Context. Cloud computing is getting more and more interest with every year. It is an approach that allows Internet based applications to work in distributed and virtualized cloud environment. It is characterized by on-demand resources and payper-use pricing. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a software distribution paradigm in cloud computing and represents the highest, software layer in the cloud stack. Since most cloud services providers charge for the resource use it is important to create resource efficient applications. One of the way to achieve that is multi-tenant architecture of SaaS applications. It allows the application for efficient self-managing of the resources Objectives. In this study I investigate the influence of tenant-based resource allocation model on cost-effectiveness of SaaS systems. I try to find out weather that model can decrease the system's actual costs in commercial public cloud environment. Methods. I am implementing two authorial SaaS systems: first tenant-unaware and then using tenant-based resource allocation model. Then they are deployed into Amazon public cloud environment. Tests focused on measuring over- and underutilization are conducted in order to compare cost-effectiveness of the solutions. Public cloud provider's billing service is used as a final cost measure. Results. The tenant-based resource allocation model proved to decrease my system's running costs. It also reduced the system's resources underutilization. Similar research was done, but the model was tested in private cloud. In this work the systems were deployed into commercial public cloud. Conclusions. The tenant-based resource allocation model is one of the method to tackle under-optimal resource utilization. When compared to traditional resource scaling it can reduce the costs of running SaaS systems in cloud environments. The more tenant-oriented the SaaS systems are the more benefits that model can provide.

Web-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems deployed through theSoftware-as-a-Service (SaaS) model are a major disruptive technology in the fieldof ERP systems. The defining features of the SaaS are that they are hosted remotelyand are completely used through the web; they are subscription-payment basedand they operate on a multi-tenant fashion. This technological innovation redefinestraditional technical and economic ERP paradigms. This Bachelor’s thesis aims through interviews with vendors, users and consultants,as well as by researching various academical and professional publications onthe subject of Web-based (SaaS) ERPs to study these pehomena, and produce a listof their benefits to SMEs. It also analyses their opportunities and challenges via anumber of interesting facts, thus allowing for thought-provoking observations andspawning of stirring discussions. The benefits of Web-based ERPs were reported to be similar to the ones characteristicfor the On-premise ERPs. They furthermore included remote data access, costefficiency,flexibility, scalability, as well as the esublishment of a new customerdrivenrelationship with the ERP vendor. The major disadvantages of SaaS wereconsidered to be security, cost (in the long run), and customizability. These disadvantages,which were first reported years ago, are continuously dismissed by theadavncements and innovations made in Web-based solutions. Findings from previousstudies and trends suggest that issues of security, cost and customizabilityare gradually disappearing as technology improves and industry dynamics becomesmore customer-centric. Security, which was a major issue in 2007 slowlyfaded and is not regarded as the concern it used to be. From 2008 till now the issuesof customizability and TCO have been heavily disputed about Web-based ERPsolutions. The problem of customizability has also been found to be diminishingdue to technologically advanced capabilities of these systems; new systems haveemerged and old systems have improved enough to provide this feature. Cost hasnever been a transparent issue when it comes to IT investments and has beenshown to be higher in On-Premise solutions through the TVO approach whichlooks at other hidden and non-financial costs. All of the above sheds new light intothe once-‘static’ benefits and drawbacks of Web-based solutions, and provides afresh insight into this developing phenomenon.

This thesis investigates possible future IT solutions for increased mobility of CAD-intensive multi-disciplinary consulting companies. The development of new IT solutions is quickly moving forward, and new ways to implement IT in businesses are constantly being launched onto the market. In the wake of new IT solutions with focus on increased mobility making themselves known, the interest from companies to implement these into their businesses has increased. By investigating the engineering consultant company Bjerking AB and how it operates from an IT point-of-view, this thesis presents possible IT solutions for increased mobility for an engineering consulting company operating in the AEC-sector. By conducting interviews with key users, observing meetings and researching the current state of Cloud Computing and hardware virtualization this thesis shows that and implementation of an IT solutions based on Cloud Computing and hardware virtualization is possible. By implementing a cloud-based IT solution using a private cloud distribution model and hardware-assisted GPU virtualization, a CAD-intensive consulting company can achieve increased mobility without lowered performance and at the same time maintain a high level of data of security.

Många studenter behöver en web-baserad tjänst som de kan uppnå målet inom sina studier. Många studenter inom IT-området måste ladda ner mängder av programvaror och satsa relativt mycket pengar på sina datorer för att ha tillräckligt utrymme och processorkraft att köra olika program under sin studietid. Studenterna behöver en smidig, mångsidig och flexibel internetbaserad plattform som de kan komma åt när som helst, var som helst och från vilken enhet som helst. Dessutom är användbarhet hos plattformen en viktig aspekt för att supportera studenternas arbete. Bluemix är en Plattform as a Service (PaaS) - en typ av molntjänst. På Bluemix kan människor inom IT-området skapa, ändra, uppdatera och lagra sina applikationer med olika programmeringsspråk och de kan lägga olika tjänster till sina applikationer smidigt och snabbt. Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att utvärdera användbarhet av molntjänstplattformen Bluemix och undersöka vilken nytta som användare kan få när de använder plattformen. Den huvudsakliga målgruppen utgör studenter inom IT-området. Data har samlats in med hjälp av olika tekniker till exempel användartester, observation, tänka-högt (Think Aloud), intervju och enkät. Undersökningen visar att molntjänstplattformen Bluemix har god användbarhet fastän det finns några punkter som inte följer principer för god användbarhet. Dessutom är den en plattform som många testpersoner (studenter) önskar kan användas på universitetet. Nyckelord: Användbarhet, molntjänst, PaaS, SaaS, Bluemix, designprinciper, användartester, ITutbildning

Det finns många fördelar med att använda molntjänster och molnmarknaden har växt fort de senaste åren. Men när molnleverantörsmarknaden är så pass konkurrens utsatt är det inte lätt att välja vem man vill vända sig till, och det finns ofta anledningar till att vilja byta leverantör. Det finns många saker som kan låsa in en kund hos en leverantör, ofta på grund av att det skulle bli alldeles för dyrt att flytta, kanske för att ditt system inte är kompatibelt med någon annan leverantör, eller för att ett avtal hindrar dig från att flytta delar av systemet. Detta är vad man brukar kalla för leverantörsinlåsningar (vendor lock-ins). Många vill idag flytta system till molnet, men få är tillräckligt kunniga i vad det innebär och vad som kommer krävas från kunden. I den här studien vill vi belysa problemet och erbjuda vägledning till hur man kan minimera leverantörsinlåsningar.

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Denna kandidatuppsats är en fallstudie av webblösningar och specifikt kring ekonomiprogram. Studien omfattar en undersökning för att ta reda på orsakerna till att inte fler småföretagare går över till webbaserade lösningar, detta är idag högst aktuellt eftersom det blir allt mer populärt att arbeta i molnet. Molntjänster är ett relativt nytt sätt att arbeta på och det innebär stora förändringar för företagen samtidigt som de erbjuder fler möjligheter än tidigare. I och med den ökade betydelsen av molntjänster och dess arbetssätt har vi även undersökt vad det finns för fördelar med webblösningar med hjälp av befintliga användare. Syftet med uppsatsen är att lyfta fram vilka som är orsakerna till att inte fler använder webblösningar, samt vilka fördelar det finns. Vår undersökning riktar enbart in sig mot ekonomiprogram, men kan med största sannolikhet användas i mer generella sammanhang. Metoden för undersökningen är en kvalitativ fallstudie, med intervjuer av ett flertal användare inom respektive arbetssätt. De arbetssätt vi har undersökt är skrivbordsprogram och webbaserade program. Resultatet av datainsamlingen visar på att olika faktorer spelar roll i valet mellan de olika arbetssätten. Undersökningen resulterar i att ett flertal användare är rädda för vad molnet innebär och var deras information faktiskt tar vägen. Å andra sidan tyder resultatet på ett flertal fördelar med arbetssättet av webblösningar, bland annat att det är bättre tillgänglighet och kostnadseffektivt. / This bachelor thesis is a case study about cloud computing and specifically on finance applications. We have found out the reasons why not more small business owners moves to web-based solutions, since today it´s very popular to work in the cloud. Cloud services are a relatively new way of working and that means big changes for businesses while offering more opportunities than before. The purpose of this essay is to highlight the reasons why not more business owner’s uses web solutions and what benefits there are with web solutions. Our investigation is directed only into themselves against financial applications but can most likely be used in a more general context. To carry out the research we have used a case study where we have interviewed several users to the each approaches. The approaches we have investigated are desktop applications and web-based applications. The results after our data collection reveals a number of factors that play a large role in the choice between the different modes. Our survey shows that many users are afraid of what the cloud is and where their information actually goes. The result is also in on several advantages of web solutions, including that it is better availability and cost.

This thesis is focused on the use of enterprise information systems (ERP) provided as a service (SaaS) together with mobile technologies in an enterprise with logistics activities. The goal of the thesis is to find out whether a Czech market offers the ERP provided as a service suitable for needs of the model enterprise. This is achieved by specifying a set of criteria and following comparison and evaluation of the chosen ERP systems in two phases. The result is one chosen system which suits the best to specified criteria and therefore the needs of the model enterprise. Subsequently for the chosen system (and its offered func-tionalities) possibilities of its use with mobile technologies are described for model enterprise processes.

The topic of the thesis focuses on the analysis of various service provisioning practices from the view point of a prospect customer organization. Introductory part of the thesis summarizes the actual challenges of IS/ICT for an appropriate business alignment, defines the theoretical foundations of sourcing and ICT services, considering the contemporary state of these fields. Moreover, it identifies the related areas of these fields, like enterprise architecture, IS/ICT management, and systems integration. The central part deals with the identification and analysis of the areas that influence the decision making of ICT service sourcing. Results of this analysis are summarized and further developed by creating a framework to assist companies in deciding the most suited ICT sourcing solution. Within this framework the thesis summarizes important criteria to be considered for a much suited ICT service provisioning practice. It details the prerequisites for the use of this approach and its limitations. Subsequently, it presents an evaluation of certain ICT services within the SaaS market, that could be applicable in the enterprise environment. Finally, the thesis provides a simplified case study, demonstrating a required mindset for exercising the framework in practice.

This thesis is focused on analyzing the current state of SaaS (Software as a Service) and impact of SaaS on corporate's ICT as a whole. The aim is to explain the concepts and implications of modern forms of providing services, to describe and to evaluate their benefits and risks and to assess future developments in this area. The attention will be paid on specifics of the environment of Czech companies. The first part of this work deals with the current SaaS solutions and related technologies. Emphasis is placed on acquainting the reader with currently available (or introduced by mid-2011) technologies and their mutual relationships. This section also summarizes the current level of knowledge of the field and on this basis provides definitions of areas and technologies. The next part of the thesis focuses on a particular cloud and SaaS solutions available on nowadays market. The next part of this section is based on a specific case study of a small company, which considers the move to SaaS solutions. This section is focused on the practical application of the preceding conclusions. Last section aims at the prediction of development of ICT business in the upcoming years, with an emphasis on SaaS and related technologies. The second part is trying to find answers to the questions "Whether," "When" and "How" will SaaS affect the market of information technologies, their deployment and business models of future anticipated expansion model of Software as a Service. SaaS maturity model is also discussed as well as specificity of the Czech market.