Vote: The Biggest Elephant in the Cloud Computing Room..!

Ok – Now we have all had a good number of months to absorb the various IT Hype Cycles highlighting the importance of Cloud Computing. And now that we have had good time to accept the fact that cloud computing is here to stay and that the question for organizations is no longer WHY, but HOW should they adopt a cloud computing strategy / model, I propose a vote! The vote is on the biggest elephant in the cloud computing room? I am going to vote for the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) or Configuration Management System (CMS - in ITIL's latest standard).

I will give my justification in a later blog, but for now let’s have some other suggestions. The purpose of this election is to help us understand some of the challenges organizations are facing..!

So, what would you vote for as the biggest elephant in the Cloud Computing room?

Skills in the Epoch of Cloud Computing

Q: As relevant and useful as it is, the hype on Cloud Computing, thus far, detracts from the some of the major impacts that the cloud model will have on the way organisations manage ICT. The hype is commonly focussed on the benefits of cloud – as if that was not clear for all to see! Instead we need to start asking more questions about the types of changes that will occur in work practices, especially to those engaged with ICT management – at all levels. What skills will be outdated and what new skills will replace them in the epoch of cloud computing?

A: My suspicion here, to use an extreme analogy, is that IT departments will begin rejecting technical graduates in favour of law students, as the focus moves from supporting and developing vendor technologies, towards developing and supporting the service level agreements of cloud providers.

What do you think?