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Appie Pema, AptronicsAppie Pema, Aptronics


By definition, a stampede is a mass impulse that encourages a group of people or animals to run with no clear direction or purpose.

The same concept applies to the enterprise environment. In many ways, the rapid popularisation of cloud computing encouraged a mass impulse that has seen thousands of organisations scramble to invest in these solutions.

Despite this, the business value underlying many popular cloud platforms is still questionable.

Does it really pay to view IT spend as an operating expense, as opposed to a long-term investment? Although large organisations spend millions each year on upgrading and maintaining technology infrastructure, smaller groups are often content with on-premises systems.

Nonetheless, thousands of cloud solutions exist to service this growing sector. Unfortunately, many of these are accompanied by significant implementation and maintenance costs – overheads that could burden an emerging business.

Furthermore, there is a lack of consensus within the industry on what cloud really means. Many public cloud services are often old technologies dressed up in a new disguise.

Finally, unlike more established sectors such as finance or insurance – which are typically managed by strict legislation and governance – the cloud environment is highly unregulated. In response, many public cloud services do not accept responsibility in the event of data loss or downtime.

Although cloud computing holds significant potential for the streamlining of daily business processes, it is vital that investors maintain perspective. Regrettably, many providers are selling seemingly groundbreaking cloud solutions based on hype and fear, rather than tangible business need and empirical evidence.

As this environment evolves, it would be prudent to opt for a private cloud solution that closely integrates with on-premises technology – giving businesses greater control and access to data. Decision-makers should also strongly consider the implications of positioning critical information in the cloud. If it’s essential to your bottom line, keep it on the premises and secure.

About the author: is CEO of Aptronics