• Should eLoanDocs continue with their current model of designing, building, and managing their own computer hosting infrastructure using their co-location partners?
• Would eLoanDocs' financial institution customers accept a move of eLoanDocs' services to a public or private cloud provider?
• How should eLoanDocs go about choosing a cloud hosting provider?
As Albert Michaels considered his options, his mind was roiled by a number of questions:
• Will eLoanDocs' customers-with their focus on data security-accept a cloud-based solution? If so, to what degree? And how many customers would accept some form of cloud-based solution?
• If customers do accept one of the cost-saving cloud services solutions, what barriers exist to prevent new competitors from rapidly entering the market and eroding eLoanDocs' market share?
• What is the value that customers believe they are receiving from eLoanDocs?
• Could it be that customers actually value the secure environment that they can visit and audit in person? If so, might convincing those customers to adopt a cloud-based solution to their document delivery problems actually be a damaging move to eLoanDocs in the long term?
• Speaking of security, which solution actually provides better protection of customers' data? Though ownership of the hosting hardware enables eLoanDocs to literally pull the plug if a breach is detected, how does that compare to the security benefits associated with outsourcing to a cloud provider? Is one solution more likely than the other to be targeted for attack? Is either solution better able to detect and prevent intrusions?
• Assuming that the system will be attacked at some point, what ability will eLoanDocs have to identify the compromised data? How might that ability change if hosting services are outsourced to a cloud provider?
• How robust is the existing disaster recovery strategy? Which solution best fits the redundancy needs of eLoanDocs?
• How might the eLoanDocs employees react to adoption of a cloud-based hosting solution?
(Pigni 385)
Pigni, Gabriele Piccoli + F. Information Systems for Managers with Cases, Edition 3.1, 3rd Edition. Prospect Press, 2015-12-28. VitalBook file.