I am intending for this to be my last blog about cloud computing, at least for this year anyway. As we begin planning for 2011, I am keenly aware that there are many MSPs who have not yet deployed a cloud solution to their clients. Maybe even more alarming are those MSPs who haven’t even contemplated what their cloud strategies should be.
2010 taught me one crucial lesson; cloud computing is not necessarily going to be embraced by the entire MSP community. Like it or not, a lot of MSPs view cloud with a healthy dose of skepticism. Or, if you prefer, these MSPs are still evaluating what cloud can do for their clients, not to mention their own service delivery models.
Cloud has acted as a major disruption to the channel status quo. A lot of the MSPs I talk to express private reservations that cloud could be a direct challenge by vendors to get at the end user. I think that this has some truth to it but I’d like to believe that there are good and bad channel companies. Cloud is just the latest iteration of a service.
As you MSPs begin your planning for 2011, keep this one thing in mind. Whatever you do next year with regards to cloud, you should at least have a well thought out reason for why you are doing it. Businesses are increasingly aware of new technology (yes, even those who don’t have internal IT) and will be asking you questions about cloud computing.
To not have an answer, even if the answer is no, could be very embarrassing.