Cloud computing represents the tangible success of broadband in the country. It encompasses the opportunities of cheap broadband, driving solutions geared towards the unique challenges within the South African environment.
This according to Steve Briggs, commercial head at iBurst, who addressed the trends around cloud computing during his keynote at the ITWeb Broadband event held at the Indaba hotel in Fourways last week.
According to Briggs, the IDC defines cloud computing as consumer or business products, services and solutions which are delivered and consumed in real-time over the Internet. “These services are characterised by being a shared, standard service, built for the market and not a single customer,” he added.
“The biggest driver of cloud computing services is the cost savings on hardware and infrastructure. This is because the cloud calls for a shift from a capex model to an opex model,” explained Briggs. Cost savings are further realised as organisations need only pay for the services it uses, which in turn reduces the need for expensive IT infrastructure, he added.
Briggs identified the disaster recovery and business continuity capability of cloud computing as another key driver of the services. “Hosted solutions are technically more secure as they offer multiple backup sites and global redundancy. It also easier to pick up where you left off.”
Cloud computing offers organisations the ability to access new skills and resources, noted Briggs. “Because the licensing and development model favours lower cost and quicker deployment, the need for in-house skills is no longer a constraint.”
Some of the key issues surrounding cloud computing, said Briggs, include security and reliability, as well as IT governance concerns, which are all barriers to uptake.
“The current cloud computing standards are immature and need to be defined. Also, cloud services are still too technology-focused and lack customer focus,” he added.
Lastly, Briggs discussed the debate around the public cloud versus the private cloud. “It is my view that in the future, public clouds will not be the norm, rather private clouds will be the norm.
“This is because private clouds address the concerns around security and governance while still affording the organisation all the benefits of cloud computing,” he concluded.
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