Top 5 disappointments as cloud computing enters the 'Trough of Disillusionment'

Gartner recently released its 2010 "Hype Cycle" report, identifying cloud computing as "at the peak of inflated expectations," where "the next step is one of disillusionment because the technology fails to live up to expectations."

It's clear that expectations around cloud computing are huge. And with a marketplace crowded with "false clouds" ranging from repackaged data center optimization technology to an eight foot tall "cloud in a box" (see coverage here) there is bound to be some disappointment in some parts of the market.

But if you approach cloud computing with a business-case driven roadmap (as discussed here), and focus on the services provided by public cloud leaders, disillusionment isn't inevitable. Cloud computing isn't magic, of course, but the ability to work at a higher level of abstraction and share infrastructure should result in faster time to value and a solid ROI for your cloud project.

Of course, even if you are successful in the cloud, there may be some things that you'll "miss" about the old way of doing technology.  Here's a tongue-in-cheek top 5 list of the things I think you'll actually be disappointed in as you do more in the public cloud:

5. You'll miss infrastructure shop talk
Its a little strange being out of the business of running a data center.  There are entire categories of technology that you simply don't have to think about anymore.  That can be a little disconcerting for someone who's spent a career building up expertise in RAID, NAS, and TIA-942 data center standards... and you'll probably miss the shop talk at data center conferences.

4. Pesky business people will take up more of your time.
Now that you don't have to spend all your time keeping servers up or doling out patches and upgrades, businesspeople are going to have higher expectations about what you can and should be doing for them. That means spending more time figuring out how you can effectively combine and consume cloud services to power the business.  More valuable? More interesting? Sure... but what a bother!

3. Fewer golf outings with your friends at Accenture
Cloud computing is disruptive to every part of the IT landscape-- not just hardware and software. System Integrators are having trouble adjusting to the smaller projects, agile approach, and lower margins of cloud computing work, especialy as entire categories of business (e.g., old fashioned hosting) dropping away. That probably means fewer fancy golf outings, unfortunately!

2. Big headaches as you figure out what to do with your old servers
So what DO you do with your servers as you do more and more with the public cloud?  Here's an idea - turn them into art! We commissioned an artist in San Francisco to do just that -- he disassembled a couple of old servers and created a sculpture out of them that sits in our lobby.  It looks like these servers have gone from being the backbone of the enterprise to being the backbone of a prehistoric beast.  

1. Smaller budgets and lower headcount, and being asked to do more with less
For many IT professionals, this is the biggest real disappointment about the move to cloud computing, and the fear that is most inhibiting adoption of the public cloud.  And there's some merit to this concern -- "outsourcing" our IT to the public cloud will require fewer resources, and that can be an adjustment for someone who has measured their progress through the corporate hierarchy with steadily increasing headcount and budget dollars.  

Suffice it to say getting excited about the transition to the public cloud requires a shift in thinking from a traditional IT department (I've argued before that "Turkey's don't vote for Thanksgiving")... that's the greatest challenge, and the greatest opportunity, in the shift to the cloud.  

Looking for disappointment in the form of cloud projects that are over-due and over-budget?  For that, I'd suggest moving your IT to an 8-foot tall "cloud in a box."

Ryan Nichols is the Vice President of Cloudsourcing and Cloud Strategy for Appirio.