Report: Can Cloud Computing Help Enterprises Weather the Economic Storm? (Market Focus) TOC

The term cloud computing is quickly becoming ubiquitous
Cloud computing is a new pattern of IT consumption but it is proving elusive to define
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Cloud computing: an IT consumption pattern based on the delivery of commoditized resources as a service
IT commoditization has occurred through the history of computing
Cloud computing may resemble the mainframe era, but it is a fundamentally different phenomenon
Electricity provides the most powerful analogy with cloud computing
The cloud computing taxonomy
Software-Platform-Infrastructure (SPI) model offers the basic cloud computing classification
Further refinement of the SPI model should not rely on the proliferation of ' as a Service' neologisms
Detailed taxonomy schemas focus on segmenting the infrastructure layer
The fabric/instance spectrum captures variations in the granularity of computing services provision
Do private clouds exist?

The benefits of cloud computing are the benefits of services over products
Cloud computing allows enterprises to focus on their core business processes
Cloud computing closes the gap between IT capacity and IT demand
Variable costs and usage-based models are the principal benefits of cloud computing pricing

Trust and migration to an unfamiliar model are the primary inhibitors to cloud computing
The substitution of products with external services renders the issue of trust extremely acute
Cloud service adoption and management challenges are currently potent inhibitors
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Conclusion: benefits and inhibitors of the cloud computing model

The roll-out of cloud infrastructures is an opportunity for commodity hardware vendors
Migration into the cloud will boost thin clients, netbooks and handhelds
Cloud infrastructure services
Online retailer Amazon.com has emerged as the early leader in infrastructure provision
GoGrid leads the wave of hosting providers offering instance-based cloud computing infrastructure
Others could offer cloud infrastructure services, but may prefer to compete in software or platform layers
Infrastructure management platforms have emerged as the critical part of the cloud infrastructure stack
Cloud platform competitive landscape is particularly vibrant
Proprietary development platforms backed by SaaS vendors are proving popular with ISVs and users
Platforms supporting generic development frameworks may lend more control to developers
A long tail of standalone platforms relies on intuitive proprietary development and execution environments
SaaS vendors now feature in virtually every segment of the enterprise application market

Those that manage to harness the cloud computing model stand to benefit
Cloud computing is here to stay, albeit not as the sole model of IT consumption
The Global Recession will accelerate the adoption of cloud computing
Unchecked proliferation and inadequate management of cloud computing services can fuel the backlash
Successful vendors will capitalize on short-term opportunities and prepare for long-term implications

Table: A selection of SaaS vendors by solution area, presented in alphabetical order

Figure: Only one in three CIOs are comfortable with their department' s maintenance workload
Figure: Cloud computing appeared in the market in 2007 and has risen quickly to universal prominence
Figure: Cloud computing overlaps with a range of related terms
Figure: Cloud computing as an IT consumption model
Figure: Cloud computing can be contextualized as the ongoing service-based commoditization of IT
Figure: Software-Platform-Infrastructure (SPI): the basic cloud computing taxonomy model
Figure: A reference cloud computing taxonomy combining the SPI and Youseff-Butrico-DaSilva models
Figure: Cloud computing services are floating along the fabric/instance provision spectrum
Figure: A private cloud is analogous to an intranet; public clouds are approximate the scale of the internet
Figure: Adopting a service-based IT consumption strategy allows greater focus on strategic issues
Figure: Gap between IT capacity and demand creates inefficiencies
Figure: Non-concurrent peaks in demand increase the utilization rate of cloud infrastructures
Figure: The balance of the principal elements of service provider trust shifts with the mode of provision
Figure: Outline of the cloud computing competitive landscape segmented by the SPI model
Figure: Enterprises are likely to blend locally managed resources with public clouds

Can Cloud Computing Help Enterprises Weather the Economic Storm? (Market Focus)