Time to challenge assumptions about barriers to the cloud

Revolution can be risky. While organisations generally agree that cloud computing has potential, many are reluctant to embark on changes that they fear could compromise corporate data security or availability. But perceived barriers can be overcome.
It is happening already. There are many ways to oversee a peaceful transition from old ways of running IT to a new world, where services and applications are delivered through a mix of on-premises and cloud-hosted platforms. Let's take each barrier in turn:

• Security Not all data is subject to the same security controls. Different classes of data have different risk profiles. By classifying data according to sensitivity and access-control requirements, organisations can make better decisions about where data resides and who manages it.
  

• Compliance Cross-industry and market-specific mandates relating to data governance are not necessarily a barrier. Companies that tap into the domain expertise of a trusted partner often discover how many of their systems and services can remain subject to existing audit regimes, but migrated to the cloud.
  

• Interoperability As the cloud matures, the need to move and integrate data between private and public clouds as well as on-premises platforms will be critical. Cloud platforms are typically proprietary and global standards are yet to be defined.
  

• Cost of transition Businesses fear that potential savings could be wiped out by a costly, time-consuming migration. An upfront proof of concept is essential to accurately calculate the business value and ROI of a proposed migration.
  

• IP ownership In the app store age, the unique intellectual property encapsulated in an application may not stay unique for long. In some cases, that is a barrier. In others, it may not matter, if the application simply automates a generic task. And if an application delivers real competitive edge, organisations could consider making it commercially available to other companies.
  

• Software licensing Many independent software vendors have yet to adjust pricing models for cloud environments, so existing licensing arrangements remain a key consideration. It may make sense to migrate to more cloud-friendly applications, where the licensing is already aligned to the cloud delivery model.
  

• Systems management/monitoring Where infrastructure-as-a-service is used, it is possible to deploy probes to monitor the application performance. Where software-as-a-service is used, clients are generally more dependent on the cloud provider’s reporting. The direction taken should be dictated by the criticality of applications and the quality-of-service levels demanded by users.