Editor's Letter: Collect your free pass to the Finance Cloud event of the year
Posted by admin in on Wed, 27/10/2010 - 06:46
This week global research firm Gartner published a 'must have' list for technologies in 2011. As your CIO approaches you with a pleading look in his or her eye and a long list of 'essential' upgrades and investments, it's worth casting an eye over what Gartner reckons really should be top of your agenda.
At the very top is Cloud Computing. If you think your ICT budget is too high - and if you're a CFO, then the chances of you not thinking that are pretty remote! - then you need to have Cloud Computing on your agenda. The cost advantages alone should be enough to catch your attention as well as the fundamental shift from CapEx to OpEx that Cloud Computing offers. You pay for what you use not what a vendor reckons they can sell you - no more shelfware and ICT that's not being used to its full capacity.
But it's also an enticing prospect for other reasons. Cloud Computing applications are typically easier to adopt, more scalable and quicker to get up and running. It also brings the needs of the business function users closer to the underlying ICT. If you have a new business need, you can get a Cloud-based system up and running to support it more quickly than a traditional model. Equally important, if that business function disappears or a new project isn't working then a Cloud system can be abandoned with relative ease.
We'll be focusing on the role of Cloud Computing in finance as well as across the business as a whole at our Business Cloud Summit on 30th November at London's Hammersmith Novotel with a day's worth of sessions and panels dedicated to looking at Cloud's potential to transformation the way we deliver ICT services. It's sure to be a busy and informative day and one that should be on the agenda of every ICT and business decision maker.
For FinanceWeek readers, we're offering ten free places to the Business Cloud Summit. To claim your ticket – worth £499 - email verity.tarrant@siftmedia.co.uk with your name, job title and organisation. Please head your email BC9 FinanceWeek Ticket Offer. The first ten applicants will be informed by return of email.
The Bottom Line:If Mr Cable has his way...
"If Mr Cable had his way, all the big banks would be broken up and bonuses would be virtually eliminated - a sure-fire way in my view of guaranteeing an end to the UK’s ability to compete as an international financial centre. Let’s not forget that this is a man who is on record as saying that everyone who works in a bank has an ‘aristocratic lifestyle’ clearly demonstrating his lack of understanding of the sector." A tough line on bankers’ bonuses could make a brain drain of financial talent a distinct possibility, warns Paul Marsden. Read more