The cloud is becoming exactly what it sought to replace

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: David Linthicum.

I remember the pitch: Cloud computing (called on-demand at the time) was the alternative to traditional enterprise software. You purchased cloud services using an on-demand or subscription model, you paid for only what you used, and you owned no hardware or software. What could be better?

Ten years later, cloud providers are becoming "enterprise-y" in their behavior — more like the very traditional enterprise providers they were supposed to differ from. Many cloud providers are behaving like traditional enterprise software providers: selling multiyear agreements, having their customers sign closed agreements, and even selling maintenance and support…

Some of this is not the fault of the cloud providers, but of the enterprises themselves. They are asking for deep discounts, and to fund the discounts, the cloud providers need those larger commitments…

Read more from the source @ http://www.infoworld.com/article/2954529/cloud-computing/cloud-become-what-it-sought-to-replace.html