Is Cloud the Next Gold Rush?

“Cloud Computing is like Colorado in the 1800s. Every person is out for themselves and they will either strike it rich or die trying,” says Ben Trowbridge, founder and CEO of Alsbridge Inc.

According to a recent report Alsbridge, Inc. titled, “Clouds in the 1800’s – On the Trail to the Promise Land in 2011,” providers are already jockeying for the opportunity to define the standards of Cloud Computing, meanwhile new cloud offerings and companies are popping up everywhere at a rapidly growing pace.

Just like early American pioneers who traveled Westward into uncharted territories, those embarking on the Cloud journey must carefully choose which supplies to take and which to leave, which route they are best suited for, and enlist a trustworthy trail boss in order to successfully reach their desired destination. 

“We are dealing with a pioneer mentality when it comes to the Cloud,” Trowbridge says. “Some vendors will sell you a buggy or a saddle horse just to get you to the action quicker but, the trail has its perils. In addition to dodging bandits such as pop-up Cloud providers, there are no maps, no GPS, and definitely no clear direction except ‘Cloudward’. The trail dust has yet to settle.”

The Right Supplies for Survival

According to Alsbridge, there are many resources available to help CIOs and executives determine which tools are best for their organization by offering buyers an opportunity to see how common applications are performing globally across various cloud providers.

“These resources quickly allow you to see firsthand what the response times are between major Cloud providers as well as measure content delivery networks and other various web analytics using simple applications,” Trowbridge explains. “There are at least some attempts to help Cloud pioneers understand the market, but little to actually help them enter the market.”

Trowbridge recommends finding a trail boss; someone who has made this journey many times before. “A strong trail boss will offer suitable advice based on your requirements and capabilities while offering a repeatable methodology and process that has assisted others who have traveled before you,” he says.

Finding the Right Route  

 Oftentimes, companies are not strong enough to make the Cloud journey.

“This could be due to infrastructure dependencies not available in the Cloud, complexity of applications, or an organizational readiness that is just not up to par,” explains Trowbridge.

Trowbridge recommends companies take advantage of a Cloud Alignment Workshop.

“In this collaborative workshop, you are presented with various case studies from people who have already successfully made the Cloud journey, which discuss infrastructure and application maturity assessments and how the capabilities of various providers in the market stack up against your own requirements and capabilities.  If there are components that qualify, then it is a matter of setting a direction.  Remember, this is just a qualification – the journey has yet to be planned,” Trowbridge explains.

Which Route is Best? (IaaS and PaaS Compared)

According to the report there is no such thing as a “best route” in cloud computing. It is a matter of aligning your capabilities and requirements with a set of provider characteristics and delivery models that are either a match or not. 

According to Trowbridge, provider selection can mean the difference between success and failure in the Cloud. 

“Each provider is unique in their own right and no one provider can meet everyone’s needs, although some will lead you into believing so,” says Trowbridge.  “The last thing you want to do is go sign up for services before knowing what you need.  Or to put it another way, you don’t want to hit the trail without any planning, supplies, or an experienced trail boss,” Trowbridge says.

Read the full report, “Clouds in the 1800’s – On the Trail to the Promise Land in 2011.”

About Alsbridge Inc.

Alsbridge, Inc. is an award-winning global advisory firm and a distinguished member of the 2010 Inc. 500 fastest growing privately held companies. Alsbridge redefines the way companies reduce costs and improve back office operations.  Our proprietary benchmarking tools and data resources enable clients to utilize the most cost effective and value added sources globally for information technology, business processes and telecommunications networks.  Through a combination of internal optimization and outsourcing, our clients achieve cost savings that support their strategic business objectives. Founded in 2003, Alsbridge is the proven, effective difference. The company’s web site is: www.alsbridge.com. Follow Alsbridge on Twitter @Alsbridge_Inc

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