Cloud Computing is a concept whereby shared resources, data and software are delivered to computers as a ‘pay per use’ service. Experts believe that in the near future, the cloud will be an important part of a company’s IT infrastructure. This was certainly the view expressed by Michael Barnes, the Principal Analyst APAC at Forrester Research group, while speaking at the Evolve Cloud conference in Sydney.
A recent survey conducted by KPMG – a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services – lends credibility to Mr Barnes’ claim. According to the report by KPMG, a large majority of senior executives around the globe expected their organization’s 2012 investments on cloud computing to skyrocket.
In the survey – that included both cloud users as well as cloud service providers – more than three quarters of the respondents cited cost savings as an important reason for the adoption of the cloud. Process improvement, increasing organization-wide agility, and strategic benefits were also cited as reasons.
Regardless of the advantages, IT executives also agree that there are challenges to be overcome if their enterprises’ migration to the cloud is to be considered a success. One in every two IT executives believe that security concerns are the biggest impediments that need to be overcome. A large number of IT leaders as well as business users also believe that loss of control over customer data is a top challenge that needs to be addressed. The survey also found that nearly half the respondents had not evaluated the tax implications of the cloud.
All said and done, it surely appears as though the cloud is here to stay. IT and business leaders are of the opinion, that for cloud to be a worthwhile investment, it should result in at least a 10 percent growth in IT savings. However, not everyone will be using costs as the single biggest evaluation criterion. Just ask top IT and operations executives in flood ravaged Thailand, where damaged IT assets and business disruptions have left them looking at the cloud (no pun intended) with intense interest.
The Suyati Team has over 4 + years of experience in Cloud Services, including Infrastructure migration, Server Migration, eMail Migration, Application migration. We have a dedicated team with certified professionals who can help you transition to the cloud. So if you are looking to move to the cloud, or need expert advice on a cloud strategy for your enterprise, talk to us today.
