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Opinion: Cloud Computing in 2008 - Not For the Faint-Hearted

I think it's best to wait until the market is better established before storing anything mission-critical on 'The Cloud'
By Jim Connolly
Article Rating:
August 27, 2008 02:35 AM EDT
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 4,793

Jim Connolly's Tech News Blog

I think that cloud computing is going to be 'the way ahead' for most businesses and individuals in the coming year or two. It makes a lot of sense. However, right now, in 2008, I think it's a very brave person who would entrust their business data to one of the thousands of micro-businesses offering 'cloud computing' services.
Why?

‘The cloud’ is actually just a server in someone’s building at another location. There are new, small businesses coming up every day offering us a cloud computing facility - may of whom will not even be trading in 12 months. Remember, over 50% of new businesses cease trading within the initial 12 months!

What happens to our data if they go broke and their servers are snatched back by their creditors? What about the security of your data - when the cloud provider no longer owns the servers?

Another common problem with the initial raft of cloud server services is scaling. New 2.0 businesses tend to grow too fast. They quickly get too many people storing too much data - which is being uploaded and downloaded too frequently and BOOM - it all grinds to a halt. So, there you are about to give a presentation to a major client, when you log on to download your snazzy presentation from ‘the cloud’ and nothing happens! Even Twitter, with all its millions of VC funding finds itself ‘broken’ at some point most days!

I think cloud computing WILL be totally dominant by 2009, but I think it’s best to wait until the market is better established before storing anything mission-critical on ‘the cloud.’

What do you think?


[This appeared originally here and is republished in full with the kind permission of the author.]

Published August 27, 2008 – Reads 4,793
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Jim Connolly writes TheTechNewsBlog (www.thetechnewsblog.com).

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Most Recent Comments
Troy Tolle 07/15/08 07:19:14 AM EDT

The argument you make here is not just for cloud computing, it is for any service you use. If you choose to go with a startup to provide a service for you because they are cheaper or better, then you have to weigh the risks with that. It is about making smart choices. We have chosen to use [http://aws.amazon.com Amazon's Web Services] Cloud Computing infrastructure for [http://www.digitalchalk.com DigitalChalk] and I don't see them going away anytime soon. They are far from "startup", but there are other portions of the business we have chosen to use virtual new comers to business. Risk/Reward... It is what being in business is all about.