The usual arguments against the adoption of cloud computing revolve around security and vendor lock-in. However a new survey from IT services vendor Damovo has revealed that IT directors are also worried about network bandwidth and the impact it could have on cloud services.
The majority (91%) of IT directors Damovo spoke to said they are concerned that insufficient network bandwidth could mean some cloud services are not as effective as they could be.
"Undoubtedly, cloud services can deliver greater flexibility and reduced operating costs, yet these benefits can start to be negated if organisations have insufficient bandwidth to support them properly. This in turn can lead to reliability and latency problems," said Glyn Owen, portfolio manager at Damovo UK.
The survey also revealed that plenty of those in the IT world may be suffering from cloud apathy due to the huge amount of interest in the subject at the moment. Most (78%) felt the term cloud is becoming overused with many feeling it is simply vendors and service providers repackaging their products.
In terms of what data or services companies are willing to move to the cloud, the survey turned up no real surprises. Email (41%), productivity tools such as Microsoft Office (28%) and telephony services (20%) are the main suggestions. However apps that are likely to contain sensitive information such as ERP and payroll were well down the list, with just 7% and 4% respectively.
"There is a growing movement towards organisations taking services from the cloud, whether it be public, private or a mixture of the two (hybrid), therefore it is important that they work out what is the best option for them. While public cloud services such as Google Apps and salesforce.com may be suitable for some organisations, they don’t necessarily offer the potential for customisation and integration that other enterprises require," said Owen.
"Only by taking a strategic approach and seeing past vendor hype, can organisations start to reap the real rewards of the cloud and hosted services," he added.
