When it comes to developing a private cloud, recent Forrester queries have shown that companies who are successful in this space often do things that go against the typical IT grain – and may be the opposite of what many companies think would be the wisest course of action.
Recent information for Forrester clients has shown that there is still a great deal of confusion when it comes to defining exactly what the cloud is, in addition to what the cloud is supposed to do. Many companies are still unsure about the difference between virtualized environments and the IaaS systems that are now being deployed, and this can lead to a false sense of cloud security.
Chances are that even if you’ve got a great virtualization environment going, it’s not good enough to be a cloud. Virtualized environments can provide great internal benefits for a company, but in order to be cloud, they often need to be smaller than you think, be marketed well internally and have a smaller price tag than you’d think based on ROI data.
Forrester has their own definition of cloud computing, including that it must be highly automated, standardized, be serviced and metered and include self-service to developers. Survey data shows that less than 10% of all companies currently running a virtualized environment are at this level of sophistication, but over a quarter are putting a high priority on developing a cloud in the coming year, be it their own or a hosted cloud solution.
In order to make the most of private cloud options, companies first need to realize their own virtual shortcomings, be aware of the challenges they face and be willing to think outside the virtual box.
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