Friday, December 16, 2011

WOLF Weekly Cloud Sum-up, Dec 16, 2011

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in the Cloud has been covered multiple times and there have been many articles written on the topic, but still there is confusion about the importance of SLAs. Most people require a blueprint for architects and contractors to start building a new home and similarly would expect a new car to come with a warranty. An SLA serves as both the blueprint and warranty for cloud computing. There is an article written for Educause Quarterly by Thomas J. Trappler called “If It’s in the Cloud, Get it on Paper: Cloud Computing Contract Issues”.



Read more to find out what he recommends in his paper.

10 Ways Cloud Computing Will Disrupt our Businesses in 2012

If anything, 2011 should be remembered as the “Year of the Cloud.” The past year was an energizing one in terms of the advancement of cloud computing. The cloud approach was adopted by many organizations, and most vendors have now gotten into the game as well. What will 2012 bring?

Take a look ahead:
  1. “Cloud” will begin to fade as a differentiating term — because it will just be the way we do things
  2. Many businesses will follow the federal government’s example of a “cloud-first” policy
  3. Pressure will grow to demonstrate cloud ROI
  4. Private clouds will proliferate faster than public clouds
  5. Private cloud will elevate IT’s role in the business
  6. IT departments will both act as facilitators and competitors to public cloud providers
  7. Lines between service providers and consumers will blur – on many cases, companies will be both
  8. Public clouds will increasingly be seen as more secure than on-premises systems
  9. Economic growth will accelerate as more businesses are formed in the cloud
  10. Cloud will disrupt the outsourcing model
Security, compliance often lacking in cloud computing strategy

Despite enthusiasm surrounding setting a cloud computing strategy, IT professionals lack confidence in their organizations’ abilities to secure cloud solutions and keep them compliant, a new SearchCompliance.com survey finds. Only a third of survey respondents said they were confident that their cloud solutions were adequately secure and in compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements. Another 22% said their solutions weren’t secure or compliant. Perhaps most disconcerting? Close to half (45%) weren’t sure, meaning two thirds of respondents either do not know if their cloud solutions are secure, or are absolutely certain they are not.

Any business can use cloud computing

All businesses, not just technology companies, can use cloud-based services, said Rakesh Hegde, founder and CEO, Rezopia, a U.S.-based cloud technology provider for travel companies. The company provides cloud-based end-to-end travel reservation, contracts, operations, and distribution management system for packaged travel providers. Delivering a talk on “Recent trends in IT in the U.S.”, organised by Mangalore Management Association at the SDM College of Business Management, here on Wednesday, Mr. Hegde, an alumnus of SDM institutions, said that cloud-based services enabled businesses to focus on their core strengths by helping them do the peripheral tasks.

Cloud computing: Technology’s next big thing

Cloud computing means different things to different people. As a consumer, I am using a service from a cloud that someone else is running and paying for this service based on my consumption. Meanwhile, as a provider, a cloud provides efficient, cost effective IT services to clients, and makes the provider a broker of services. The importance of cloud computing to businesses is that it is about accessing and providing services instantly and cost-effectively, whereas years ago, the same would have required high startup costs and lengthy periods of time. Cloud computing solves this issues for businesses due to its low barrier of entry and elasticity.

We hope these short sum-ups on cloud computing will help you to take a more knowledgeable approach towards moving to the cloud. Stay tuned for more sum-ups on in the forthcoming weeks.

Don’t forget to add your comments and suggestions. I will have more around the cloud a week later.

Santanu Das
Marketing Evangelist, WOLF Frameworks

NOTE: The views expressed above are purely personal and for informational purposes only. WOLF FRAMEWORKS INDIA PVT. LTD. MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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