Though cloud computing has been a viable business option for several years now, many IT professionals remain uncertain of how to define it, and how to quantify the cost savings, enhanced capacities and capabilities that cloud computing offers. Answering the question of what it means, specific to an individual and his/her company is not easily arrived at. 

The reason is not difficult to determine.  Cloud computing encompasses such a broad array of services and capabilities. It can be as simple as utilizing Google Apps to more complex uses including outsourced data centers, virtualization, software infrastructure as well as software and platform-as-a-service functions.  For proponents of cloud computing, it could mean all of the above.

Growth of Cloud Computing

Regardless of how it’s used or defined, cloud computing is clearly not going away. Some estimates (though these vary widely) put the market for cloud computing at $140+ billion by 2014, nearly 3 times current figures. When an idea comes along that creates business efficiencies, lowers overhead expenses and simplifies the workplace, it’s a solution that cannot be ignored.  There’s little doubt that cloud computing accomplishes all three of these goals.

Not surprisingly, with this kind of potential, several key players including Microsoft, Google, IBM, HP and Amazon are firmly on board. Another example is Salesforce.com, one of the innovators of cloud computing before it had even been labeled as such. Companies have access to a powerful CRM tool without data warehousing, upgrade or hosting concerns. Though it may have sounded overly optimistic at the time, the company’s slogan, “the end of software” was coined back in 1999. Strangely prophetic, cloud computing is all about providing businesses access to some of the most powerful tools on the market using nothing but an internet connection.

Cloud Concerns

With so much potential the question remains why even more businesses are not utilizing cloud computing. There are a few reasons for this:

• Perhaps the biggest obstacle is the concern with data security; either real or imagined. Of course, this same concern applies to any company that hosts data, which includes nearly all of them. 
• Another oft-mentioned concern is the potential for data transfer bottlenecks. As cloud computing companies become more widespread, taking on more clients, there are uncertainties regarding the impact on performance. 
• 24/7 service availability has been the topic of discussion among those not fully on board with cloud computing as well. As with other areas of concern, IT professionals know minimizing down time has been and always will need to be addressed, regardless of where data, hardware and software are housed.
• One of the more difficult roadblocks for cloud computing proponents to overcome is one as basic as human nature; control. They’ve been referred to as “server huggers,” those IT pros that can’t bear the thought of letting go of their data and services.

Clearly there have been and always will be those not inclined to take advantage of cloud computing services. However as more and more companies face the reality of reduced IT Department budgets in conjunction with increased performance demands, alternatives will be few. Cloud computing is here, and it’s here to stay.