IntelligentHQ.com in partnership with Groupe INSEEC London presents: A Beyond Cloud Interview with Neil Cattermull – MD at Applayer & Director of Cloud Practice at ComparetheCloud.
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.
In this weeks video with Neil Cattermull, Daniel Steeves makes a pertinent point that those in the market for cloud services perhaps do not fully understand: “If a business expects Cloud Computing to suddenly sort and solve all of the business problems of the past – such as project delays and budget overruns resulting from scope creep and changes requests – then many will be sadly disappointed”
Is it reasonable to expect Cloud computing to solve everything?
Businesses regardless of size by using cloud computing to lower operational costs, upgrade their IT infrastructure and improve upon internal and external collaboration capabilities. While this has resulted in significant benefits, it hasn’t solved every single problem a business can encounter, for example, bad application design or insufficient requirements definition.
David Linthicum says in an InfoWorld article that, due to hype around the cloud, you can be forgiven for thinking it can achieve everything and cites three issues where cloud computing may fall short:
1. Cloud computing won’t fix bad application design. Some people believe that porting applications to the cloud automatically corrects programming design deficiencies. They’re half right.
2. Cloud computing won’t eliminate silos — it may even create them.
3. Cloud computing won’t reduce the number of employees.
So while it’s clear that cloud computing can’t solve all of the enterprises challenges and that the edge that it provides to businesses can’t be ignored, there are still business challenges that the cloud on its own cannot solve and may require out of the box thinking. The enterprise also should not think of Cloud Computing in the same way as they would an online Cloud service such as Dropbox, for example. Once the journey to the cloud begins it represents a new shift in thinking and manner of doing business. The transition can be slow and arduous and must including safeguarding critical company data during all stages of the migration.
With many cloud providers to choose, from the enterprise will be faced with the familiar pitch which involves each provider’s solution, touted as a viable replacement for the existing business. Advice may be given not to build any in-house solutions as well. Good judgement needs to be exercised during the fact-finding phase and due diligence needs to be carried out on the crowd consultants to ensure company expectations are being met
Neil Cattermull, in a recent blog at ComparetheCloud, details the Top 10 Things to Consider Before Moving to the Cloud:
1. What cloud services do you need?
2. Who am I dealing with?
3. What about the contract?
4. The Service Level Agreement
5. Where is my data?
6. Security
7. Internal policies
8. Check for hidden costs
9. Availability
10. When it all goes wrong – Make sure that you are not handcuffed to large exit bills and contract penalty clauses
About
Neil Cattermull has over 20 years experience within both financial institutions (including Merrill Lynch, WestLB) and also service delivery companies such as Thomson Financial, IBM, Olivetti, and Knight Ridder Financial. He brings an in-depth understanding of hosted technologies and systems from a vendor’s perspective, as well as that of a client. His key skills with Cloud environments are to assist any given firm with their journey to the cloud, as well as evaluate a service provider’s proposition to launch their Cloud Services.
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.
