There is a Real Appetite for Cloud in India

face="Times New Roman, serif">What
are the key trends in the href="http://dqindia.ciol.com/content/enterprise/datatech/2010/110012201.asp">cloud
computing space?

We
believe that cloud computing will be widely adopted across verticals
and globally. Cloud offers as an alternative to the current hardware
and software solutions available in enterprises. There is a real
appetite for cloud specially in India and emerging markets. We have
seen a strong positive reaction from companies such as href="http://dqindia.ciol.com/content/spotlight/2010/110020606.asp">Google,
IBM,
Microsoft,
and Dell about the importance of going for href="http://dqindia.ciol.com/content/dqtop20_09/IndustryAnalyses/2009/109081324.asp">cloud
services.
Enterprises have begun realizing the benefits of implementing,
developing, and managing delivery of cost effective and automated
applications through on demand cloud computing ecosystems globally.
IET will create a platform where IT professionals can debate and
discuss the pros and cons of cloud services.

Should
enterprises go for cloud computing model? What are the security
implications for enterprises? face="Times New Roman, serif"> style="font-weight: bold;">

Every
company has to make its decisions as to how it organizes its own IT
solutions. The obvious attractiveness of the cloud is the efficiency
in processes and href="http://dqindia.ciol.com/content/advantage/103103001.asp">cost
reduction. Cloud is a value proposition
specially in such an economic climate. From a financial perspective
we feel that href="http://dqindia.ciol.com/content/industrymarket/software/103102101.asp">licensing
issues of software, updating of software will
also be solved since this is a major area of concern for any CIO of
an organization. Security however will be a natural concern for
people considering their investments and putting their IT solutions
in cloud. The providers are really working on the security part and
keen to show their clients the security solutions that will be added
frequently once cloud gets more recognition. There is a cultural
change when it comes to adoption of cloud and we need to investigate
that. The IET would ensure to bring IT industry leaders together and
address the problems in cloud computing. face="Times New Roman, serif">



What
are the challenges enterprises are likely to face with the adoption
of cloud computing services? face="Times New Roman, serif"> style="font-weight: bold;">

First
being the cultural change, specially the training of the users over
cloud. The role of the CIO (if they go for a cloud model) will shift
from- 'do we have software and kits' (in a physical sense) to
'what are the legal frameworks' and whether the systems will work
fast. There will be a shift of focus for a CIO when it comes to
adoption of cloud model in the organization. We see that 2/3^rd
of the Americans are already using the cloud either in mobiles, TVs,
streaming media, etc. The cloud will gain some respect globally
however the question still remains on the value the cloud services
will continue to deliver. face="Times New Roman, serif">



Can
smaller and mid-sized business also benefit from cloud computing? face="Times New Roman, serif"> style="font-weight: bold;">

Definitely,
because if the solution is available in the cloud, there is a real
potential for efficiencies and that for smaller and mid-sized
business is more important than large enterprises. However small and
mid-sized business will be looking for suitability of cloud. Market
in India is still cautious about adopting cloud models in their IT
businesses. We think that even in the IT and ITeS sector, most of the
IT professionals do not have a good understanding about the ground
realities of cloud computing. face="Times New Roman, serif">



What
are the legal implications surrounding cloud computing? face="Times New Roman, serif"> style="font-weight: bold;">

There
will be legal implications which the CIOs would be concerned while
going for a cloud based service. There is a natural concern when data
is being hosted on cloud and that data has to be legally protected
and not shared. However IET has been able to address these issues in
several conferences and debates globally and have taken views from
the industry people. Going forward, IET would make constant efforts
to address the legal implications in cloud. face="Times New Roman, serif">



How
important is it to demonstrate the positive impact of leveraging
cloud computing especially during href="http://dqindia.ciol.com/content/top_stories/2009/509030604.asp">slowdown
period? size="3"> style="font-weight: bold;">

Adopting
cloud computing in a slowdown or in a cautious economic climate is an
important consideration, making IT professionals aware about the
tangible benefits one could reap from deploying cloud services since
it would increase efficiencies and reduce costs. Companies that are
traditionally in the forefront of IT will more likely adopt cloud
services and going forward href="http://dqindia.ciol.com/content/50yrsIT/Perspective/2006/106123011.asp">telecom,
BFSI, retail, and healthcare
verticals would also be interested to deploy cloud solutions in their
infrastructure. That is why IET believes that cloud will get
recognition from enterprises, verticals, and government globally.