Cloud Computing Strategy for Tullow Oil: PaaS Analysis
This paper examines how Tullow Oil, a multinational oil and gas exploration company, can address its data management needs through cloud computing — specifically Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) models. The analysis evaluates key variables including data portability, application portability, platform portability, application interoperability, platform interoperability, and management interoperability. It argues that no single cloud model can satisfy all organizational needs, and that hybrid delivery models offer the most practical path forward. The paper concludes with a recommendation for a change management team focused on publication and acquisition interoperability across cloud service environments.
- Company Profile: Tullow Oil's operations and global footprint
- Cloud Computing Case Analysis: PaaS options versus on-premise data management
- Data and Application Portability: Comparing data and application portability variables
- Platform Portability and Machine Image: Platform compatibility and machine image portability
- Application and Platform Interoperability: Interoperability across SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS environments
- Management Interoperability and Conclusion: Management flexibility and change management recommendation
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- Grounds abstract cloud computing concepts in a specific corporate case, making the analysis concrete and applied rather than purely theoretical.
- Systematically works through multiple comparison variables — portability, interoperability, and management — giving the argument a clear evaluative framework.
- Acknowledges trade-offs honestly, noting that no single model (on-premise or fully cloud-based) is universally optimal, which strengthens the credibility of the hybrid recommendation.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates comparative analysis using a multi-variable framework. Each variable (data portability, application portability, platform portability, interoperability) is introduced, defined, and then evaluated specifically in the context of Tullow Oil's operational situation. This technique — defining evaluation criteria before applying them — is a disciplined approach to case-based argumentation common in business and technology studies.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a company profile establishing organizational context, then introduces the central PaaS question. The body proceeds through six analytical variables in sequence, each supported by relevant citations. A brief conclusion synthesizes the findings into a change management recommendation. The structure is linear and additive, with each section building understanding before the next variable is introduced.
Company Profile
Tullow Oil is one of the renowned multinational companies in the oil and gas exploration industry. The company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The firm held investment interests across 150 licenses in 25 countries and had up to 67 producing fields. In 2012, the firm produced 79,200 barrels on average each day. Its largest activities are based in the Atlantic Margins and Africa, where oil provinces have been discovered in places such as Uganda, Kenya, French Guiana, and Ghana. The company's main production is based in six African countries and the Southern North Sea. The Jubilee oil field in Ghana's offshore was discovered in 2007, and production began in 2010, making it the largest discovery in the company's history.
Cloud Computing Case Analysis
As storage and bandwidth prices continue to drop, cloud-based service solutions are becoming increasingly attractive for small and medium businesses seeking reduced licensing costs. This case study examines how Tullow Oil can satisfy its data management needs and proposes viable alternatives related to PaaS cloud computing (Marinescu, 2013).
Tullow Oil can use cloud solutions as a way of avoiding the need to recruit additional IT staff, while allowing the organization to focus fully on its core responsibilities and growth. Although a focus on cloud computing will provide Tullow Oil with opportunities to embrace cost-effective alternatives, the firm must be cautious about an "all-cloud" mentality. No single model can satisfy all the needs of an organization. Diving headfirst into PaaS cloud computing may cause Tullow Oil to overlook how best to maximize benefits from existing set-ups, as well as how to negotiate effectively for cloud-based services among market vendors (Furht & Escalante, 2010). Hybrid delivery models allow the company to blend the most appropriate long-term commitments while reducing unnecessary expenses. Management can identify and address inefficiencies in both on-premise and hosted models. Tullow Oil currently faces the dilemma of whether to pursue online hosting or retain on-premise solutions (Marinescu, 2013).
Each alternative carries positive and negative impacts, and companies must assess their business needs as well as their infrastructure foundation before making such decisions. The key point is that most solutions may work within either the cloud or on-premise environments. The choice of platform requires trade-off comparisons between cost and security while optimizing returns. Tullow Oil must weigh numerous advantages and disadvantages of PaaS, and the question of software and service type warrants intense consideration (Bahga & Madisetti, 2013).
References
Bahga, A., & Madisetti, V. (2013). Cloud Computing: A Hands-On Approach. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Barry, D. K. (2012). Web Services, Service-Oriented Architectures, and Cloud Computing: The Savvy Manager's Guide. Newnes.
Erl, T., Puttini, R., & Mahmood, Z. (2013). Cloud Computing: Concepts, Technology & Architecture. Prentice Hall.
Furht, B., & Escalante, A. (2010). Handbook of Cloud Computing. Springer Science & Business Media.
Marinescu, D. C. (2013). Cloud Computing: Theory and Practice. Newnes.
Rhoton, J. (2009). Cloud Computing Explained. Recursive Press.
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.