There’s been a thunderstorm of growing noise surrounding cloud computing in the past 24 months. Vendors, analysts, journalists and membership groups have all rushed to cover the cloud medium, although everyone seems to have their own opinion and differing definition of cloud computing. Similar to many new sectors of technology, the key is to separate the truth from the hype before making educated decisions on the right time to participate.
While
still evolving and changing, cloud computing is here to stay. It promises a
transformation – a move from capital intensive, high-cost, complex IT delivery
methods to a simplified, resilient, predictable and a cost-efficient form
factor. As an end user organisation of
different sizes, you need to consider where and when cloud may offer benefit
and a positive edge to your business.
Cloud
computing is a new concept of delivering computing resources, not a new
technology. Services ranging from full business applications, security, data
storage and processing through to Platforms as a Service (PaaS) are now
available instantly in an on-demand commercial model. In this time of
belt-tightening, this new economic model for computing is achieving rapid
interest and adoption.
Cloud
represents an IT service utility that enables organisations to deliver agile
services at the right cost and the right service level; cloud computing offers
the potential for efficiency, cost savings and innovation gains to governments,
businesses and individual users alike. Wide-scale adoption and the full
potential of cloud will come by giving users the confidence and by
demonstrating the solid information security that it promises to deliver.
Computing
is experiencing a powerful transformation across the world. Driven by
innovations in software, hardware and network capacity, the traditional model
of computing, where users operate software and hardware locally under their
ownership, is being replaced by zero local infrastructure. You can leverage a simple browser access
point through to powerful applications and large amounts of data and
information from anywhere at any time, and in a cost effective manner.
Cloud
computing offers substantial benefits including efficiencies, innovation
acceleration, cost savings and greater computing power. No more 12-18 month upgrade cycles; as huge
IT burden like system or software updates are now delivered automatically with
cloud computing and both small and large organisations can now afford to get
access to cutting-edge innovative solutions.
Cloud computing also brings green benefits such as reducing carbon
footprint and promoting sustainability by utilising computing power more
efficiently.
Cloud
computing can refer to several different service types, including Software as a
Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service
(IaaS). SaaS is generally regarded as well suited to the delivery of
standardised software applications and platforms, like email, CRM, accounting
and payroll. The development of the SaaS business model has been rapid and it
is now being used to provide high performance, resilient and secure
applications across a range of company sizes and industries. So when should you consider a cloud service
and what should you look for in choosing a vendor partner?
Cloud
or SaaS does not provide one-size-fits-all solutions, and not every application
in the cloud will be right for your business. You should consider in what areas
it makes sense to utilise the cloud.
Where can your organisation gain improvement in areas of business
efficiency, resilience and cost reduction? Look to others in your sector and
what they have done, and look for simplicity and obvious choices in your first
cloud solution adoptions. Review your shortlisted vendors carefully and compare
them across multiple areas but not just price. With cloud computing you need to
ensure that you validate who you are dealing with, what their reputation is and
the quality of service you will receive.
Things
to consider when looking for a cloud service vendor:
• Review
your vendor and its financial viability – its profitability is an indication of
its strength and stamina and reflects the strength of its business model and
ability to execute as a long term supplier to your business.
• Look
at its technology (function/protection) and match it with your business
requirements – look at the fundamentals such as safety and reliability first,
as you would when buying a car, then consider the extras.
• Study
the roadmap and service enhancements your business will benefit from – what
reputation does the vendor have for consistent delivery and innovation in the
past few years?
• Research
the vendor’s reputation for support and service provision – how good are the
SLAs (Service Level Agreements) and what is its capability to deliver
results? How big is the support
team? Are they located in your region,
and are they employed directly by the vendor?
Ignoring
the cloud or moving everything to it in a race are both perilous positions.
Taking educated steps to the cloud will ensure you gain the benefits that it
can bring and that you don’t end up in a technological storm.
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