It's time to ditch the cloud

It's time to ditch the cloud

‘Cloud’ is one of the hottest IT buzzwords in years. Millions of people now make use of remotely delivered services – ‘cloud computing’, in the language of many IT firms.

But even the most popular cloud computing services such as iTunes and Google Mail haven't succeeded in educating the general public on how the technology behind these services actually works.

That’s fine when all you want to do is send an email or listen to music, but what happens if your needs are a little more specialised?

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A low-cost alternative?

One of the undoubted benefits of cloud computing is its ability to deliver a low-cost alternative to many traditional business IT solutions.

But if people setting up a new company don't understand the principles of the cloud, are they really going to be aware of all it has to offer them?

More importantly, is the IT industry right to be so obsessed with the cloud as an overarching concept? After all, if you're launching a new business, your focus is going to be on the bottom line, not on some silly buzzword.

It’s about the service, not the delivery

So, instead of telling prospective customers a service will be delivered through the cloud, would it be a better idea for IT sales pitches - and the conversation in general - to focus on the merits of an individual service?

After all, few existing or potential small business owners are going to boast about the manner in which a service they used is delivered, but they will enthuse about something that works well and saves them money.

At Webfusion, we’ve created this infographic to show you the full extend of the public’s ignorance.

 Infographic from Webfusion.

So what do you think? Is it time the IT industry stopped talking about the cloud, or does the term still have value?

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