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Clouds of unknowing?
The Cloud - just where are we in the hype cycle, do end users understand what it is, and what benefits it can bring to the enterprise? Or, is Cloud talk little more than an unhelpful smokescreen that is confusing end users? SNS Europe asked some key vendors for their views on the topic.
Cloud is here to stay and will continue to develop and evolve over time, says 3PAR’s Tim Pitcher, Vice President International.
The model of offering services to both businesses and consumers, securely and wherever those services are required, is a proven model that increases productivity and reduces expenses. The issue is that “cloud” has become an umbrella term that often causes confusion because it’s generic in nature, whereas the requirements are specific. Underneath cloud there are several differing models (PaaS, SaaS etc…) that are more specific and tailored. There are models designed and operating today that are architected to helping small companies get going quickly, and
alternatively solutions for specific applications or dedicated enterprise customers. It is amazing how many major brands today leverage some form of cloud model within their IT infrastructure and how frequently they outsource in some form or other. Cloud is simply the latest development in the drive for efficiency, simplicity and scalability. We increasingly receive requests to tender for enterprise business that are also offered to hosting service providers, as both options are explored. Many of our hosting service provider partners do not brand themselves as “cloud
operators” as it causes confusion and often leads to questions on robustness and security. Many forward-looking but traditional IT resellers are also offering hosted cloud services as they see the potential business opportunity, but also the threat to traditional IT sales as procurement models force consumers to buy a service over a product. Efficiency, cost reduction and simplicity will encourage this behaviour as will business leaders as they focus on core business and move away from building large internal IT groups.
Organisations are cautious about adopting cloud computing as there is a stark lack of clarity over the solutions available, which makes the decision over whether to move to a cloud computing model more complex than it needs to be, warns Matthew Yeager, Storage & Datacentre Practice Leader, Computacenter.
Much of this confusion stems from multiple definitions driven by the sheer flexibility of cloud computing, but as cloud maturity progresses, coexistence will drive further hybrid models as well as alongside traditionally hosted environments, providing unparalleled choices for sourcing IT. To truly realise the benefits of cloud computing, it is critical that organisations consider
what can effectively be moved to the cloud. In reality it is not possible to move all applications and storage to the cloud - some workloads are better suited to this environment, depending on what performance parameters those services have to meet, the service levels that the business requires, data interchanges and what compliance requirements exist. For
example, an enterprise email system housed on a public cloud infrastructure will probably need to integrate with internal systems, such as ERP, to enable key processes, such as automated workflows. It is important to work with an experienced provider that understands each different delivery model and how they will impact users, business processes and TCO.
SUMMER 10 WWW.SNSEUROPE.COM
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