There's been a prevailing theory that it's Luddite CIOs who are biggest barriers to Cloud Computing adoption. But a new study from Symantec suggests that in fact the biggest blockers are reluctant CEOs and CFOs with their CIO colleagues falling in line.
The division between the business and tech sides of an organisation are exposed when when considering whether to move business critical applications such as database and ERP applications to virtual or hybrid / private Cloud environments.
At CEO level more than half (53%) are ‘less than somewhat open’ to the concept of moving to a private Cloud with this figure falling slightly at CIO level (43%). But for those on the front line – the IT manager getting his or her hands operationally dirty – there is a mighty 72% ranking in favour of making such a move. In other words, IT in the basement gets it; the business decision makers and the bean counters on the top floor don't.
So given that CEOs are corporate strategists with 'hands on' technology role, what is it that they are concerned about? With tedious predictability the big cliché of security is first out of the box, cited by 77% of CEOs. This is followed by concern about reliability – which is sort of a stepchild to security anyway – on 71% and performance, also fretted about by 71% of CEOs it seems.
This last point over performance does raise an interesting point. While it's entirely feasible that CEOs will be worried about security – which CEO isn't paranoid about that these days – and may have read enough to be worried about reliability of service, how many of them are in a position to be well-enough informed to have a genuine position on performance?
So why aren't their IT people putting them right on all this? Maybe they are, but aren't being listened to. Maybe they are, but they can't convey the message in the correct terminology to be understood properly. Whichever version is true, it's clear that better communication is needed between the sceptical CEOs and their converted to the cause IT managers.
That said, Cloud Computing is at least still on the agenda – and very high up it with up to 90% of organisations stating that they are at the very least discussing the prospect. But among those who said they had implemented Cloud Computing in some form or another, the curse of hyped up expectations comes into play with many complaining that the latest silver bullet didn't fire right into the heart of all their problems.
Some areas fare fell enough. Server virtualisation is now a well-enough established practice that there is a roughly 2% average improvement reported for those firms which have taken the plunge. But when the less mature Storage as a Service sector is considered, the gap between expectation and reality is a massive 45%
What now?
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With these – and other – concerns in mind, Symantec has created its own check list of recommendations to make Cloud adoption as smooth as possible.
Symantec recommends: Ensure alignment between IT and executives in virtualization and cloud initiatives: It is important to show that you can address C-level concerns such as security and availability.
We say: This is of course the age-old Holy Grail of ICT – bridge the gap between business and IT. Yes, it would be nice to think that it's going to work this time, but let's not hold our breath. The key here is the CIO it seem. The CIO who wants to wear the nice suit like the CEO and who wants to sit in the boardroom needs to remember to think like he or she is one of techies in the basement and keep a technology-savvy head on.
Symantec recommends: Don’t operate in a silo when it comes to Cloud Computing: virtualisation and Cloud initiatives are most successful when implemented as mainstream, comprehensive IT initiatives.
We say: This is all good and well, but few organisations make a wholesale leap into the Cloud. Cloud through the back door or as an incremental or replacement technology is more of a norm. Maybe when budgets pick up and there are more 'out and proud' enterprise Cloud success stories then organisations will be ready to make larger scale, in one bound Cloud adoptions. But that's a way off yet in the mainstream majority.
Symantec recommends: Leverage and modernize your existing infrastructure: Before you’re ready to implement hybrid/private cloud, make sure you are leveraging the existing infrastructure to achieve the same efficiencies and then modernising it as needed.
We say: This is certainly a message that plays to the crowd today, especially among the more financially and budget-focused members of an organisation. It's also a message over which we fear we will see many bean counters putting the brakes on. You don't get pudding until you've eaten up all your greens; you don't get that nice new Cloud ERP system until you've made that big old on premise one work the way you said it would when we paid for it 5 years ago!
Symantec recommends: Set realistic expectations and track your results: Remember that despite the hype, Cloud is a new and still maturing market. Do your homework to set expectations that are realistic, then follow up and track results to identify ways to improve project efficiency going forward.
We say: A sign of the maturity of any market is when the hype begins to slow down – Cloud is a long way from that today. In fact, as the 'legacy' ICT providers make ever more blatant Cloud plays the problem is only going to get worse as claim and counter-claim from rival vendors will add to the already fevered hype cycle. At this point, it's going to be vital that the informed ICT professional is ready and able to challenge the misconceptions of the less-informed C-level business strategists and bean counters.
