IntelligentHQ.com in partnership with Groupe INSEEC London presents: A Beyond Cloud Interview with Paul Jenkinson from Jenson Solutions.
The Beyond Cloud Series of video discovery discussions examines the viewpoints of some of the top minds in the UK cloud computing space as they share their views on the trends, issues and realities of the industry – and the industries which it impacts.
Last year, Zscaler, the SaaS cloud security company, received venture capital investment to a whopping tune of £24 million ($38m). In May this year, PerspecSys, a McLean, Va.-based cloud-security and data protection firm, reieved a $12 million fund injection. The funding was co-led by investors Paladin Capital Group and Ascent Venture Partners. All this could be construed as ample proof that the cloud attracting more and more VC funding. Reports show that the cloud-computing market will grow to 30 percent a year, reaching $270 billion in 2020.
Not all cloud startups have an easy ride though, according to appzero:
“It has been difficult for many Canadian cloud computing start-ups to find funding as many of the large cloud computing start-ups are located in the United States, specifically the Silicon Valley. Adding to the complexity of pursuing funding, many Canadian venture capital firms aren’t as well funded as their neighbors to the south. Often US-based venture capital firms may be averse to funding a Canadian start-up due to regulatory hurdles.”
The cloud represents a revolution. On-premise ‘client –server’ model and dependency on the PC are dated concepts. Simultaneously, the cloud is quickly emerging as a better alternative whereby computing resources and applications can be accessed using any device anytime and anywhere at a fixed monthly cost. VCs believe that the majority of technology and communications budgets will be allocated to the cloud within ten years and seek to exploit this opportunity.
In this interview, Cloud expert Paul Jenkinson and Daniel Steeves discuss his cloud experiences, what they would invest in, regulation, and what’s next around the corner for the cloud.
Panel Questions:
Q1: You are here as the “Cloud Investor”. Tell us about your role and how your business has changed as a result of today’s cloud computing environment, in terms of both risks and opportunities.
Q2: Why is this big thing different than the last big thing?
Q3: What are your views on regulating the cloud, or the cloud providers, or what sits in the cloud?
Q4: If you accept my premise that the cloud is a delivery vehicle, where is it taking us and what comes next along the way?
About Paul Jenkinson
Paul qualified in 1994 as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte winning seven national and regional prizes at all levels of his accountancy exams. He then moved into corporate finance and spent three years raising funds for early stage and high growth companies. He then spent a further two years working on larger buy-outs, mergers and acquisitions and corporate disposals for private and public companies. In 1999 Paul become Finance Director of a software company and subsequently floated it on OFEX (now PLUS).
In 2001 Paul set-up Jenson Solutions and his first assignment was as interim Finance Director of an AIM quoted software company Intelligent Environments Group plc. Since then Paul has been Finance Director for a number of venture capital backed companies and has been growing Jenson Solutions. Paul is the Managing Director of Jenson Solutions and also has a small client portfolio.
About the Beyond Cloud series
Taking a conversational, interactive approach, we pose four broad but critical questions on the issues impacting businesses today to perspectives including Technologists, Strategists, Users, CEOs, Marketers and other Business and Thought Leaders across the sector. Each session begins with positioning our guest, by means of what Cloud means to their role and their business – either the delivery or use of cloud – including views on the risks and the opportunities. The conversations – each unique but overlapping as a result of the various points of view on offer – then move to the outcomes and promise of this technology and, from there, where and when regulation and standards should (or shouldn’t) come into play. We close with their views on what this cloud thing really means and where it is might take us, going forward.
The nature of our guests and the variety of discussion provides a broad set of insights which in whole or in part promises to deliver some clarity and a framework for understanding of the impact of cloud technology to all audience. We welcome your comments and feedback.
Produced by IntelligentHQ, hosted by Groupe INSEEC London and presented by Daniel Steeves, Beyond Cloud is a “mostly pitch-free” environment: discussions will necessarily include product and company references but, hopefully, used to illustrate rather than to sell.
Daniel is a management consultant with Beyond Solutions Ltd. More a realist than a futurist, Daniel Steeves advises SMEs to transform and grow their businesses – and enable a different way of thinking – both as a Partner with James Caan’s Advisory Business as well as independently across the Digital, Social, Technology and IT sectors. Daniel is a growth-focused change agent with thirty years leading, brokering, designing and selling complex programmes. He collaborates at C-level, adding experience and perspective to fine-tune what your business says and does (and sells and delivers) with a focus on profitable, sustainable growth.
