The 4 Myths of Cloud Computing in Business

Staten sought to bring clarity to the matter in a talk about for four common myths of cloud computing.

Myth 1: The cloud is just another name for outsourcing.

No, it isn’t, said Staten, who offered this definition:

What makes a cloud a cloud: A standardized technology capability (services, software or infrastructure) delivered in a pay-per-use, self-service way.

The three characteristics — standardized technology capability, pay-per-use and self-service — need to be present, said Staten, who warned of "cloudwashing" by vendors and others who mistakenly or deliberately say they have a cloud product, when in fact they don’t.

Staten added it’s important to keep in mind the business model of the cloud. “You never own the cloud," he said. "You always just rent from the cloud.”

Myth 2: The cloud is the future for everything.

While cloud computing is reshaping the way business is done and how people connect, it will not replace traditional computing even though it may greatly inform it.

"Not everything is [or will become] cloud and shouldn’t be," said Staten. He and various Autodesk execs pointed out that there are things cloud computing does very well and others best left to traditional computing.

"I would submit to you that cloud is inherently good for four things," said Amar Hanspal, Autodesk’s senior vice president for platform solutions and emerging business, in another discussion session:

1. Connecting people to each other and connecting devices.
2. Connecting people to information and fresh data in real time.
3. Delivering the power of infinite computing.
4. Making it possible for everyone to have access to design technology, so that in effect everyone can be a designer or participate in the process.

Traditional computing typically involves fixed costs and items, enables varied deployments by a single tenant, is more manual and affords a high degree of control and customization, Staten said.

In contrast, cloud computing is characterized by variable costs and items, standardized deployments, multi-tenancy, a high degree of automation, lower levels of customer control and limited customization, he said.

The most likely scenario for IT as well as business solutions going forward is a blend of the two, said Staten, pointing to Autodesk’s approach for some of its new offerings.

Myth 3: The cloud saves you money.

A couple of qualifiers need to be added to make that sentence true, according to Staten. "The cloud can be cheaper, if you use it right," he said.

He offered car rental as an analogy: Renting a car is a pay-per-use proposition that is cost effective for certain situations but not for those requiring extended or permanent 24/7 use.

"For the cloud, you want to put things out there that a) have elasticity and b) transiency," Staten said, "Go up there for a little while and then go back down."

Myth 4: The cloud is not secure.

"The cloud is more secure than you are," Staten said.

He noted that companies offering cloud services are focused on that deliverable. They are acutely aware they have a high degree of exposure and "invest heavily in the best security minds out there." They are in a constant cycle of validation with customers. And they take into account that multi-tenancy requires a higher degree of security.

"If you’re Coke and in the cloud, Pepsi can be right next door," said Staten, which is why cloud services entail more encryption to keep data secure.

He stressed, however, that businesses using the cloud, as well as the vendors that provide cloud services, have responsibilities.

"Secure cloud computing is an uneven handshake," Staten said. "You have a responsibility as a user."

That includes carefully managing how points of access are given to internal and external work partners and when that access is lifted.

Staten was among several presenters who helped frame the discussion during Autodesk U. As the conference came to a close yesterday, business and tech consulting firm Microdesk, a participant and exhibitor at the gathering, offered a forecast of cloud computing’s impact on the architecture, engineering, construction and operations industry.

Here are Microdesk’s five predictions:

1. Firms will push the envelope of what’s possible in the cloud.
2. More companies will embrace building information modeling, a transformational technology. Building information modeling, better known as BIM, enables people to visualize how design elements, materials and other choices affect projects and their performance.
3. AECO professionals take full advantage of mobility and bring data, designs and work documents with them in the field, and wherever else they are needed.
4. The industry will adopt technology faster in order to streamline processes, reduce costs and improve ROI.
5. Collaboration will occur on a larger scale than ever.

In addition to cloud computing, other themes threaded through the Autodesk conference included:

• The impact of cloud and advanced technology on sustainable design of products as well as buildings and communities.
• The rise of the makers’ movement as a result of technology that enables the "democratization of design," which is one of Autodesk’s aims.

The developments have fueled what Hanspal and his Autodesk colleagues described as a post-Industrial Revolution revolution. "Design and manufacturing are moving back into the hands of people," Hanspal said.