Three recent business books that I have read, enjoyed and recommend.

The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google by Nicholas Carr
Summary: Carr argues that computing, no longer personal, is going the way of a power utility.

Why I liked it: The historical perspective matches the current cloud computing trend. Nice parallels, but later chapters are lacking in determine what is next.

Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace by Gordon MacKenzie
Summary: Useful anecdotes about creativity and the creative process in a corporate setting.

Why I liked it: Great stories and vignettes. Enjoyed the pyramids and plum tree organizational structure idea.

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
Summary: Offers a well-reasoned road map to excellence through examples of 11 companies that made the transition.

Why I liked it: Preaches simplicity and discipline for a corporate vision (or hedgehog concept).

Read on.

The reality of enterprise computing today is not just the migration to the cloud. Rather, it is a range of IT options: First is within the enterprise’s data center, second is in a partner hosting data center, and third is in the cloud. What option is best? Not to sound like a consultant (again), but it truly depends. Ask is this core to our business? If the answer is no, it does not and likely should not live in your data center. If the answer is yes, detail the costs and the cost of control. Chances are there is a cloud-based vendor out there. Do your homework first, then take that sales call.

In the end, it will be about cost and control. Doesn’t it always come down to return on investment?