National Geographic's Cloud Computing Strategy: A CIO Perspective

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Table of Contents
Introduction: -.............................................................................................................................2
Theme: -.....................................................................................................................................2
Cloud Approach......................................................................................................................2
CIO’S view: -.............................................................................................................................3
Positive points............................................................................................................................4
Issues: -.......................................................................................................................................5
Future strategy: -........................................................................................................................5
Conclusion: -..............................................................................................................................6
References: -...............................................................................................................................6

Introduction: -
Media company national geographic is working on modernisation of main technology with
serverless approaches and open source to develop its digital commercial offer. The company
has completed its 130 years in 2018. Now a day’s company started a programme to change its
technology and expand into these three main areas: - building a new platform, redesigning the
existing digital experience, developing community products which allow consumers to find
their interest areas. The company is continuously working on new technologies which helps
in company growth.
Theme: -
Cloud Approach
Cloud computing means delivery of services like servers, storage, software’s, databases over
internet which makes easy use and offer faster innovation so that user does not need to install
any software or application. But user has to pay for services which he is accessing. Cloud
computing provides many facilities to users like user can store its data in database and can
access anytime using internet, and can run any software and application without any need of
installation and can also use the infrastructure for deploying of products. For all these types
of services user has to pay. There are 3 types of cloud services IaaS, PaaS, SaaS. IaaS
provides the IT infrastructure on rent in which user can deploy its services using cloud
servers and infrastructure on pay per use basis. SaaS provides software and applications to
user over internet. In this service user demand for software or application on pay per use
basis or on subscription basis. PaaS provides a platform to user to deploy any software,
testing and for developing.
Cloud computing works on its own server offers many different types of services to users on
pay per use basis. There are many benefits of using cloud computing like: -
 Cost: - Cloud computing reduces the cost because user does need to buy any hardware
or software.
 Speed: - Mostly cloud services provides self-service and are on demand so all these
process takes very less time.
 Security: - Cloud computing helps in protecting user’s data and also saves from
external threats.
 Reliability: - Cloud computing provides backup of data and disaster recovery and less
expensive.
Cloud provides different services in terms of platform, software, infrastructure in which user
can deploy its application, and can use software or application without any need of
installation, and can use cloud infrastructure to deploy anything using server. The use of
cloud computing is increases day by day because it provides lots of functionalities at a very
low cost. And by this way user does not need to buy any hardware and software which are
very costly.

National geographic has made contribution to science, conservation. These contributions
comprise exploring, discovering sunken and mapping vast area of world. The core systems
which are used by the national geographic were hosted in traditional datacentre. Most of the
work of national geographic is done on serverless computing and which helps in providing a
useful case study to companies. Open source is another transformation of national
geographic. The company has used mix of more than 10 bespoke systems and their
alternative is also available in market like WordPress, Adobe AEM and Drupal. Company’s
future projects under online strategy consist of improving services for segment like
photographer community of 850000 members. And by analysis company found that the
product has an important role of its users. National geographic is working on new
technologies like cloud-first in partnership with parent company century fox.
CIO’S view: -
Marcus East hired by company in 2017, to lead company’s modernisation efforts and to
exploit online channels. CIO is always passionate for new technologies and also bring some
new technologies for its consumers for delivery of high- quality experience. And always
looking for new approach and technologies for making a good experience for its consumers.
CIO always like to work on social and technology and for that some people think that it is
very innovative but in coming few years it will be a standard way to communicate or interact
with consumers. With the help of team, CIO design whole application using serverless
architecture and it is very important because it allow to use resource which is need to power
the application with low cost. CIO believe that they can move to different countries and
markets by building the app on AWS or on any other environment without investing on any
infrastructure. COI said that serverless computing is not only useful for national geographic
but it is also useful for media companies. CIO is always happy to get expertise from AWS
and from Microsoft to handle some challenges. According to the COI in starting there are
many consumers which are active online with national geographic and consumers like there
content and due to this attraction of consumers towards national geographic, they like to
produce good content for their consumers. CIO want to launch new website in next 6 months
and for that CIO and his team gather more feedback from consumers. CIO always want to
redesign and refine the work and technologies because all these things helps in company
growth, for that CIO understand the customer benefit from their services and then according
to this they analyse them and work on redesign and refine. East also want to improve
premium membership capabilities. East is so much energetic and like to take challenge like
integrating new talents into existing team is a big challenge but east like to do these things
and always they get succeed in these types of works. According to the east cloud is a latest
and useful technology from company point of view and its use is increases day by day in
every field because it provides separate cloud for storage. And using this they are working on
serverless computing which is very easy to work, and provide an easy interaction with
consumers. East want to make the world a better place and also help company to achieve its
mission and purpose. He said “technology is a great enabler of that”.
Analysis of CIO interview and identification of theme: - From CIOs interview it is finding
that national geographic company works on cloud technology and all of its work done

through serverless computing. And company completed its 130 years in 2018. And always try
to give good content to its consumers. Company is working on three pillars like building
platform and then redesign experience and in last developing community products according
to customers area of interest. The company embracing on open source and this thing brings
more benefits like flexibility and availability of skills. And company also want to launch
NG1 mobile app which is currently available in few countries and markets and company want
to spread this all over the world. CIO believes that company need some new people for
company but it is very difficult to put new people in this advance work but these types of
things is very easy for company. And company like to perform these types of advance work.
Network growth of company is increases year by year. Because people very much like
company content and easy interaction with consumers increase company growth. And theme
for this assessment is cloud approach, now a days almost each wok is done by using cloud
computing. And almost all company uses this platform because it provides so many services
which helps company to easily interact with consumers. And this technology is so much
advance and updated year by year.
Positive points
The Positive points about the theme is that it provides good security and provide a separate
platform for working. Most of company’s and organization are working on this technology.
Here are some positive points of the theme: -
 Less costs: - Mainly services are free from capital expense. In cloud there is no need
of huge cost of hardware. It is based on pay per use basis and enjoy model on
subscription plan.
 24x7 Availability: - Most of cloud providers provide their services in a reliable
manner. The consumer can access application from anywhere using internet. Even
some of the applications are off-line.
 Security: - Cloud computing providing great security. And data is stored in system
and can be easily accessed by a authorized person.
 Carbon Footprint: - cloud helps to organization by reducing their carbon footprint.
Organization only take the amount of data they need which automatically helps to
avoid over-provisioning.
 Control on Documents: - Before cloud came workers need to send file in and out as
email, and all these things are mess of formats and file content. Now moving to cloud
which provide a central file storage.
 Flexibility in Capacity: - Cloud provides flexible capacity which can be turned off, up
and down all these depends on the circumstances of user.
 Automated Updates on software: - In cloud, service supplier update software
including security in a regular basis. So that client does not need to waste time on
maintaining system. And it will save time for focusing on extra work.

Issues: -
 Premium membership capabilities should be improved. As a result, company
understand what type of resources consumer like to have if they had paid for ad-free
experience.
 Sometimes some of the IT technologies and IT teams’ little bit resistant to change,
and due to this some of problems have to face to consumers and there is need of
improvisation.
 Accessing to IT skills is a globally problem and becomes big when it comes to
emerging tools and approaches. And for this CIO has to change the way of dealing
with consulting community.
Future strategy: -
Now a day’s cloud computing and cloud storage like Amazon web services, Microsoft Azure,
Google Cloud are very useful and most widely used by many organizations. In today’s digital
world almost, everything is connected with cloud in many different ways. Increasing growth
of virtual private servers made it easy for organization to pursue more customized solutions
like multi and hybrid clouds. Cloud strategies continues be a big part of every organization in
next coming years with its flexible services and scalable power. Cloud providers provides the
tools to organizations to drive a better business. Data centres also play a main role in building
infrastructure. Here are some points which tells about future strategy: -
 Increased growth of cloud in market.
 Availability of more application on cloud.
 More innovation due to cloud.
 More hybrid cloud adoption.
 Increased development for cloud.
In next few years cloud technology becomes more advance and everyone like to use this
technology. In coming years there will be more innovation due to cloud and development for
cloud is also increased.
1. Cloud is accelerating globally and use of SaaS is increases almost 20.2 percent per
year. And by this it is very easy to predict that how fast the use of cloud is increases.
2. There are many applications are available on cloud and some new applications and
software are build for cloud from outset. On today’s date almost every application is
available on cloud.
3. Continuously increased competition gives good services, products and innovations.
Day by day demand of cloud services increases and due to this cloud gives good
services and update existing services.
4. Now a day’s companies adopt cloud and this shows CIOs crafting good thought out
strategies which include cloud. Mostly companies include hybrid cloud.
5. Still more development is going to go for cloud. There are many developers are
developing for cloud and this will improve cloud demand.

Conclusion: -
This assessment is about analysis of chief information officer’s strategy. The assessment
divided into few categories which includes like theme, IT history of company, positive and
negative points about theme, future strategy. And all these points of this assessment are
successfully achieved. This assessment is based on national geographic company and the
theme is cloud approach. And CIO tells about this cloud technology and tells positive and
negative points. In interview CIO East tells that this technology is very useful as a business
point of view and in coming years this this technology is completely change the scenario.
And all these points are completely achieved in this assessment.

References: -
Idexcel, 2019. About us. [online] Advantages of cloud computing . Available at:
https://www.idexcel.com/blog/top-10-advantages-of-cloud-computing/ [Accessed: 06
September 2019]
Vxchnge, 2018. About us[online] Future of cloud strategies. Available at:
https://www.vxchnge.com/blog/the-future-of-cloud-computing-strategies [Accessed: 06
september 2019]
Angelica, M., 2018. CIO interview, Marcus East, chief technology officer, national
geographic.
Luo, F. and Zhao, Y., 2019. Design of cooperative update mechanism of national geographic
conditions monitoring and basic surveying and mapping. Abstracts of the ICA, 1.