Gartner hype cycle for cloud computing, originally published on Forbes.com.
And musings on the actual state of cloud computing
If anyone wasn’t wondering about the cloud’s readiness for enterprise computing, they are now, thanks to several stories in the news recently. Some of these reports question cloud computing’s business value, adoption rates and whether the enterprise is ready for the cloud (or vice versa).
Others ask if IT professionals are even capable of delivering cloud services reliably and securely. Still others warn of a coming cloud boogie man lurking in the shadows, waiting to spring a privacy trap on us, like some kind of cloud computing video game troll.
Let’s recap and analyze some of the biggest stories-those that set social networks ablaze-and see if we can separate the PR hype and media headlines from reality.
- Gartner just released a new Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing that says the cloud is a mixed bag for delivering sustained business value. Virtualization and big data are predicted to deliver transformational benefits within the next two years. But Gartner says interest in cloud computing overall has peaked and is sliding into the “Trough of Disillusionment.” Mainstream adoption of cloud computing is now pushed ahead two to five years, to 2014 through 2017. The list of over-hyped technologies includes almost everything we define as cloud computing today. Only sales force automation (read: Salesforce.com), SaaS (read: Salesforce.com), and virtualization are still hot in the cloud, with mainstream adoption predicted in two years or less, Gartner says. Some of Gartner’s other past predictions for cloud adoption rates were, likewise, revised downward.
- About the same time, Steve Wozniak was widely quoted when he warned that the cloud is a “horrendous” danger to the industry and society, shredding privacy, security and property rights over the next five years. As co-founder of Apple and the inventor of the original Apple computer, Woz knows a thing or two about disruptive innovations. But while Wozniak’s predictions were squarely aimed at the public consumer cloud, the business media’s take couldn’t help but gave CEOs, CIOs and business decision-makers pause, too.
- And then the coup de grâce. Perfectly timed to confirm Woz’s predictions, a 19-year-old hacker cracked his way into the cloud accounts of Wired reporter Mat Honan. He and some buddies pwned Honan’s Apple iCloud, Amazon, Google and Twitter accounts, deleting mountains of his personal data in the process. Honan reported his experience in Wired, and was himself interviewed by media around the globe, including multiple appearances on NPR. If there was anyone left who didn’t fear the cloud, they were probably living in a cave without access to the Web, TV or a radio.
These facts can be a bit depressing for cloud advocates because most people in IT don’t just believe-we know-that the cloud is the catalyst for nearly all business innovation today. In fact, it’s the inevitable end point for much, if not all of business, consumer and public sector computing tomorrow.
That said, news reports such as those above cloud the issues (no pun intended). They remind people that the cloud is young, that we are in the early stages of using this technology, and that problems keep cropping up, especially in the uptime, security and privacy arenas.
But these problems aren’t occurring necessarily because the cloud is not inherently secure or reliable. It could be more a case of IT leaders failing to recognize that they already have the skills, experience and resources in hand to ensure their organization’s cloud security and reliability.
Also these examples prompt the question, “Who owns cloud security?” and the same goes for reliability. If the onus is on the cloud service provider (CSP), then vendors have some work to do convincing customers they can deliver. But the responsibility could also fall in part – if not in full – to the CIO, the CTO and the CSO. Perhaps each needs to own their share of the solution.
These are serious concerns. We in IT are in a self-referential “discussion bubble” that is getting us nowhere fast. It leads to assertions (such as Gartner’s) that question the cloud’s real value, slow adoption and, in doing so, stall delivery of the cloud’s considerable benefits to the enterprise.
Those benefits would be a more innovative and agile organization (which I would argue lead to greater revenue and higher customer satisfaction), cost reductions, process efficiencies, higher service levels for users and productivity gains for employees. Let’s be clear. The public cloud has much to offer consumers and even many businesses. And cloud computing is the future of IT for businesses, government and other organizations, but we need to cut through the hype, work to diminish the valid concerns and amplify the solid benefits so enterprise IT doesn’t just hear the noise, but sees the reality of what cloud offers.
This post was originally posted on CA.com’s Cloud Storm Chasers blog