Cloud providers likely know the traditional concerns that keep organizations from adopting their technology. Vendors are often tasked with proving their solutions are secure and that they can stand up to the reliability demands of modern businesses. However, their strategies may need to differ depending on how experienced their customers are with leveraging cloud infrastructure.
InfoWorld's David Linthicum highlighted a RightScale survey that compared major cloud concerns of new adopters to the issues brought up by veterans using the technology. While only 18 percent of those with advanced deployments cited security and compliance as core challenges, that number jumped to 38 percent among those new to the cloud.
The research revealed a similar disparity in regard to recognized benefits. For instance, 87 percent of advanced respondents said they had faster access to infrastructure, while only 30 percent of those with new cloud deployments said the same. Linthicum reported that the difference may be due to one group's experience advantage – mature cloud deployments suffered shorter downtime than those with recently implemented solutions. The challenge for providers will be to shorten the cloud learning curve and enable new adopters to gain the same level of reliability and security of their more experienced counterparts.
"Many of the issues that cause IT organizations to push back on cloud computing – compliance, security, ownership, and resiliency – are solvable problems, even though they require a bit of proactive planning," Linthicum wrote.
Many customers will need to move legacy applications into the cloud or put data stored on numerous systems into a single platform. As CRN magazine recently noted, there is a large demand for aid in developing effective migration strategies.
