You have been hired by XYZ Firm as an information technology (IT) analyst who will work closely with the new chief information officer (CIO) on a 5-week contract. The CIO was put in place to look for cost savings and value propositions that may exist in cloud-based services.

The firm is fairly large with multiple divisions. The CIO has instructed you to focus on the Widget division at first and the following IT services that are currently supported by the CIO’s team, on premise:

Human Resources

Supply Chain

General Office Function (such as e-mail and collaboration tools)

The CIO anticipates some resistance because cloud computing represents a change in what people are used to and needs your assistance.

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400–600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

Provide a brief overview of cloud computing.

Identify 3 advantages of cloud computing, and discuss how they will support the business case to move to a cloud model.

Also, identify 3 disadvantages of cloud computing and some possible mitigations to these risks.