Why CIOs should give the cloud a chance

It seems that somebody asked the CIOs if cloud computing was on their radar — and more often than not, it wasn’t. Indeed more than half of the CIOs (53 percent) “fail to see how cloud computing can save them money, according to BT’s Enterprise Intelligence survey.”

Security concerns were the biggest barriers to the widespread consumption of cloud services, the survey report said: “The majority of CIOs (57 percent) and senior executives (53 percent) surveyed said they were not happy to run applications and store data on servers outside their country for security reasons.”

The larger issue here is one of understanding. I’m not sure that the rapidly emerging cloud computing universe has done a good enough job in leading existing enterprise IT shops to cloud computing. Everyone is talking about the “why” — leaving out the “how” and the “what.”

CIOs are a bit wary around another paradigm shift. You have to admit that we’ve had one or two over the last 20 years that have not gone anywhere, and the reality for several others never measured up to the hype. CIOs are measured by their ability to make the trains run on time within their own spheres of control, not about how innovative they can get with emerging and overhyped technology. We seem to forget that.

So how do you enlighten the rank-and-file CIO out there around the benefits of cloud computing?

First, look at cloud computing for what it really is: architectural options to make existing IT systems more effective. You drive this from the inside out, not the outside in. There is no “big switch” or “huge shift.” Instead, you solve small, well-defined problems with the best solution. In some instances, cloud computing is an instance of a solution and not always the solution.

Second, do a prototype. Cloud computing means not having to buy hardware and software, so taking cloud computing for a test-drive is inexpensive and a great learning experience.

Finally, and most important, understand that cloud computing is an evolutionary — not a revolutionary — path for most organizations. The use of cloud computing will be around a systemic change that takes a long period of time for most IT organizations. That’s something a CIO can responsibly handle.

This article, “Why CIOs should give the cloud a chance,” originally appeared at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments on cloud computing at InfoWorld.com.