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The Cloud Fails - We told you So !

Whenever there is a cloud failure the digital world roars in thunderous applause - We told you So !

It is my privilege to write this blog on May 21st 2011 the day of the Doomsday.




Have you ever wondered how many failures happen in the enterprise data centers ; as a technology professional I believe there is never a chance for foolproof computing because it is not all about computers it is also about people, processes and the environment.
On a total solar eclipse day we do not have a sunset but we have learnt to predict and handle this situation !
Many will give the call "Abandon the Hype of the Cloud, let us get back to the old ways of delivering technology". Just like many primitive people did during total solar eclipses a few centuries ago.

The board of directors & business leaders  will be shown all that went wrong with the cloud & why it was a good decision for the business to stay away from the cloud.

So what do the believers do, pack their bags and stop evangelising  about the cloud!

Those who believe in the cloud should now increase their decibel level and make sure they are heard by the business leaders, leaders should be made aware that thousands of companies use the cloud including this blog spot which is for free, if one had to pay for this in a traditional way and reach  all my readers the huge cost would have been a hurdle for anyone to disseminate their thoughts.
The blog spot has always worked for me and so do the chat rooms, facebook, twitter, you tube  and lots of other stuff which we take for granted in our daily life, without which we will be like fish out of water.

It is time for some Plain Speak with our friends who believe the cloud era is over, here are some key pointers :
The cloud is an utility
Any utility fails, there are power blackouts, water outages, mobile networks fail so do the telephones, most utilities operate in a controlled environment and their outage is a rare occurrence.  The cloud is an utility and it is just gaining momentum and it is getting better everyday; it is only 5 years old and when compared to other utilities packs  almost 25 years of innovative growth when compared to utilities like telephony and power.

The cloud is automated
The cloud uses a significant amount of automation,but there are people who still interface and make it all happen. Automated systems do fail sometimes and  we get an improved version at a better price point.

The cloud service providers are getting better as Utility Operators
Many of the cloud service providers have never operated utilities in their life or for that matter have any expertise in managing outage situations in utilities.. Microsoft has a history of delivering software solutions, Amazon was a B to C retailer,  Google started as a search engine provider. We need to be patient for these cloud service providers to upgrade their processes in providing fault tolerant utilities and learn customer care as an utility.

Cloud service providers need to communicate with business leadership who are their real customers
Cloud service providers spend too much time focusing on technology geeks who will be the last to cede control of their data center. Cloud service providers need to address their sales campaign to the business leadership, the business leaders understand the value of money and will be tolerant with unplanned outages.

More outages translated into a more resilient cloud
Rome was not built in a day, cloud adoption has been a challenge, but many large corporates have transitioned to a private cloud and have benefited . The public clouds are the ones  who are always making the headlines be it Amazon, Google or Microsoft Azure.  But every quarter the cloud has become better and more reliable, for that matter the established cloud service providers are as reliable as an owned data center today at a much lower cost and  effort.

The cloud computing  publicity needs to get louder especially the Success
More has to be written about the success stories in the cloud, a Twitter, Animoto does not make a cloudy day, we need to cover the whole sky with success stories so that we  paint the sky with the views of the  "We told you So" brigade.

Cloud Service Providers need to learn Customer Management during outages
The Bad news about the cloud outage has been amplified because  the service providers have ceased all communication during an outage. This approach will not help  cloud service providers when the customer needs  clear communication about the outages. The service providers need to have a clear process on customer management during outages, they need to learn from other utilities on how to manage a crisis.

Enterprise data centers are attacked or fail but these incidents are not reported
The Sony PlayStation site was attacked again, it is a great opportunity for Sony to transition to the cloud.
Many enterprise data centers do fail but the outages are not reported; it is kept under wraps and not reported.  The Public Cloud service providers need to report every major outage and failure which is immediately carried by the news wires.

We need Rating of Cloud Service Providers
Cloud Security Alliance has done wonderful work on securing the cloud and selecting the right cloud vendor for the business. There is an opportunity for agencies to start rating the cloud service providers, is Gartner or IDC listening !



 The Cloud is here to stay and it not Doomsday as yet for either the world or the Cloud! 
Amen !

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