Selecting a Cloud - It's More than Just Technology

Check out my accompanying write-up to my recent article titled "Making Sure You Really Are Walking on Cloud Nine", which was published in the June 2010 issue of the ISACA Journal.

Selecting a Cloud - It's More than Just Technology

Is Cloud a Natural Fit For the Government?

Peter Schooff, ebizQ editor, raised this question on the ebizQ Cloud Computing forum today.

Obviously, given my recent area of research, I think this is an excellent question and to my delight it has been matched with an equally thought-provoking discussion on the forum thus far!

For those of you who have been following me, you'll agree that I've covered a great deal on this very topic in my first and third podcasts on Cloud Computing within the Federal Government (was this a shameless plug?)

I agree with Dr. Smith (on the forum) that the government is not a profit-driven business but cost is still an issue with balooning deficits, many competing initiatives and programs for tax dollars, and our energy independence at stake with close to a billion dollar energy bill each year just for operating the government run data centers! OMB mandates and the president's budget leave no doubt that each agency is being asked to become more efficient and lower costs.

Control (privacy, security of information assets, compliance with regulations, etc.) is also a valid concern, which, as Anthony (also on the forum) pointed out, could be addressed by so called "private" clouds. Such clouds already exist such as with the National Business Center's cloud, DISA's RACE, and NASA's Nebula.

So do I believe that there is a good fit between Government and Clouds?

Absolutely!

* Originally posted on the ebizQ Cloud Computing Forum on July 6, 2010.

HP Slashes 9000 jobs - Blame the Cloud?

Today's hot question on ebizQ's Cloud Computing forum - Are the 9000 jobs lost from HP as it shifts its data centers to cloud computing a harbinger of widespread IT job losses due to the greater automation that cloud allows?

This question has a BIG assumption built into it - that all 9000 people laid off worked in HP data centers watching consoles, loading tapes, running/scheduling batch jobs, etc.

It is simply NOT true.

For example, HP at a single stroke halved their R&D people based in Bristol, UK and slashed its five remaining laboratories in Bristol (HP Labs) to two as well as closed all of its Japanese research.

Another example: HP is cutting 5,700 jobs in Europe with some 700 to go in the UK, with the primary focus on its manufacturing plant in Scotland where products have become increasingly commoditised and the sites are under-used. Given the current economic climate and continued pressure on costs it seems reasonable that manufacturing work is going to the Czech Republic.

The above examples of jobs lost (R&D and manufacturing) have nothing to do with Cloud Computing. It's just good, old fashioned business.

* Originally posted on the ebizQ Cloud Computing forum on June 22, 2010.

Cloud 2.0? Really?

There's been some interesting conversation about Cloud 2.0 recently on ebizQ including a podcast and a follow up question about whether it was time for Cloud 2.0.

Already?

I did not even realize that we have a tangible enough Cloud 1.0!

Anyways, my response to the question about whether it was time for Cloud 2.0 is sure if you can answer yes to each of the following three questions:

1. Is there a universally agreed upon definition of Cloud 1.0? (Just think of all the debate around the "private" cloud)
2. Are questions around security and privacy of data, interoperability and portability between clouds, and auditability sufficiently answered?
3. Do we have adequate, agreed upon, and universally adopted standards for Cloud 1.0?

Answering yes to the above questions would imply that we have reached or are close to a "steady state" for Cloud 1.0, which in my opinion is a prerequisite for Cloud 2.0. Think about it: when Web 2.0 came along, could we not have answered yes to all of the above questions for what we now refer to as Web 1.0?

* Originally posted on the ebizQ Cloud Computing Forum on June 15, 2010.

My Podcast - The Coming Cloud Computing Standards: Talking Cloud with Tarak Modi

Listen to my latest podcast The Coming Cloud Computing Standards: Talking Cloud with Tarak Modi.

Feel free to send comments. I look forward to your feedback and suggestions for future podcasts