If There’s a Consultant in the Room, You are Not ‘Cloud Computing’
by Joe McKendrick
I’ve spoken plenty about the ‘cloud computing‘ phenomenon in these pages, so I got a kick out of James Governor’s take on how to tell if something isn’t cloud computing.
This is probably a good list to have, since many vendors will try to sell you the concept simply because it’s the latest and greatest hot buzzword. Simplicity is the watchword for cloud computing; anything that suggests different may still be traditional-load-and-fight-with-the-software computing.
Here are just some of James’ “Ways to Tell Its Not Cloud Computing:”
1) “If you need to send a 40 page requirements document to the vendor then… it is not a cloud.”
2) “If you can’t buy it on your personal credit card… it is not a cloud.”
3) “If they are trying to sell you hardware… its not a cloud.”
4) “If there is no API [application programming interface]… its not a cloud.”
5) “If it takes more than ten minutes to provision… its not a cloud.”
6) “If you can’t deprovision in less than ten minutes… its not a cloud.”
7) “If you know where the machines are… its not a cloud.
“If there is a consultant in the room… its not a cloud.”
9) “If you need to install software to use it… its not a cloud.”
