A roundtable discussion about how to evolve organisations through cloud enablement was held during Dimension Data's Accelerate event, in Bryanston, yesterday.
Media and marketing commentator Jeremy Maggs chaired the panel, which comprised Andile Ngcaba, executive chairman of Dimension Data SA; Derek Wilcocks, CEO of Dimension Data MEA; Greg Hatfield, GM for cloud services at Dimension Data; and Treb Ryan, CEO of OpSource.
Below are some highlights from the discussion:
1. Cloud is about more than technology - it involves people, too;
2. Cloud adoption is multifaceted;
3. IT departments need to develop different skills to manage the cloud;
4. Organisations must look at the total cost of ownership of deploying a cloud solution, without making their current technology investments seem obsolete;
5. Organisations should adopt a cloud solution that is specific to their needs;
6. Cloud adoption is largely about perception and not about the actual technology;
7. Bandwidth is an exaggerated cost when looking at adopting a cloud strategy; people and licensing are often more expensive;
8. Organisations must be aware of the billing model used for a cloud solution; most are pay-per-use, but this must be verified;
9. Regarding security, the following must be kept in mind: a) where the data is held, and b) what laws exist to protect data between the country in which the cloud is hosted and the country the data comes from; and
10. Education is vital to understanding cloud computing as it dismisses misperceptions about the technology.
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