An Independent Supplement by Mediaplanet to San Francisco Chronicle MARCH 2015 FUTUREOFBUSIN ESSANDTECH.COM Cloud Computing Steve Wozniack, the co-founder of Apple, Inc., breaks down the impact of the cloud on modern enterprise. INSIDE Three reasons why the cloud is critical to your small business. ONLINE Tips and tricks to keep your data secure in the cloud. 2 FUTUREOFBUSineSSandteCH.COM MEDIAPLANET IN THIS ISSUE READ MORE ON FUTUREOFBUSINESSANDTECH.COM Experts Weigh In Cloud Security Big Data Discover the five NSA executives provide In the age of trends that are steps to protect your e-commerce, learn currently driving cloud data and avoid what business computing in 2015. being hacked. analytics can do for P4 P13 your organization. Cloud Levels the IT Playing Field You’re either in the cloud, on the cloud, or using the cloud frequently without realizing it. veryday examples and IT specialists. By reducing IT quickly, creatively and in most cases data and use that insight to respond of cloud computing infrastructure requirements and cheaper—while delivering product to its environment is a key competi- abound; watching a associated costs, a business can focus and services that are highly attuned tive advantage of cloud computing. movie or playing a their attention on testing new ideas, to a consumer’s needs. Moreover, game online, getting delivering a better customer expe- these advantages are afforded to Tomorrow’s strategy Ereal-time driving directions from a rience and adapting to shifting mar- individuals, tech startups and esta- How important is cloud computing? I mobile phone, collaborating with ket dynamics ahead of their compe- blished global companies alike. would argue that it’s a sea change—a people—wherever they are—in the tition. For many young companies Cloud levels the playing field. deep and permanent shift in how same virtual work space and more. today, owning IT infrastructure At the heart of our current techno- computing power is generated and Additionally, a new generation of and managing a data center is a hin- logy boom is a fundamental re-ima- consumed. In a world of ever increa- startup companies are getting to drance to competing effectively. gining of how we do business online, sing connectedness, where scale and R andy Bias market faster because they can Board of Directors, how we engage with consumers rapidly adapting to change are the rent computing capacity instead of Power and speed OpenStack Foundation and the amount of data being gene- new normal, cloud isn’t a question, owning and managing it themselves. Cloud computing is an evolution of rated as a result. In an increasingly it’s an answer. Businesses of all size Cloud computing is a way of the Internet. This time around we interconnected world, the number and scope will need to leverage cloud leveraging the Internet to consume aren’t just selling pet food online. of interactions among people, devi- technology as part of their strategy software or other IT services on Cloud computing allows any com- ces and systems is growing rapidly. moving forward—otherwise they demand. It allows entrepreneurs pany to increase the scale and power Cloud Cloud computing provides a more will perish. The full potential of cloud and businesses to take advantage of of their IT and the speed at which computing is dynamic infrastructure to meet is just beginning to be fully explored, the latest technologies and innova- it can be deployed across organiza- these demands. The ability for a but there is no disputing that the tions without spending a fortune on tional and geographic boundaries. an evolution of company to rapidly and cost-effec- cloud is transforming how we live, expensive computer parts, software Simply put, you can do things more the Internet. tively process massive amounts of work and interact. Stay in Touch facebook.com/MediaplanetUSA @MediaplanetUSA @MediaplanetUSA pinterest.com/MediaplanetUSA Please recycle after reading Publisher: Abraham Freedberg Business Developer: Jourdan Snyder Managing Director: Luciana Olson Production Manager: Lauren Hubbard Lead Designer: Alana Giordano Designer: Melanie Finnern Contributors: Randy Bias, Michael Brzustowicz, Melissa Carstensen, Barb Darrow, Paul Duan, Marty Lafferty, Tarkan Maner, John Mason, Jim McGinnis, Molly Rector, I-Hsien Sherwood Cover Photo: Scot Hampton All photos from Getty Images unless otherwise credited. S end all inquiries to [email protected] This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve USA Today or its Editorial Departments. Spencer Boucher ’14 BIG DATA Rachel Smith ’14 Data Analyst at Uber Data Analyst at Dictionary.com requires BIG SKILLS Katherine Mengyue Zhao ’14 Ashley Cox ’14 Data Analyst at GE Software Data Scientist at Al Jazeera Work alongside the data scientists at Uber, GE, Williams-Sonoma and more. Develop techniques for data-driven decision-making. The M.S. in Analytics program at the University of San Francisco delivers rigorous training in the mathematical and computational skills needed to analyze Big Data. Learn more at analytics.usfca.edu Contact the program at [email protected] 4 FUTUREOFBUSINESSANDTECH.COM MEDIAPLANET INSIGHT SPOTLIGHT N ext Level Connection N early three out of five companies have integrated cloud services into their Information Technology (IT) strategy and are spending more than 10 percent of their total operating expenses on cloud services. This puts the cloud services market on track to surpass $250 billion in annual revenue by 2017. Let’s take a closer look at five key trends driving this phenomenon. B y Marty Lafferty, CEO, Distributed Computing Industry Association Mobile cloud Jim McGinnis Social networking Although the majority Leader, Accountant and Advisor Group, Intuit There are 1.3 of applications today do billion active users of most of the data storage and processing the leading social media networks. on mobile devices, that could change in Small Businesses: Are In four years, global social media a few years. We will see the entrance of a corpo- usage will nearly double. In the future, rate back-end system as acceptance of the bring-your- the Internet will operate more like electricity, as own-device (BYOD) to work advances. The mobile cloud will Your Heads in the Cloud? an unseen part of the infrastructure that we notice enable increased flexibility with a greater degree of real-time only when it’s not present. The most dramatic change data sharing. In addition, mobile cloud computing pro- The benefits of cloud computing go beyond will not only be the amount of data available, but grams will be downloaded directly from the Internet. anytime, anywhere access. also the decision-making power the data. Cloud computing has eliminated geographical borders, allowing accountants and small businesses to serve custo- Internet of mers around the world. It has also broken down the techno- Things (IoT) logy silos that chained them to their desks and storefronts. The IoT is transforming With cloud computing, a small business owner or their everyday objects into an ecosystem of bookkeeper can run payroll or accept customer payments information that will enrich our lives. for goods and services using a tablet. With a smartphone, a It will help us optimize our wellness. small business owner can take a picture of a receipt, attach Retail, public space and factory environments will see components produce, consume and process it to a transaction using accounting software and automa- information to improve operations. Society will need tically share that information with their accountant. new, scalable, compatible and secure solutions for the This ability to leverage cloud computing to accomplish management of the IoT, and to support our new busi- everyday business tasks will continue to grow and res- ness models. hape how small businesses and accountants serve their Big customers and share financial information with each data other. In fact, the percentage of U.S. small businesses The next level of using cloud computing is expected to more than double, DevOps scale will come from the real- DevOps inte- from 37 percent in 2014 to 80 percent in 2020, according time use of big data to effecti- grates two differing to the study, “Small Business Success in the Cloud,” from vely make decisions. The big picture for cultures—developers consulting firm Emergent Research and Intuit. faster big data is data processing and visua- and operations—to help IT keep With the help of cloud-based technologies, small busi- lization allowing us to integrate technology, up with the increasing pace nesses are more efficient, better able to meet their custo- culture and strategy into a cohesive world. of change. DevOps supports certain mers’ needs and stay on top of the financial health of “truths:” shipping code faster and more error- their business. These technologies also help accounting free is inherently good; automated testing at scale professionals stay better connected to their small busi- makes a better, more secure product; the real value ness clients with the ability to gain insights into their of engineering talent is the insight and creati- real-time data that lead to consulting opportunities that vity to solve real-world problems. help their clients achieve greater success. Accounting firms and small businesses that do not embrace this technological shift risk stagnation and potential failure. One source of truth See all your data. Boost performance. Drive accountability for everyone. IT Operations Mobile Developers Front-end Developers App Owners Faster delivery. End-to-end visibility, Deep insights into Track engagement. Fewer bottlenecks. 24/7 alerting, and your browser-side Pinpoint issues. More stability. crash analysis. app’s engine. Optimize usability. Move from finger-pointing blame to data-driven accountability. Find the truth with a single source of data from multiple views. newrelic.com/dev-ops ©2008-15 New Relic, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 FUTUREOFBUSINESSANDTECH.COM MEDIAPLANET FACTS & FIGURES 3 Reasons Why the Cloud Is Critical to Your Small Business It’s becoming increasingly clear that cloud solutions provide significant benefits, but for small businesses (SMBs) that need to do more with less, cloud is a game changer.