Cloud Computing – Fizzle, Bubble or Real Pay Dirt? – Part I

Spending much of my time talking to folks about Cloud Computing, both here and recently also in Europe, I’m struck by two things: Most everyone has heard of Cloud Computing and is sure it’s a happening, important trend. But it seems to be a minority that truly seems to have grasped essential concepts of Cloud Computing such as virtualization or the opportunities of mobile computing. Second, many aren’t really clear on why Cloud Computing is a good thing from purely a business point of view. Partly that is due to Cloud Computing by and large still being a technology revolution driven by technorati for the technically literate, and partly because the business community at large has not yet wrapped their minds around the product impact potential of Cloud Computing for their own offerings. [...]

How do You Know When Going into the Public Cloud Makes Financial Sense?

Much is being written about (public) cloud computing and its financial benefits. Typically, stated benefits arise from more efficient server utilization and reduced power consumption, as well as from the ability to manage more server capacity with existing IT resources. We find that many of these analyses paint too narrowly focused a picture, and are thus offering a few observations to help quantify more completely and accurately the costs and benefits of a planned cloud computing infrastructure. [...]