BasicGov / BLOG

Mike, Lucian and I attended a BCTIA (British Columbia Technology Industry Association) event in Vancouver yesterday with 200 or so other tech enthusiasts to hear from Gartner Fellow and VP Research David Mitchell Smith about cloud computing.

Our BasicGov group sat at a table with Amos Michelson with Kardium Inc. (panel member of the upcoming Dragon Den style Xcelerate forum, Ralph Turfus, Colum Caldwell with Optimal Geomatics, Stephen Nicholson with Software Productivity Center, and Steve Thomson with Thomson & Associates.

David started his presentation saying that the biggest challenge with cloud computing is the many different definitions.

Gartner has defined cloud computing as a “style of computing” which enables flexible and elastic capabilities provided as a service using existing Internet technologies. Gartner gets asked these questions most often: what is cloud computing; which cloud service will emerge; and how to leverage cloud computing.

Cloud computing presentation focussed on cloud’s main benefits:

• Cost – saving and pay as you go model
• Capabilities – provide new solutions that were not technically or economically feasible with previous technology

Gartner’s view is that a hybrid model of cloud and on-premise will dominate the next 10 years but our view is that this is for the larger organizations with more compliance issues such as in the financial industry and in government cloud will dominate. When asked which industries are ahead in the adoption of cloud IT today, David referenced government, education, pharmaceutical, and technology development testing. The biggest challenges to adoption of cloud computing are “attitudes” and it will require time and cultural changes in many industries to leap frog into this technology.

David also talked about how to start using cloud technology today:

• Assess savings
• Select an area of your business to test
• Start and migrate to cloud
• Use it and evaluate

If you’d like a copy of the presentation email me susan.kirk@basicgov.com.