The cloud is one of those amorphous technologies that get trotted out as the answer to all of our woes, usually by people who don't think all that deeply about IT and its challenges. We hate to puncture anyone's bubble with a dose of reality, but at a macro level, adoption of all public cloud services except software as a service is going pretty darned slow. For the past five years as part of our annual cloud survey, InformationWeek Reports has asked a simple question: What are your company's plans for cloud computing? The response we watch most closely is: We're receiving services today from a cloud provider. In 2008, 16% of survey respondents chose that option. In 2009, it was 21%, then 22% in 2010. It jumped to 31% last year, and to 33% this year.

Read More about cloud computing and its adolescence
Is The Cloud Finally Catching Up With Mighty Oracle?
Oracle for years has seemed impervious to cloud computing. First Larry Ellison dismissed it. Then he sort of touted it, his version at least. But all along, Oracle was growing nicely. The industry chatter didn’t seem to matter. Big companies buy big software systems.
Something changed this winter.
Oracle’s software license sales limped up just 2% in December, and the company blamed customer budget cuts and fears over the European debt crisis. Sales to Europe, Africa and the Middle East make up a third of Oracle’s revenues. The stock took an instant 8% hit, but perhaps more tellingly is 22% off its May 2011 high. Investors appear to be signalling that Oracle‘s recent woes are due to more than just stingy customers. Could it be true that big, hulking IT organizations are changing buying patterns?
Interest in cloud computing growing
About 60% of the respondents of a Microsoft survey in Qatar expressed interest in learning about the “private cloud” and the benefits it could bring to businesses in the country. The survey has indicated that almost two-thirds of Qatar’s IT professionals are looking to the private cloud as a future focus area. The survey involved some 109 participants at the Microsoft Open Door event held in Doha recently.
The event gathered together IT professionals in an effort to allow them to experience new solutions, and support technologically enabled economic development in what is fast becoming one of the fastest growing markets in the region. Microsoft Gulf General Manager Samer Abu Latif and Microsoft Qatar Country Manager Naim Yazbeck in their keynote speeches delivered valuable insights into the vision for the company in Qatar and the region.
Cloudburst for SMEs
Cloud computing has captured the attention of organisations across the globe, as a technology that allows lower operational expenses and on-demand scalability. In India it has been the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have seen an increased adoption of cloud computing; and the reasons are obvious. Take the case of Zenga Media, a company in the mobile television services space. The company has not only been able to manage cost better on hardware but has also been able to manage its human resources better.
Six principles for effective cloud computing
The growing shift to cloud computing can deliver significant value—but most enterprises have little knowledge of the perils of transferring IT decision making away from technology specialists to business unit leaders. Eliminating oversight and governance from cloud computing decisions can create significant risk to organizations, effectively undermining any benefits of moving to the cloud and, at the same time, potentially creating serious issues for organizations.
We hope these short sum-ups on Cloud Computing are helping you to take a knowledgeable approach towards moving to the cloud. Stay tuned for more sum-ups on in the forthcoming week.
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.

Read More about cloud computing and its adolescence
Is The Cloud Finally Catching Up With Mighty Oracle?
Oracle for years has seemed impervious to cloud computing. First Larry Ellison dismissed it. Then he sort of touted it, his version at least. But all along, Oracle was growing nicely. The industry chatter didn’t seem to matter. Big companies buy big software systems.
Something changed this winter.
Oracle’s software license sales limped up just 2% in December, and the company blamed customer budget cuts and fears over the European debt crisis. Sales to Europe, Africa and the Middle East make up a third of Oracle’s revenues. The stock took an instant 8% hit, but perhaps more tellingly is 22% off its May 2011 high. Investors appear to be signalling that Oracle‘s recent woes are due to more than just stingy customers. Could it be true that big, hulking IT organizations are changing buying patterns?
Interest in cloud computing growing
About 60% of the respondents of a Microsoft survey in Qatar expressed interest in learning about the “private cloud” and the benefits it could bring to businesses in the country. The survey has indicated that almost two-thirds of Qatar’s IT professionals are looking to the private cloud as a future focus area. The survey involved some 109 participants at the Microsoft Open Door event held in Doha recently.
The event gathered together IT professionals in an effort to allow them to experience new solutions, and support technologically enabled economic development in what is fast becoming one of the fastest growing markets in the region. Microsoft Gulf General Manager Samer Abu Latif and Microsoft Qatar Country Manager Naim Yazbeck in their keynote speeches delivered valuable insights into the vision for the company in Qatar and the region.
Cloudburst for SMEs
Cloud computing has captured the attention of organisations across the globe, as a technology that allows lower operational expenses and on-demand scalability. In India it has been the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have seen an increased adoption of cloud computing; and the reasons are obvious. Take the case of Zenga Media, a company in the mobile television services space. The company has not only been able to manage cost better on hardware but has also been able to manage its human resources better.
Six principles for effective cloud computing
The growing shift to cloud computing can deliver significant value—but most enterprises have little knowledge of the perils of transferring IT decision making away from technology specialists to business unit leaders. Eliminating oversight and governance from cloud computing decisions can create significant risk to organizations, effectively undermining any benefits of moving to the cloud and, at the same time, potentially creating serious issues for organizations.
We hope these short sum-ups on Cloud Computing are helping you to take a knowledgeable approach towards moving to the cloud. Stay tuned for more sum-ups on in the forthcoming week.
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.