ITWeb's Cloud Computing Event
More information about the ITWeb Cloud Computing, which takes place on 24 November 2009 at The Forum in Bryanston is available online here.
The transition to cloud computing is not as fast as it could be, due to uneasiness created in the industry by early perceptions of the technology.
Charl van Niekerk, client services solution manager at Fujitsu, says the technology is maturing, and the current market offering has become more fact than fiction, as it was in the early 2000s.
However, he adds that “unless there is a significant improvement in the cost and reliability of the communication infrastructure, public cloud computing uptake will be very slow and sporadic”.
Van Niekerk suggests that cost is one of the initial barriers for businesses entering the cloud, with SA experiencing poor reliability and high costs for using communication infrastructure.
“Conversely, with correct positioning and demonstrations of the value that cloud computing can bring to any organisation, no matter how small or large, cloud computing can do for the IT industry what cellphones have done for the telecommunication industry - revolutionised the landscape.”
Demystifying the cloud
“With the boom in the virtualisation space, utilisation of resources has been significantly addressed while the management software has advanced to the point where, for the first time, infrastructure can be offered as a service with true utility billing capabilities behind it,” Van Niekerk points out.
According to him, cloud computing enables the CIO and IT manager to maximise return on investment on the infrastructure, while complying with business demands.
“CIOs and IT managers who have discovered this capability have not looked back,” he says. “The technology has significantly matured and can now deliver upon the early promises and expectations, specifically, true utility billing in a private or public cloud.”
Not only does cloud computing slash total cost of ownership and improve allocation of resources, the technology helps companies to make faster decisions without incurring massive costs, says Van Niekerk.
“All of this combined gives the early adopters a significant business advantage over their competitors,” he says.
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