Should Heel Swaps Move to the Cloud? Heel Swaps is a Chicago-based start-up that sells a stretchable high heel shoe cover that contains a slip resistant out-sole, comes in a variety of sizes, colors and patterns, and slips on in seconds. The product enables you to transform your heels to match different outfits and is sold online at www.heelswaps.com. The firm is just three weeks away from debuting its advertising on the popular Steve Harvey show with some 3 million viewers per episode. Sales and product demand are expected to skyrocket. Unfortunately, management at Heel Swaps has just realized that the firm’s Web site does not have the processing capacity to serve the expected increase in shoppers. An IT consulting firm was hired to confirm the need for additional capacity and to make recommendations on how to proceed. Their recommendation is that the current Web site platform be moved to Amazon Web Services (AWS) with elastic load. This service is capable of automatically scaling its request handling capacity to meet the demands of application traffic.

Review Questions

1. What advantages will moving the Web site to the cloud provide for Heel Swaps?

2. What form of cloud computing is best for Heel Swaps—public, private, or hybrid? Why? Critical Thinking

3. What common start-up problems should the IT consulting firm advise Heel Swaps to avoid?

4. What future changes and developments should be planned for the Heel Swaps Web site as the volume of business grows?

Answer:

Q.1

Ans. - By moving to the cloud, Heel Swaps will enjoy several benefits like -

a.) By going cloud they will don't have to check and maintain the servers.

b.) They don't have to extend their IT team for maintaining the additional or private servers, it will reduce the cost

c.) They can enjoy several other benefits like many other facilities many cloud service providers like microsoft, google or amazon parovide in competitive maket which they can't afford by themselves.

d.) Public cloud servers are more reliable. as in case of failure of any server they have backup option available.

Q.2

Ans. - In this early stage of Heel Swaps Public Cloud computing will be the right option because -

1.) It will be cost effective

2.) It will be more reliable than public and hybrid

3.) Heel Swap can enjoy the vast variety of assistance and technology provided by the cloud service provider

4.) In hybrid system, it may cost them more then the other service but can enjoy many facilites but at this point when the firm is going to launch their product in couple of days, it will be great they choose the already established infrastrucure instead of going for new to avoid any circumsatnces which may cause trouble.

Q.3

Ans . - Some common Startups Problems which should be advised to Heel Swaps are -

1.) Better planning for IT infrastructure with future prospective.

2.) As the business grows a stratip should plan to develop its IT team to manage its online gateway to handle the business, as it is the business front in the market.

3.) An active IT team should be present for providing the IT solutions at any time required.

4.) At starting a firm should not focus on develop its own IT infrastructure as it is costly and requires too many man power, they can rely on public or third parties services, for starting and developing their business, once they get settled they can chose to switch on private mode according to their plan.

Q.4

Ans. - Some Futur changes and developments Heel Swaps should plan for their website like -

1.) They should plan how to go private from public cloud servise as private mode is more secure and solely controlled.

2.) An active IT team which can provide IT solutions and can develop the IT infrastructure according to the requirment in future.

3.) Whenever Heel Swaps decides to launch new product in the market, they should able to estimate the sale of their product and according to that they must create the infrastructure to sell it. so that they will be prepared to fullfill the demand without relying on any third party which happened in this case.