This week, cloud computing experienced a major disruption – Amazon’s datacenter went down for about 12 hours on Thursday, taking major web sites and web-based services down with it. For those who don’t utilize the cloud for much, there was little effect, but for those who rely on the cloud for much of what they do, they were pretty much grounded for the better part of a day.
The outage sparked a very spirited discussion in The Force Field Forums about cloud computing in general. In the forum thread “The Cloud Bites the dust…” , IT service providers, some of whom also offer cloud-based solutions to their customers, reflected on the long-term negative effects of the outage and discussed why the cloud is hyped as much as it is. Overall, there was agreement that the outage would likely be a setback for proponents of cloud computing.
For Amazon, this was certainly a setback. Their business is based in the cloud. For those IT companies who hype the cloud as the greatest thing since sliced bread, this was a return to reality. The reality is this: cloud computing just one tool for IT, not the entire toolbox. It isn’t a panacea for IT providers and it isn’t the solution for everyone.
Some seem to think The Cloud is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I disagree. From a practical standpoint I think toilet paper is still the greatest invention.
Think I’m wrong? Wait until you go to the restroom with an unsliced loaf of bread, no internet access and no toilet paper and then tell me which one you need more.
I’m not dismissing the cloud. Like other technologies available to us, there is definitely a place for it. In fact, it can be a very important tool for IT, a technology that can complement or enhance the desktop computing experience. But it gets hyped as a replacement for the desktop, especially by pro-cloud service providers and industry trade publications. The idea that the cloud will destroy the desktop is a presumptuous claim made by industry pundits who have their heads stuck too far up in it and their feet too far from the ground.
A lot of these trade publications also oversell Managed Services. I subscribe to several trades and just about all they promote these days are Cloud Computing and Managed Services. It is as if these two technologies, either by themselves or together, are now the ultimate solutions for everything in IT. They aren’t. Personally, I think the current capabilities of both managed services and the cloud are overrated, oversold and certainly overhyped.
Like managed services, cloud computing is here to stay, but there are applications and solutions that are and will continue to be better suited for the desktop for a long time to come. I’ve watched the hype surrounding the cloud grow considerably during the last three years, just as the hype for Managed Services (another industry buzz word that is annoyingly over-used) has grown. Like the cloud, there is also certainly a place for managed services in IT, but it isn’t the end-all solution for everything, either.
Until man devises a way to repair all desktop issues remotely and for even the smallest customer, there will continue to be a need for the independent on site technician. Managed services is best suited to complement personalized onsite service – not replace it. Likewise, the cloud can certainly complement the desktop – but until man devises a way to connect all solid state devices with omnipresent connections and with complete stability, reliability and free, full accessibility anytime, anywhere, there will still be a need for the desktop.
I think the reason the cloud is overhyped and oversold is because those who sell and promote it consider it a cash cow of free money. It is perceived as an easy path to riches for many companies in the field who view it as a product with minimal investment, little overhead, low maintenance and disproportionately high yield. So they set out to sell it as a solution for everything.
While the cloud can be used for a lot of different services in theory, in reality using the cloud for all of them is clouded judgement; while certainly possible, isn’t always practical and in some situations can even be too risky in the long term.
Yes, I think there is an important place in IT for the cloud, But I also think there is way too much emphasis placed on it and I think it is way oversold. I believe the Amazon datacenter outage this week proves that point. The outage served up a dose of reality to bring IT back down to earth a little and clear the clouded mind.