The next survey on my list from MWD Advisors, a UK based IT Advisory group, specializing on issues concerning IT business alignment. Neil Ward-Dutton was kind enough to share this premium report with me. This survey was conducted in partnership with the IASA (International Association of Software Architects), and had a diverse sample (organization size and geography) of 358 architect-type respondents. From the report overview:
“In September 2009, MWD worked in conjunction with our partners at the IASA to discover how IT architects view Cloud Computing – what the current challenges are, who is committed to using Cloud Computing – and to gain an insight into what is needed to make Cloud Computing compelling for organisations. The resulting study shows that there are strong levels of Cloud Computing activity being driven by IT architects – but at the same time, that some of today’s vendor marketing drives are missing the mark.”
Out of respect for the premium nature of this content, I’m going to limit this post to a few points.
First, the key findings point out the importance of IT architect involvement with cloud computing initiatives. However, the reasoning differs from the Forrester findings. The MWD survey emphasizes “cohesion between on-premise systems and those in the Cloud". Cohesion includes “ensuring that applications are robust enough to deal with changes to the physical environment that may happen at any time.” [This aligns with one of my 5 Enduring Aspects of Cloud Computing]
Second, despite the rampant hype surrounding cloud computing, only 9 respondents agreed with the statement: “Cloud Computing is all hype and no substance”. The majority of the sample believes “Cloud Computing is fundamentally about service delivery and consumption, not technology”. [So, for everyone who believes service management practices go away with the cloud, think again.]
Third, respondents perceive cloud computing’s greatest value to be “Access to scalable resource with no capital expenditure required – pay as you go”. This differs from the Forrester survey results that ranked “Speed up application delivery” (63%) well over capex avoidance (30% for production, 28% for test).
There are many good insights in the MWD Advisors and Forrester reports. Each paints a picture of cautious optimism for cloud computing, recognizing business benefits and risks, and the need for thoughtful adoption strategies.
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Related posts:
- F5 Networks Cloud Computing Survey: Business Reasons, Business Influencers
- Enterprise Management Associates: CapEx reduction is largest, but not sole, cloud computing benefit
- Forrester to Enterprise Architects: Use Cloud Phenomenon to Boost Role as Business Advisor
- Impressions from CIO Magazine Survey: Do the Math, Don’t forget the Business
- Forrester: Interactive Data Protection Heat Map
