With all of the hype that is flowing around cloud computing it is about time we started to point out that there is a problem. The “Huston we have a problem” type of issues that no one seems to want to talk about. We need to get away from the hype that the cloud is going to save you a bucket full of money, save your business and be the best thing since canned beer.
The vendors (VMware, Cisco, HP, DELL, Microsoft) have been forcing cloud computing down businesses’ throats for the last 3 years and saying that if they do not embrace a cloud solution that your business will fail. There seems to be no cohesion in the actual definition of a cloud solution.
The number of products that are being sold with a cloud attachment, cloud in their name or supposedly as a cloud solution are nothing short of marketing hype. This hype, according to Gartner, is going to start damaging business decisions based on the cloud phenomena. Yes, there are true Cloud Computing solutions available but what are we really talking about when it actually comes to a cloud solution.
If your cloud offering has one, many or all of the following features then it is not a cloud solution and stop selling it as such.
I have to make a capital purchase: Cloud is not a physical purchase – it is not a capital expense. Cloud is about access. If there is any component that is hidden in a cupboard then the solution is not a cloud. All of the vendors have a solution that they sell to you that has a physical component but again if it is a physical component then it is NOT a cloud.
I have to add components when I need to: Cloud solutions are dynamic, they grow and shrink with your use and allow for business to have a front facing system that allows for those changes. If you are adding CPU cycles, additional hard drives or space then the product you are using is not a cloud.
I have to provision something: If I have to make a call to the helpdesk to add, remove, provision or change any component of my cloud then the solution is not a cloud. The simple act of having to make a physical change to the cloud environment means that your solution is not a cloud.
I have to enter into a software license of some sort: Cloud is pay as you go. If I have to sign a 3 year or 12 month license then the product is not a cloud product. Software as a service literally means pay as you go if I stop paying then the cloud stops delivering. There are no contractual obligations involved.
It is the same product without the “cloud” banner: If a supplier has added “cloud” to their normal offering then it is not a cloud product. If it is the same as what it was 5 years ago then it is not a cloud.
I was watching the Technology in Business program on SKY recently and they had a number of CIO’s from some of the big players in the ICT arena and I found that when it comes small and medium business and not for profit organisations they really have no understanding of the cloud solutions and requirements that are being sold at the moment. They are still peddling their products and generating the “cloud hype” but they are not putting forward the true cloud solution that businesses are looking for.
I can remember when clustering was a business changer. The process of clustering allowed a number of servers to present to a business as a single piece of equipment. Any one server can be restarted or changed without the business noticing. The cloud is supposed to be able to do that.
The cloud presents a business to its users and customers as a single piece of equipment. It is supposed to be disaster resistant and add to a business’s resilience. It adds to the businesses business continuity. Yes Cloud computing is the next evolution of ICT but the way that it is being sold at the moment makes a mockery of the term.
Many business cloud solutions sold in Australia are not actually a true cloud offering. Any solutions that are based on virtual servers, having then connected together and keeping them all together in a physical location will lock in customers to a solution are not a cloud. Will they grow with their requirements, probably not? These solutions are available in Australia but they are NOT cloud solutions
I am afraid that the elephant in the room needs to be let out, the vendors and suppliers in Australia should start to look at delivering a true cloud offering before the term cloud becomes obsolete and no longer applicable to business.
