Where will cloud take us in 2014?

The old school techies, who resolutely fight against cloud and the incursions of the new generation are going to find themselves in much the same position as the stock horror movie characters who move to a deserted island or farmhouse and are bumped off one by one generally by an unseen monster. The trouble with that analogy is we know who's doing the bumping off. And, regardless, the trend will continue as long as the victims continue to fight against cloud.

The CIO needs to learn to embrace cloud, not without question or without a fight. One of the objections made by the old guard is on the importance of privacy and the sanctity of confidentiality. And, in light of the Snowden revelations, there may be a few more company executives taking warnings from the cloud sceptics more seriously.

Indeed, there are claims from a Cloud Security Alliance survey, conducted last summer, that, already, about 10 per cent o European cloud customers have cancelled contracts with US firms in light of the Snowden scandal. Personally, I take some of these claims with a pinch of salt I'm sure there have been a some customers that have pulled as a result, but I've never heard of them named, nor have any of my sources heard the names of the cold-feet brigade.

In 2014, those who get' cloud will be much more imaginative and daring than ever before. Yet those who are suspicious now will be even more so.

Indeed, the old school techies, who resolutely fight against cloud and the incursions of the new generation are going to find themselves in much the same position as the stock horror movie characters who move to a deserted island or farmhouse and are bumped off one by one generally by an unseen monster. The trouble with that analogy is we know who's doing the bumping off. And, regardless, the trend will continue as long as the victims continue to fight against cloud.

Max Cooter

Max Cooter is a freelance journalist who has been writing about the tech sector for almost forty years.

At ITPro, Max’s work has primarily focused on cloud computing, storage, and migration. He has also contributed software reviews and interviews with CIOs from a range of companies.

He edited IDG’s Techworld for several years and was the founder-editor of CloudPro, which launched in 2011 to become the UK’s leading publication focused entirely on cloud computing news.

Max attained a BA in philosophy and mathematics at the University of Bradford, combining humanities with a firm understanding of the STEM world in a manner that has served him well throughout his career.