For this assignment, you will create a response to the following memo from your Project Manager: Memo From: The PM To: Members of the project team Attached is the Gantt chart for the project. As you can see, we have a tight schedule. Please review it and comment on your area, as we know the coming project will be challenging. With everyone’s help, though, I’m sure we can pull this off with a minimum of scope creep. I look forward to hearing from you before the meeting on Tuesday. This project involves moving our current in-house system to a cloud solution. We are not sure yet if we’re going to partner with an outside company to manage the cloud services or if we’re going to just rent space on Google, Amazon, Microsoft, or other cloud services. I’ll expect a recommendation from each of you based on your area of expertise. Do your research and provide me the pros and cons of the option you are recommending. Be sure to share where you got that information, so I can take a look at your reasoning if I have questions. DO NOT just cut and paste what you find, but rather explain the pros and cons in your own words.

Dear Mr Craig Wicheal,

The cloud services industry is growing rapidly. Many businesses find it cheaper, easier and more reliable to use cloud services than to run their in-house servers. There are two main types of cloud service providers: in-house and hosting. In-house providers are usually large companies with their own data centres and staff. Hosting providers are usually smaller companies that lease space in data centres from other companies. In-house providers usually have more resources and can provide more features than hosting providers. However, they also tend to be more expensive. Hosting providers are often a good choice for small businesses that do not need all the features of an in-house provider. They can be less expensive and provide more flexibility.

My choice is to use a company to manage cloud services

Pros:

  1. It can be more affordable than renting space with a cloud service
  2. It can be more flexible than renting space from a well-established cloud service. The company can tailor the environment to your specific needs.
  3. You are not sharing resources with other customers, so you can be sure that you have the resources you need
  4. You are not locked into a specific provider, so you can switch to a different provider if you are dissatisfied with the service.

Cons:

  1. Requires more technical expertise
  2. It is generally more expensive than renting space from a well-established cloud service.
  3. You are relying on the company to provide reliable service and uptime. If the company fails to do so, you may be left without access to your data or applications.
  4. You may not have access to as many features and services as you would if renting space from a well-established cloud service.

Recommendation and why:

I would recommend using a company to manage cloud services. The main reason is that it can be more affordable than renting space with a cloud service. Additionally, it can be more customizable to fit the specific needs of a business. The main downside is that it requires more technical expertise and time to set up and manage. However, I believe that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Sources:

Dignan, L. (2021, November 22). Top cloud providers: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, hybrid, SAAS players. ZDNET. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-top-cloud-providers-of-2021-aws-microsoft-azure-google-cloud-hybrid-saas/

Part 2

The time it will take to complete each subtask, keeping in mind the project’s overall timeline.

  1. Subtask: Research and select an outside company to manage the project website
  • Equipment needed: Laptop, internet connection
  • Time needed: 2 hours
  1. Subtask: Purchase the domain name for the project website
  • Equipment needed: Laptop, internet connection, credit card
  • Time needed: 1 hour
  1. Subtask: Set up hosting for the project website
  • Equipment needed: Laptop, internet connection, credit card
  • Time needed: 1 hour
  1. Subtask: Create the project website
  • Equipment needed: Laptop, internet connection
  • Time needed: 4 hours
  1. Subtask: Test the project website
  • Equipment needed: Laptop, internet connection
  • Time needed: 1 hour