Blade Watch

IT World

In parts 1 and 2 of this series, I discussed two common objections to cloud computing: difficulty of application migration and heightened risk. In this posting, I want to address another common objection to cloud computing, the one that has to do with service-level agreements. I call it:
SLA: MIA

One of the most common concerns regarding cloud computing is the potential for downtime-time the system isn’t available for use. This is a critical issue for line-of-business apps, since every minute of downtime is a minute that some important business function can’t be performed. Key business apps include taking orders, interacting with customers, managing work processes, and so on. Certainly ERP systems would fall into this category, as would vertical applications for many industries; for example, computerized machining software for a manufacturing firm, or software monitoring sensors in industries like oil and gas, power plants, and so on.

Check out this article talking about Cloud Computing, it’s an interesting read. Cloud computing will be an interesting development for the corporate world. How we manage the need to deliver with operating costs, with corporate process and with the power and benefits that cloud could bring could result in a range of new processes, best practice and business opportunities. Certainly outsourcing elements of the infrastructure to a shared cloud environment could be more efficient and possibly reliable than might be achieved internally, how you manage this with any data legislation or issues relating to ownership will depend on your business. I can see though, how for example a cloud platform based on VMware could be very appealing, being able to scale up your server capacity in line with the business need could be a real enabler to your business. I wonder if we’ll see more development of internal clouds, maybe a shared cloud and business specific ones? We’ll see…

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2. Fujitsu to offer cloud computing platform JCN Network Tokyo, Apr 27, 2009 – (JCN Newswire) –...
3. ScaleMP furthers the innovation of the Cloud http://www.scalemp.com/4-nov-2009-vsmp-foundation-for-cloud Cupertino, Calif. – November 4, 2009 – ScaleMP™, a...

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