Identifying Key Factors Driving Adoption of Cloud Computing

As Cloud computing evolves to transform the way we live, work, play and learn, enterprises and businesses are slowly and steadily migrating toward a Cloud communications model. While there are many factors driving this revolution, Cisco (News - Alert) Systems has identified four fundamental reasons for this transition. These are: cost and agility, the network platform, multiple approaches and innovation.

Initially, Cloud adoption will be motivated by cost and agility. As explained in Cisco Systems’ (News - Alert) white paper “Cloud: Powered by the Network,” dramatically lowering infrastructure cost per compute or application cost per end-user, or taking advantage of the new economics of IT will be primary factors driving organizations and businesses toward Cloud communications.

Because Cloud accommodates a range of payment options, most notably pay-per-use operating expense, it affords customers the ability to match expense to the value of the workload, thereby enabling them to gradually meter costs based on desired service levels. Thus, unlocking unprecedented transparency on IT expenses. Then there are others who will also turn to Cloud communications to speed IT responsiveness to business needs.

In essence, as per the white paper, Quicker IT deployments, end-user self-service, and reduced start-up costs equate to faster time-to-market for many organizations. For these reasons, Cloud will be an attractive model for many.

Beyond better–faster–cheaper, Cloud will also enable entirely new business models and revenue streams, says Cisco’s paper.  Acceptance will accelerate as Cloud architectures demonstrate new opportunities via business innovation and functionality.

Second is the network platform. Cisco believes that network platform is a foundational component of Cloud communications. It is critical to providing intelligent connectivity within and beyond the data center. Plus, it must enable distinctive functionality in a secure, trusted, and ubiquitous platform.

The network is the natural home for management and enforcement of policies relating to risk, performance, and cost. And sees all data connected resources, and user interactions over the public internet, as well as within and between Clouds. The network is thus uniquely positioned to monitor and meter usage and performance of distributed Cloud services and infrastructure.

Furthermore, the network plays an important role in promoting resilience and reliability, according to Cisco. For example, the network supports dynamic orchestration, scheduling, and redirection of workloads and intelligent automation to reconfigure resources. Since a network is inherently aware of the physical location of resources and users, its context-aware services can anticipate the needs of users and deploy resources appropriately, balancing end-user experience and cost of service.

Third, multiple approaches are required to accommodate diverse customer objectives. As the paper explains, there is no single road to Cloud, but rather a wide variety of entrance ramps and paths. On the demand side, organizations have different starting points and different objectives. On the supply side, service providers will seek to differentiate their offers. Regulatory regimes across different geographies will impose different constraints around data storage and transport.

For both Cloud customers and Cloud service providers, success depends on navigating a complex and rapidly changing landscape, says Cisco. While customers should aspire to decouple individual vendor offerings from the services they require to avoid vendor lock-in, service providers should adopt open standards for interoperability that enable best-of-breed players to contribute innovations while minimizing complexity.

Lastly, innovation will facilitate adoption across the IT industry. From data center design to end user-applications and business processes, innovations can occur at all levels of the stack. As per Cisco’s white paper, some “hot spots” of technology innovation include extended memory in servers, cache-enabling routers, solid-state storage systems, converged infrastructure, stateless infrastructure provisioning, ultra-scale distributed databases, real-time analytics, multi-channel content delivery, seamlessly integrated online and offline experi­ences, more intuitive user interfaces, and reduced power consumption. Although, these innovations are aimed at different levels in the Cloud communications architecture, ultimately they will result in more powerful, secure, efficient, and sustainable IT for end-users, concludes Cisco.