Cloud computing: 9 in 10 are positive on it, survey says
Summary: Cloud computing is taking off, but IT professionals are still on the fence about it when it comes down to the details. A new Rackspace survey has the goods.
Another day, another cloud computing survey that shows how keen business technology executives are on cloud computing. (Until they get a closer look, that is.)
A new national poll from San Antonio, Texas-based enterprise hosting company Rackspace shows that 91 percent of "IT decision-makers" see cloud computing as a positive thing.
But the devil's in the details. Quick stats:
- Seventy-five percent of the group said they valued strong customer service and technical support over higher hosting prices. Twenty-five percent said the opposite. Interestingly, that ratio didn't change relative to the size of the organization.
- Top concerns: The ability to add computing power; the ability to move data easily between cloud providers; the pitfalls of vendor lock-in.
- Forty-three percent said they are aware of people in their organization using cloud computing services not provided by the IT department for work.
- Thirty-eight percent said saving time was the main driver for this behavior.
- Just one in three acknowledged that it was because the IT department didn't offer comparable services or employees simply didn't want to deal with the IT department.
- Finally, 48 percent of the polled IT pros said yes, they would take a job with a new company that does not use cloud computing. (Twenty-eight percent said no way; 24 percent were undecided.) It's unclear whether this shows IT pros who seek a challenge, or who simply fail to see value in the cloud.
Nothing groundbreaking in these statistics for seasoned IT professionals, but it's interesting to see how on-the-fence everyone is about the technology.
"The world is in the midst of a tectonic shift toward cloud computing that is revolutionizing the way companies do business," Rackspace CEO Lanham Napier said in a statement. That may be true, but it's pretty clear that the shift is neither linear nor particularly brimming with confidence -- the reasons are many and not necessarily aligned with the greater business strategy. In other words, it's no silver bullet.
McLaughlin & Associates conducted the survey, which involved 500 IT pros who work for businesses or organizations that use cloud computing.
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Talkback
Nine out of ten, huh?
The cloud is too froth with peril to want to invest a company's future in it. Reliability, security, vendor lock-in, and, ultimately cost are major concerns.
Cost you say? Isn't the cloud supposed to lower your costs? Not really. Why do so many vendors push the hell out of the cloud (Google, MS, Amazon, etc.)? Is it because they want to save you money? (Excuse me while I try to stop laughing). Traditionally you purchased a software package (Office, for example) for one fixed price and use it until you no longer need it or you no longer have hardware that can support it. Point is, that is as long as you wish. Take Windows XP as a perfect example. How many companies are still running it? Plenty! But with the cloud and subscription software, you'll be paying a monthly fee forever. And you'll be paying for updates and extras whether or not you want them or will use them.
As has been pointed out in ZDNet blogs here, the software companies stand to make a hell of a lot more money from you under the subscription plan.
Oh, and don’t forget the massive increase in bandwidth costs.
By the way, the title of this blog is misleading. It projects a different impression from what you get once you read the details. And that cartoon! Nine happy, smiling people pointing their thumbs up while one old fuddy-duddy stands off to the corner grumbling. Seems to me that it is trying to say that anyone not willing to jump on the cloud wholeheartedly is old, probably still uses punched cards, and just not with it. But maybe that told guy is the smartest of the bunch!
And with cheap and easy subscriptions,
Some media articles love to talk about the lack of innovations, but they forget to look at "cause and effect".
A lot of people think the articles of suicides at foxconn are nonsense, too
Who are these "9 out of 10"?
What fields are they in?
What do they read or get their news from?
Are they technically savvy?
With IQs over 120?
And able to think for themselves instead of blindly agreeing to what someone else markets to them?