InformationWeek recently asked me to provide THINKstrategies’ perspective on the state of the cloud computing market.  In response, I’ve contributed a guest column for the publication’s Global CIO section which discusses how the initial success of Software-as-a-Service and a broader array of cloud services is quickly fueling a new generation of more mature enterprise-quality capabilities, which I’m calling “Cloud 2.0”.

I’ve been presenting this idea in my various talks at industry events and in client meetings.

So, what is Cloud 2.0?

Well, first here’s how I characterize Cloud 1.0:

• Commodity-oriented, Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offerings
• Price and cost-savings are the primary customer value-propositions and motivators
• Reliability, availability and security are the critical criteria for selection and key success factors
• Primary ‘use-cases’ are cyclical or situational, non-core requirements
• Primary customers are start-ups, software developers and business  end-users.

Cloud 2.0 is about:

• Strategic business services aimed at ongoing operational requirements
• Corporate decision-makers are seeking vendors that can offer broad portfolio of services rather than just point-solutions
• Long-term vendor viability and financial stability key
• Value-added benefits aimed at gaining a strategic advantage essential selection criteria
• Greater focus on governance (SLAs, application performance management, reporting capabilities, etc.)

I believe the more established vendors with proven brand equity will have a greater competitive advantage in this new phase of the cloud computing market evolution, as I discussed in a previous commentary.

What do you think? Are we heading into a new era of cloud computing solutions and strategies?

cloud computing SaaS Software-as-a-Service