The Technology Department in Pittsburgh

Question 1 

The technology department in Pittsburg aligned with the strategic vision of the city by identifying hindrances to efficient communications within the city, coming up with a possible solution to the problem by considering its suitability for stakeholders and implementing the new technology solution. Pittsburgh vision is to develop into an efficient smart city by transforming its interactions and communications networks through innovation to meet the current and future needs of its residents. The City’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) noticed the city’s email service at the time was inefficient hence sought a solution that will enhance email communication to meet the business goals of businesses and institutions. A solution to the email problem considered the financial position of the tech department. Their annual budget could not allow then to hire more IT personnel while they also faced the challenge of losing technically competent to private organizations that offered better employment terms (Mu & Stern, 2015). The CIO opted for an outsourcing solution of their email services through Google’s cloud service option. The option was suited to Pittsburgh’s modernization strategy because virtual resources would be provided through the internet by Google. The city would spend less on its IT resources via the cloud computing option while also benefiting from the option of scalability with the changing needs of the city. As such, it was possible to align the CIS with the modernization strategy of the city.

The third strategy was to get all stakeholders to support the cloud-based solution. Part of the technology alignment strategy demanded that the CIO overcome the challenge of skepticism by technology employees towards the cloud services. Failing to get the support of CIS employees would be deleterious to the success of the project since their skills were directly needed for the functioning of the cloud service. Furthermore, technology is at the core of the strategic vision of the city hence the department had the responsibility of setting an excellent example for the other departments. The stakeholder buy-in strategy for the technology department involved a process where employees at all levels were invited in brainstorming to find the best strategy for implementing the cloud service.

Question 2 

The business implications of Pittsburgh’s cloud-based service were access to customized IT solutions, reduced costs due to shared IT infrastructure and access by city workers through multiple channels hence improving business approach. Local businesses needed an option that could serve their specific business interests through customized IT solutions. A multi-layered service approach was adopted due to the need to support local businesses. It was possible for businesses to contract computing infrastructure, platform development, or the whole software pyramid to different vendors. The freedom to choose the service provider offered in the layered approach meant that businesses would feel more secure with their data and were willing to support the CIS. Since the city of Pittsburg believed in equal opportunity for all groups, Google had to provide assurance of support for the participation of minority and women-owned businesses (Mu & Stern, 2015).

Alternatively, the shared IT infrastructure allowed for scalability such that computing resources could be increased or decreased according to business demands. This characteristic was particularly critical for the business future of Pittsburgh city. Businesses of all sizes could use the email service according to their specific needs while benefiting from the shared infrastructure provided by Google. The result was that reduced technology costs for the organizations. Finally, access to the service through multiple channels meant that workers could link to their workplaces from anywhere. This impacted positively to businesses since they could provide better services through faster response to customer needs.

Question 3 

I agree with Pittsburg CIS department decision to use Google’s cloud computing services since it allowed faster, efficient and cost-effective email communications while cushioning users from data loss and privacy concerns. At the time, the city was facing increased demand for mail services, and a solution was necessary to solve the problem and also improve the city’s overall IT systems. Financial constraints could not allow them to source the services of competent IT personnel to provide solutions; hence outsourcing through cloud computing was the best alternative. As a result, the city managed to implement several cloud computing attributes to make the project a success. The service offered the option of rapid elasticity, which would serve the city’s future demands. With cloud computing, it is possible to scale upwards to suit the city’s growing population, and IT needs. As such, the option was not a one-time fix but rather a longterm solution that would define Pittsburgh technology adoption strategy. Scalability also goes hand in hand with elasticity as it relates to cloud services. Elasticity allows provisioning and de-provisioning according to resource needs. The characteristic is crucial for manufacturing organizations since it allows them to engage virtual machines and consumer applications according to their varying needs.

Furthermore, Cloud computing offers a broad network access stretches capabilities across different platforms. Consultations with different stakeholders and the eventual approval meant that a range of thin and thick network platforms would be served by the service provider. Businesses, schools, homes, and single users embraced the option implying the adaptability of cloud computing to platforms such as phones, computers, workstations, etc. The cloud computing service offered the resources pooling option such that virtual and physical resources were assigned according to the demand. Pooling allows multiple users to share physical infrastructure and applications while maintaining the privacy of their data. As such, there is optimal use of resources while users at different level benefit from the IT resources that they would otherwise not afford individually. Economies of scale under the pooling option meant that Pittsburgh benefited from the cost effectiveness of the service. This option enabled the service to meet the IT needs of users at varying levels.

Reference 

Mu, E., & Stern, H. A. (2015). The City of Pittsburgh goes to the cloud: a case study of cloud solution strategic selection and deployment.  Journal of Information Technology Teaching Cases ,  4 (2), 70-85.