Cloud computing’s many advantages are often talked of, but not as widely implemented as one might think. InformationWeek Reports’ annual cloud survey shows that the cloud adoption is nowhere near that of virtualisation.
The survey does show increased growth in the cloud, with 16% of respondents in 2008 receiving cloud services from a provider, moving to 33 % this year. An impressive uptick, but still, two-thirds of respondents have yet to implement a cloud solution. Virtualisation, on the other hand, shows much greater interest, with most respondents not questioning the value but merely determining when and how much.
Respondents with ‘no plans for the cloud area’ decreasing—another good sign. In 2008, respondents with no plans numbered about half, with that figure dropping to 27 percent currently, with 40 percent in the planning and evaluation phase.
One of the roadblocks some planners are having is putting a value on cloud services, and coming up with a viable implementation plan. The second roadblock is the fact that a move to the cloud represents a significant and disruptive change to business, which keeps adoption rates low. Cloud vendors themselves aren’t helping—pricing tends to be inconsistent, and it is often difficult for buyers to compare offerings and get a handle on metrics and ROI.