ScienceLogic, a provider of IT operations and management solutions, has released the findings of a cloud computing survey conducted with more than 100 IT directors across North America. As reported in Integration Developer News, the data shows a growing movement towards putting mission-critical applications in the cloud. In addition, IT executives increasingly see the cloud as transformative to IT operations - although they remain unclear about key issues, such as which core applications are right for run-time in the cloud. Appian's Cloud BPM can help these forward-looking execs sort out their cloud strategy, and address many of their lingering concerns.
According to the survey, almost four-fifths (79%) of IT directors said they are now running at least one production application in the cloud. This is consistent with Appian customer trends, although a few points lower than what we see. Unlike other BPM vendors whose cloud offerings are used in dev/test environments only, more than 85% of our cloud customers use Appian Cloud in production environments. This is a testament to the proven stability and security of Appian's cloud BPM, addressing the common concerns about things like management, monitoring and meeting service levels. As ScienceLogic CEO David Link told IDN, "If in-house IT staff are not convinced they can deliver the service levels the business needs, they might slow down [their cloud adoption] until they know they can manage all that."
There's also another aspect of cloud computing causing heated debate: potential federal regulation. Brookings Institution, one of the oldest think tanks in Washington, recently convened a panel discussion on cloud where a group of "experts" (and I use the term loosely) suggested more government regulation is needed on both the domestic and international fronts.
David Linthicum, who writes for Infoworld and covers the issues facing cloud computing better than most folks out there, takes justifiable issue with the discussion, writing:
"The danger is that the movement toward these types of regulations could happen in a vacuum, ducking most media scrutiny (the government's attempts to regulate cloud computing have gone woefully under-reported) and without input from the truly knowledgeable experts," he writes. "Industry thought leaders and major providers should be chiming in on this right now because the regulators don't seem to get it."
As an example, he points out that government officials could force IT shops to use a third party to maintain data deemed personal or private, and the third party will be required to implement defined policies and procedures. "Such a requirement," he states, "would eliminate the flexible value of leveraging the cloud."
Appian is dedicated to setting the highest bar for cloud security and standards high. Appian Cloud delivers security safeguards that are tough to match in even the strictest on-premise systems, including strict adherence to industry standards and all applicable privacy laws. (Providing local hosting, for instance, insures our business solutions meet national privacy laws.)
So, the cloud computing movement continues to march forward, even as questions remain. IT executives looking for help in setting and executing a strategy for leveraging the cloud should contact us. We can help.
Ben Farrell, Director, Corporate Communications
