AKIBIA'S PRACTICAL GUIDE TO ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY
Monday, April 13, 2009
On the Path to the Cloud… Walk Before You Run
Every now and then a new technology concept really takes off as marketing gurus at some of the largest companies put their collective mindshare and budget behind the next big idea. Web 2.0 was one such term, social media is another. Cloud Computing is the next big idea.
As the technology elephants announce Open Cloud standards, let's first examine how ready enterprises are for Cloud Computing. We've found many companies are still in early adoption stages of virtualization, WAN optimization and to some degree—software as a service. These technologies are stepping stones on the path towards the Cloud. If you can not virtualize your current custom applications, you can not make them available in the Cloud. IT organizations must walk before they run.
To be clear, there are significant benefits in the cloud— and they are important – reduced costs and increased efficiency. But before IT organizations make the leap to Cloud Computing, they should look at their existing investments and proven technologies like virtualization and WAN optimization to make sure they have a clear path in the right direction, but also to realize cost and efficiency gains in the interim.
Are you on the road towards Cloud Computing?
