1. Your organization is not very good with technology/security. This can be because you organization is too small (e.g. Mayberry Police Department) or your people aren’t very good (e.g. a local government entity that can’t pay competitive wages).

2. IT is not strategic to your organization (e.g. it is not a core competency).

3. You have low value applications (e.g. student email for a one semester class).

Cloud computing is not a one size fits all solution. It is just another option to solve business needs in a very competitive world.

On the cloud computing topic I definitly agree that there are some important data and flexibility questions that need to be answered before it becomes the common solution for the masses. I don’t see the argument being “CAN the cloud handle this application, or that slice of data” and more “SHOULD the cloud handle this application or that slice of data”.

This topic is something I’m neck deep in every day – I spend alot of time reviewing and comparing cloud vs. hosted vs. on-prem conversations with my customers around email.

Your second topic around the “herd mentality” with regards to “If such and such huge corporation has done this it must be golden, their requirements are much more complex than your are!” is just as interesting. The truth is that all vendors spend a lot of time and alot of dollars finding those first big names that are willing to make the move to their technology. Many times that business is bought, and many times those first customers have some very unique needs and limited constraints on how to get needs met. At the end of the day it boils down to a sales and marketing tactic, and I think its a good one. Its important to get a steady stream of strong brands confirming that YOUR brand is worthy of their business. People feel more comfortable knowing that someone else has gone down the same road and ended up with the same conclusion.

Those people talk, and apparently they talk to Chuck, and try to convince him one way or the other using the same technique that the sales and business development folks use – “Yeah, but is doing it!”

One last note – I’m rambling: Big companies often have suprisingly uncomplex requirements, and in some cases do very poor due diligence. Just because they’re big doesn’t mean they are better at making IT decisions, or have more stringent requirements than a shop with 5,000 employees instead of 100,000.

Thanks for the interesting post!

While I understand that when “Big Co’s A, B & C” are doing it” does provide some validation (ie they can do better due diligence than I can)

We still have to look at our own issues –

One thing that gets poorly documented outside of the US are legal risks.

Who owns data in the cloud? Me, or You?

It is not just semantics either – as a Canadian company – if I do business with Cuba, but my data is in a cloud in California, Am I going to paid a visit under the US Patriot Act?

Ditto for various European ‘Safe Harbour’ laws.

If I am an engineering company and my “trade secret” data is in a US cloud provider – forget about thinking just security as ‘hacking’ or data loss – how about ‘legal’ government action!

Regards