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For the past two years, media and vendors alike have proclaimed the cloud to be the next wave of IT — promising to change computing as we know it. The reactions of many IT veterans who have lived through similar marketing barrages in the past have ranged from a cautious wait-and-see attitude to out-and-out skepticism. We’ve now reached a point where cloud success stories have steadily begun to appear.
Recent events have added further credence (if more was needed) to the growing body of evidence that — despite the boundless hype — cloud computing is a game-changing phenomenon that is having an impact on how people think about enterprise storage. VMWorld 2010 brought an estimated 17,000 people together for a conference dominated by cloud computing, with storage playing a surprisingly important role.
It was inevitable. With the new year have come indications that, at least to some degree, cloud euphoria is beginning to ebb and is being replaced with perspectives that range from cynicism to realism. It is true that in the past year cloud hype managed to get ahead of the reality. Recent surveys have suggested slow adoption rates in the enterprise, providing cynics with “proof” of failure.
The free market is a wonderful thing. With regard to IT, I’ve always been impressed by the ability of vendors to rapidly identify and respond to market trends and customer demands. Whenever a new concept emerges onto the scene and a glimmer of interest begins to take hold, it’s not long before we’re inundated with offerings that strive to embrace it.
When the economic crisis hit last year, much of the government response was targeted at shoring up public faith in what once had been perceived as rock solid institutions. We all are now highly aware that these foundations were not as sturdy as once believed, and as a result, many are justifiably skeptical when being asked to trust the same organizations with their now-diminished portfolios.