc. Choosing this article was a wise decision for me as it answered all the questions raised in the
assignment. I had to go through the journal multiple number of times and thoroughly prepare for
presenting it to my team reading circle. I made sure that there are no loopholes in my knowledge
areas of the given topic. Several questions were raised by my team members for which I

8ITECH 5404 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS AND CHANGE
provided a firm clarification to them. They have read my review and gained knowledge in this
particular area that I have worked on. Although there were certain concerns that were raised by
them in terms of strategic management. This helped me in further modifying my review article
thus working on the flaws. Furthermore, I am glad I was given this topic and found this journal
by Ute Riemann. This journal has enriched me in several ways and has helped me gain a new
perspective.

9ITECH 5404 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS AND CHANGE
References
Ahmed, M., & Hossain, M. A. (2014). Cloud computing and security issues in the cloud.
International Journal of Network Security & Its Applications, 6(1), 25.
Chun, S. H., & Choi, B. S. (2014). Service models and pricing schemes for cloud computing.
Cluster Computing, 17(2), 529-535.
Jain, D., & Sharma, Y. (2016). Cloud computing with ERP-A push business towards higher
efficiency. Annaul Research Journal of SCMS Pune, 4.
Kavis, M. J. (2014). Architecting the cloud: design decisions for cloud computing service models
(SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS). John Wiley & Sons.
Lynn, T., O’Carroll, N., Mooney, J., Helfert, M., Corcoran, D., Hunt, G., ... & Healy, P. (2014).
Towards a framework for defining and categorising business Process-As-A-Service
(BPaaS). In 21st International Product Development Management Conference.
Malhotra, L., Agarwal, D., & Jaiswal, A. (2014). Virtualization in cloud computing. J Inform
Tech Softw Eng, 4(2), 136.
Nallusamy, S., & Ahamed, A. (2017). Implementation of lean tools in an automotive industry for
productivity enhancement-A case study. In International Journal of Engineering
Research in Africa (Vol. 29, pp. 175-185). Trans Tech Publications.
Oredo, J. O., & Njihia, J. (2014). Challenges of cloud computing in business: Towards new
organizational competencies. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 5(3).

10ITECH 5404 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS AND CHANGE
Puthal, D., Sahoo, B. P. S., Mishra, S., & Swain, S. (2015, January). Cloud computing features,
issues, and challenges: a big picture. In 2015 International Conference on Computational
Intelligence and Networks (pp. 116-123). IEEE.
Riemann, U. (2015). Benefits and Challenges for BPM in the Cloud. International Journal of
Organizational and Collective Intelligence (IJOCI), 5(1), 32-61.