I was asked the question just the other day about cloud computing and what my thoughts were on the whole concept. It made me realize the questions revolving around cloud computing for businesses are still there. Many businesses are still concerned about many aspects of cloud computing and what it means for their business and if the whole concept of cloud computing has matured from what it was just a couple of years ago. Of course the age old concerns surrounding cloud computing such as security and management of cloud resources are the big ones that are one IT and other execs minds and have been since the adoption of the cloud buzzword.
So where are we today when it comes to cloud computing. Most notably, the technologies surrounding cloud computing ARE becoming more mature. Big companies have invested a lot of money and resources into the services and infrastructure that it takes to make things more secure and trustworthy. Many businesses have invested much in securing WAN links and other aspects of their infrastructure to facilitate securing of cloud resources and communications between networks.
I think using the cloud also is becoming something that is more accepted as a business mentality. Remember years ago when debit cards came out and people were terrified of the potential security risks and everyone was afraid of using them? Slowly but surely though, once they became more accepted as a medium for doing business, you saw them adopted and everyone started carrying and using them. I think a lot is the same with cloud computing and data there. We saw the panic and fear of the initial security concerns the past few years, however, as it is becoming more mainstream and more and more are using cloud technologies, that fear level is tapering off.
Also, most people are getting used to the buzzword of cloud computing simply from the technology being used everywhere in the consumer world and apps that are floating around on mobile phones and tablet devices. Most apps that people use are by necessity connected to cloud services in one way or another. As more and more consumers use and feel comfortable with the technology, they in turn invest that confidence into their places of employment and such so that businesses and corporations are more confident in general.
However, there are still many things about the cloud that are still maturing and logistical issues that still have to be addressed. Cloud sprawl is one of the problems that IT management and engineers are having to deal with. In other words cloud resources are expanding faster than IT is able to keep up with from a management aspect. I think we saw the same thing happen with virtualization and the virtual server sprawl that many IT shops experienced when basically so many virtual servers were being spun up that it was hard to keep a handle on everything.
These are just typical growing pains you see with new technology and new ways of doing things it makes sense that these types of issues will come up in a new technology’s infancy. One thing is for sure, cloud computing is the wave of the IT world’s future. Services and businesses a like are going to be migrating to the cloud for business operations and functionality. It simply makes sense. I predict that the growing pains and concerns that we have with cloud computing will finally melt away like we saw with bank cards and other services that while scary on the outset, simply will be integrated into the world in which we live as the viable, necessary means of conducting business.
