WASHINGTON - A new version of guidelines designed to help retailers select cloud computing technology has been released by the Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS), the technology standards division of the National Retail Federation here.
Cloud computing offers retailers a way of accessing hosted software, information and other computing systems as a service rather than as a product, typically over the Internet. The ARTS document -- Version 2.0 of the Standard RFP for Cloud Computing in Retail -- offers selection guidelines for the full menu of cloud computing services for the first time, said ARTS.
“This RFP [request for proposal] will save retailers valuable time that would normally be required to develop meaningful RFPs for cloud computing solution vendors,” said Darrell Sandefur, director, digital architecture for Luxottica Retail and co-chair of the ARTS board, as well as a former technology architect for Kroger, in a statement. “With this RFP, retailers can leverage the experience of the committee and get a running start on their own cloud implementations.”
The Cloud Computing RFP builds on the ARTS white paper, “Cloud Computing for Retail,” by providing retailers with practical guidance in selecting cloud computing services that support their business model. It also furnishes retailers with a comprehensive list of questions to mitigate risks related to security, availability, reliability and interoperability of cloud services when evaluating offers from cloud computing solution providers.
The advantage that many companies find in utilizing cloud computing lies in the cost savings from leveraging shared resources, elasticity of supply, 24-hour technical support, and the opportunity to have access to sophisticated software packages through subscription models, which dramatically lower the costs of software acquisition, according to ARTS.
Version 2.0 of the Standard RFP for Cloud Computing is available now to ARTS members on www.nrf-arts.org. This and other standard RFPs are available free of charge to ARTS and NRF members and are available for purchase by non-members.
