Last night I attended CloudCamp Sydney. It was pitched as an “unconference†format where quick 5 mins presentations are made and upon completion the attendees outline points they wish to speak about. Those ideas are grouped into categories and then breakout sessions are created.
Conceptually the idea is great however, when we got to those sessions I found that not having a dedicated leader for the session meant the topic often moved into different areas.
Enough about the structure and more about the actual content.
As early adopters of Cloud Computing we identify issues and concerns having greater importance compared to actual uptake of the technology.
It was interesting to hear the delegates last night speak about what they wanted from the “Cloud†providers.
“Standards†is what everyone was crying out for. The problem with standards is that when its created those who invested in creating those standards are set to lose the most financially. The IT industry is quite well known for creating standards and then choosing not to either accept them or implement them.
“Data portability†between providers was the other main sticking point with uptake. There is a fear that when a company or user stops paying for the service, the Cloud provider simply turns them off and they have now lost their data.
This is a valid point, but how one company stores data (and therefore converts that data into information) is what makes people either buy or use that application. Those different methods are called IP. Again, why would businesses want to share IP amongst competitors if there was no financial benefit?
What was positive about the night was that this particular movement in the industry begins to open new untapped market opportunities, Services. Across all industries, service companies are making good headway into providing what suppliers can’t, customer service, support, etc.
As this industry (Cloud Computing) is starting to gain legs, integration, migration, data management services are all new verticals that will spring into the foreground for people/companies to make a living from.
Overall, it was an interesting evening to attend. The night not only provided the standard “Cloud Provider†pitches but allowed for attendees to have general chats and discussions. One point I would make, is that I would have preferred to have a mediator in each breakout session to ensure the conversation/discussion stayed on topic.
Interesting times ahead for “Cloud†Computing and what will the catalyst be for businesses to take up Cloud Computing?
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