Cloud computing is the future of networking
October 6, 2011
Grazed from Gulf News. Author: Naushad K. Cherrayil.
Every new technology is hyped as a miracle, but cloud computing managed to fog the eyes of even experienced IT people because its whole purpose is to behave as if it is a miracle.
Resources appear magically wherever and whenever they’re needed, data travels to find the questions it needs to answer, servers pitch in with whatever work needs doing.
Cloud computing refers to networks of virtual servers that allow individuals and businesses to access information from any internet-connected device…
"The cloud computing wave is going to be the most disruptive, but the most opportunistic. Cloud computing initially rose to fame as it offered a way for businesses to reduce costs, but it now offers much more. Cloud computing is not a fashion statement, it is the future," Eyad Shihabi, managing director, HP Middle East, told Gulf News.
He said cloud computing could answer much of the problems facing the industry today. He believes that "It is a journey. We’re not going to get there tomorrow."
According to Gartner, about 35 per cent of IT departments globally started implementing a private cloud last year and 30 per cent are starting before the end of this year.
Public and private cloud adoption across GCC countries shows great potential for growth, with over 70 per cent of GCC organisations acknowledging there are significant and tangible benefits to cloud computing and services, according to research firm IDC.
The cloud services industry is expected to generate $177 billion (Dh650.1 billion) in revenue by 2015, up from $89.4 billion this year, according to a Gartner forecast.
According to a survey conducted by HP in the Middle East, CIOs and IT decision makers said agility is critical to their future success and see agility as the number one business driver for cloud.
Better technology
"In this region, the overarching drivers for public cloud revolve around the desire to have access to better technology, IT skills, and the latest software techniques, while the drivers for private cloud are the desire to standardise IT and reduce costs," said Sony John, IDC’s senior analyst for IT services markets in the Middle East and Africa.
Nearly 85 per cent of IT decision makers within the region’s utilities, financial services and public sector organisations are planning to leverage cloud to reinvent how they interact with customers, citizens and employees in terms of instant access to information.
Shihabi said mission critical applications specific to utilities, financials and public sector could potentially be moved to the cloud within two to five years. The majority of Middle East IT decision makers also see services such as human resources, financials and non-core services moving to the cloud within the same timeframe.
By 2012, around 31-40 per cent of IT will be delivered via the public or private cloud. By 2015, most of the firms in the Middle East will move into hybrid cloud.
"The biggest impact on innovation in the short term includes security, seamless delivery and openness of IT infrastructure.
The respondents agree cloud is an integral part of their journey if they want to respond to customers and be flexible around business needs."
He said the lack of understanding about hybrid cloud and security concerns represented the greatest potential barrier to the adoption of cloud for organisations. Concern about the loss of IT control is another barrier. Compliance around industry regulations is seen as a key inhibitor to moving from a tradition to cloud delivery model. "Security is the top reason organisations may not adopt either private or public cloud implementations," he said.