Cloud computing what’s really going on?

A chance for you to have your say

We’ve been skirmishing around cloud computing recently and now it’s time to put some meat on the bones with a mini-poll. It has just three main questions about your organisation’s attitude to the subject and about their perceived strengths and weaknesses.

Obviously it’s still early days for cloud computing and none of us can be certain of the future. But a snapshot of what you think right now would be really helpful for your fellow Register readers. We’ll turn the results round quickly and get them back to you in a few days.

It doesn’t matter what direction you’re coming from, hostile or friendly, your views count. In fact, the poll will only have validity if a spread of viewpoints is represented. And, on the grounds that we can’t have thought of everything, you’ll find a few ‘Other’ boxes for your feedback where it falls outside our pre-defined categories.

It will only take a minute or two. And, at the very least, it will help you get things off your chest.

Reader Poll

1. When, if ever, is your organisation likely to use cloud services?

	Now	In 6 months	In 12 months	In 24 months	Longer	Unlikely
Software as a Service - generic applications
Software as a Service - vertical applications
Software as a Service - core applications
Infrastructure as a Service (Utility computing)
Platform as a Service
Other - please state:

2. What are the key benefits of cloud computing?
(5 = major benefit, 1 = no benefit)

	Major benefit 5	4	3	2	No benefit 1
Enterprise-wide software (such as a content management system)
Scales to peak demands
Smoothes expenditure: opex instead of capex
Lowers total cost of ownership
More secure: data all in one place: access controlled
Browser access to everything. Adapts to user device.
It's good for non-critical business applications
Built in resilience
Kinder to the environment: more work per energy unit
Ability to integrate with existing/other cloud applications
Other - please state:

3. What are the key disadvantages of cloud computing?
(5 = major disadvantage, 1 = no disadvantage)

	Major disadvantage 5	4	3	2	No disadvantage 1
Not as secure as internal systems
Access latency/slow response
Lock in to supplier
Easier to stick with the status quo
Requires too much change in the organisation
Requires a lot of preparatory work to do properly
Potential to diminish the IT department's 'empire'
No control over where information is stored and processed
Difficulty of recovering information/systems if supplier fails
Complexity of interfacing to existing/other cloud applications
Other - please state:

BEFORE YOU GO

4. Which of the following best describes the organisation you work in?

Educational establishment
Public Sector (non education)
IT products or services vendor
Company with more than 5000 employees
Company with 250 to 4999 employees
Company with 50 to 249 employees
Company with 10 to 49 employees
Company with less than 10 employees
None of the above - please specify

5. Which of the following best describes your role?

Business management
Business professional
General IT management
Management of development/integration
Management of operations function
Systems architect or designer
Developer
Operations specialist
Other - please specify

6. Which of the following best sums up the attitude to IT in your organisation?

An important contributor of business value
A positive enabler of operational efficiency
A necessary but burdensome cost
A complete waste of money