Looking At the Main Barriers for Cloud Adoption
One of the main reasons why many companies and governments are hesitant with cloud adoption is a lack of understanding about the technology. Rapid advances made in the field mean that what is true one day may no longer be true only a few months down the line. As a result IT decision makers often have an outdated view of cloud computing, not quite understanding how this technology can contribute to meet their goals. Concerns about losing control of data and security are usually the top two concerns cited by IT decision makers.
However, an in-depth look at these concerns reveals that it is usually a lack of understanding of cloud services and their providers that leads IT decision makers to delay adoption of cloud services, or to avoid them altogether. While the majority of businesses in the Asia Pacific are planning on increasing their use of the cloud in their operations, at least a third of IT decision makers delay for an average of a year before moving to the cloud.
What are IT decision makers worried about when they look at cloud technology?
The three main concerns about cloud technology among IT decision makers are the following:
1. Fear of losing control over data in the cloud
2. Skepticism towards the benefits of cloud computing to the company
3. Lack of organization and protocols for dealing with cloud-based computing
These concerns all have one thing in common. They show that the problem is not with cloud technology itself, but rather a lack of understanding among IT professionals about how cloud computing works and what it can provide.
What can cloud service providers do to alleviate concerns and educate their potential clients?
Since this lack of understanding is such an important issue, it places a burden on cloud service providers to make it clear to their potential clients exactly how services work and benefit their company. Now, there is no question that cloud computing is secure, reliable, and relatively simple to implement, especially in comparison to traditional IT and corporate networks. However, today most IT decision makers continue to cite security and implementation as specific concerns.
Of course, moving to a new IT infrastructure results in natural data security concerns. However, the high percentage of clients who still believe that cloud computing is riskier than traditional IT means that many cloud service providers are not advertising their services correctly or doing enough to educate IT decision makers.
The consequences
The conservatism among IT decision makers, particularly in countries like Japan where corporations tend to move in blocks rather than as individuals, often means that many companies are not taking full advantage of what this technology can provide. These concerns also have an indirect effect on cloud services providers, having them concentrate more on downplaying nonexistent security risks than on actually explaining what this technology can do. Today the cloud services vendor has a very important role, giving organizations assurance with well-crafted service agreements that can assuage concerns.
In fact, cloud computing technology has advanced to the point where many of its prior flaws no longer exist. However today, it is necessary for vendors to accurately communicate these advancements to their clients. These agreements are taken very seriously (take for instance, GMO Cloud’s Terms of Service).
What can cloud service vendors do to help IT decision makers adopt cloud technology more readily?
1. Cloud services providers need to increase their educational campaigns.
2. They also need to do more to create service level agreements that are more in line with what customers want.
3. Finally, cloud service providers need to supply more flexibility and prevent issues such as vendor lock-in and other concerns that may turn off companies from adopting this technology.
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About the Guest Author:
Nida Rasheed is a freelance writer and owner of an outsourcing company, Nida often finds herself wanting to write about the subjects that are closest to her heart. She lives in Islamabad, Pakistan and can be found on Twitter @nidarasheed.
