The 2011 small business survey by PPH reveals that many businesses just don’t ‘get’ cloud computing and what it can deliver. We asked our panel to field some common technical and commercial queries.
Q: What is cloud computing?
A: Cloud computing is a model of delivering hardware and software resource as a service, typically offered on a pay-as-you-use basis. Here's the simple fact - if it involves the purchase of hardware, it's NOT cloud computing. This may seem obvious, but it's amazing how many 'false cloud' vendors there are out there!
John Appleby, CEO and chairman of cloud consultancy, Saaspoint
Q: What are the advantages of managing data in the cloud?
A: Cloud computing is highly scalable and agile. At its most basic level, it enables someone to access computing power and applications online via the internet on demand. It provides resource and services to store data and run applications, in any devices, anytime, anywhere, as a service. It can reduce costs, increase scalability and improve service level availability for businesses.
Andy Burton, chairman of the Cloud Industry Forum
Q: Does cloud spell the end of the datacentre?
A: No, although data centres will likely become more specialised and outsourced. The cloud is essentially a platform for sharing and storing data through a distributed computer system and so the importance of the datacentre is actually heightened. Continuing demand for higher performance to serve application better places a greater onus on the network’s physical infrastructure. This in turn will lead to the formation of datacentres specifically designed to manage cloud networks.
Craig Doyle, senior solutions market manager, EMEA, CommScope
Q: How can cloud affect the bottom line?
A: The concept of cloud has more to do with the way a user purchases a service rather than describing a stack of infrastructure. Customers are not keen to make significant capital expenditure only to find that the capacity they have purchased doesn’t match the requirements of their applications or the volumes of data they wish to store. Cloud offers a way of buying IT resources according to need. This is a shift from Capex to Opex a key driver for most business.
Simon Gay, CTO, Adapt
Q: What are the risks in selecting a service provider?
A: The primary concerns raised by businesses centre on data security and privacy, contractual lock-in and network connectivity. These concerns can be mitigated and a good starting point to understand a potential supplier of capability is to see if they have signed up to the Code of Practice: It’s therefore necessary for cloud service providers to back up any public claims that they make about their service, and to certify that they offer a high standard of cloud computing services.
Andy Burton, chairman of the Cloud Industry Forum
Q: Can I mix and match suppliers?
A: Over time, yes, you will be able to. Today, there is not enough standardisation in either the technical or the commercial offerings from vendors. Use a cloud operations platform that can give you a level of independence from the individual hosting providers. Don’t buy both your cloud operations software and your hosting cycles from the same big company. Pay close attention to network performance and reliability.
Rens Troost, chief technology officer, Virtual Clarity
Q: Should I be worried about the lack of standards?
A: Be prepared for a rapidly evolving market; by all means track and even get involved in the standards but don’t expect that to help you in the immediate future. It’s important to have realistic expectations. So, expect to change providers more than once in the coming years. Don’t sign a long-term deal for a large part of your IT infrastructure; try a few providers for projects with a clear return. Finally, pay close attention to security, especially at the storage layer.
Rens Troost, chief technology officer, Virtual Clarity
Q: What are the DPA implications of cloud?
A: Moving all of your services and, more importantly, your data into the cloud does not get rid of your legal obligations under the Data Protection Act. As the registered data controller the information is your responsibility. One of the risks related to moving data into the cloud is that you don’t know where it actually resides. Under the act it has to be housed somewhere within the European Union to comply with the legislation or, if in an overseas location, there needs to be a safe harbour agreement ensuring EU legislation will apply.
Robert Mackenzie, partner, business technology and consulting, Scott-Moncrieff
Q: What management controls should be set up?
A: Like any good service contract your service level agreement should set out some key performance indicators which enable you to monitor the performance of your cloud computer supplier. You should have a contractual commitment from them to keep the data secure. However, you also have to match this with your own security arrangements as you will be using their tools to grant access to the data to your own staff, probably from a range of remote locations, and using an assortment of technologies.
Robert Mackenzie, partner, Business Technology and Consulting, Scott-Moncrieff
Q: Do cloud apps offer the same functionality as on-premise versions?
A: Many web-based applications currently do not offer the same degree of functionality that users are accustomed to with on-premise alternatives. For example, the rich features and functionality of many enterprise-level CRM systems may not be matched by the new generation of web-based counterparts. Organisations will need to ask themselves how much of the functionality of on-premise applications is actually utilised or needed on a routine basis and how much of it they can live without.
Matthew Edwards, chief technology officer at bluesource
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