12 Dec 2008

Cloud adoption can be completed 'with minimal risk'

Firms can switch to cloud computing without risk to their security or business operations, an expert has said.

Dave Rosenberg, writing for InfoWorld, said companies have to ensure they carry out basic best practices, but through cloud hosting they can easily offload between 50 and 100 per cent of their IT needs.

After two years of experience with cloud computing technology, the expert commented that managing applications in the cloud could be one of the most important advancements in the IT industry of recent years.

Start-ups and IT departments will find the ability to outsource system operations to experts "very appealing", Mr Rosenberg said.

"Most people are already comfortable with outsourcing certain elements such as web servers and email," he noted.

The International Data Corporation has predicted that more IT users will be drawn to the cloud model's low costs in 2009 because of the challenging financial climate.

Dot Net Solutions chief executive Dan Scarfe recently argued that outsourcing resources to third-party experts through cloud computing offers more security than hosting resources on site.