IT Cloudwashing: Cover-Up or Critical Moment?

Grazed from MidsizeInsider. Author: Doug Bonderud.

In 2010, technology companies began appending the term "cloud" to every news release and project announcement, hoping the hype of distributed computing models would carry over to more traditional software or even hardware projects. Now IT cloudwashing has evolved into a far more subtle science, but it is often looked down upon by technology pundits as an effort to generate profit rather than advance the cloud cause. Is this merely a cover-up, or is something bigger going on?

Just Another Coat?

A May 15 article from ZDNet examines the concept of cloudwashing, with author Larry Dignan using recent news headlines to show the practice is still in full force. He points out that many companies that rely on hardware or software sales to drive their business instead focus on recent cloud acquisitions or amalgamations of cloud products than more traditional service and maintenance contracts. The argument here is for midsize IT professionals to watch for what Dignan calls a "culture change" before businesses buy into any vendor claims of a pure cloud experience…

This assertion, however, assumes that the "pure cloud" actually exists, that a particular mix of off-site servers and agile resource deployments constitutes the stereotypical cloud experience. While it is true that some "cloud" offerings are not much more than software-as-a-service (SaaS) layered on top of traditional platform and infrastructure deployments, the flexible nature of cloud computing actually suggests that this may be a legitimate use of the term; in other words, the cloud is fundamental enough that IT cloudwashing may unintentionally be exactly what the market needs…

Read more from the source @ http://midsizeinsider.com/en-us/article/it-cloudwashing-cover-up-or-critical-mo