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It’s not just the questions I get asked, but the articles I’m now reading also indicate to me that cloud computing has reached a tipping point in the enterprise. This statement from Oracle’s Larry Ellison on the importance of the cloud to the company’s earnings is also a pretty good indicator:
“In Q3, we signed several large hardware and software deals with some of the biggest names in cloud computing….Oracle is the technology that powers the cloud.”
Clearly the cloud is not just “water vapor,” as he once so famously claimed.
This week the BBC published a great article on cloud computing with a very (and fairly mainstream) bent: Cloud computing: How to get your business ready. While it doesn’t specifically call out the important role of cloud data integration (the topic of one of my first posts on this blog), the article does include a nice overview of the different flavors of cloud computing and a six-step checklist from Symantec for organizations “moving into the cloud:”
- Check out the reputation of the service provider.
- Security is key.
- Investigate how the cloud provider makes back-up copies of your data, how you can move the data to another provider, and what happens if the provider goes out of business.
- Work hard to get a good service level agreement with clear financial penalties to ensure a good service.
- Be wary of industry certifications, because they capture just a moment in time.
- Try the service.
The BBC article also includes commentary on the cultural aspects of moving to the cloud. Ironically (at least to me), it’s a representative from Microsoft who points out: “Moving into the cloud is a cultural shift as well as a technology shift.”
Be sure to read the entire BBC Business News article on Cloud Computing here.
Related Articles
- Federal CIO Releases Paper Detailing Government’s #Cloud Computing Strategy (geodatapolicy.wordpress.com)
- Buffett Has An Elephant Gun But Oracle’s Ellison Has A Howitzer For Acquisitions (blogs.forbes.com)
In(tegrate) the Clouds 
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