Tag: cloud computing


Cloud Computing Definition in Constant Flux – Guest Commentary in SearchAWS

Posted by thinkstrategies in Uncategorized. Comments Off on Cloud Computing Definition in Constant Flux – Guest Commentary in SearchAWS

30th June

The proliferation of cloud services has created a double-edged sword. The stream of new cloud alternatives has produced a buyers’ market, characterized by intensifying price competition. But it has also made it more difficult for IT and corporate decision makers to determine which cloud offerings are best suited to meet their particular business and technological requirements.

Just as it is impossible to get your arms around a cloud because it is an intangible and constantly changing thing, it is equally challenging for some to grasp cloud computing.

Click here to read THINKstrategies’ latest commentary in SearchAWS about how the changing definition of ‘cloud computing’ is creating new market opportunities for some and greater confusion for others.



Changing Cloud Scapes in 2014 – THINKstrategies’ Predictions for the New Year in Sandhill.com

Posted by thinkstrategies in Uncategorized. Comments Off on Changing Cloud Scapes in 2014 – THINKstrategies’ Predictions for the New Year in Sandhill.com

10th December

In my view, the Cloud Computing marketplace will change rapidly in the coming year. Click here to read about the most significant changes I think will occur in 2014 in my latest commentary in Sandhill.com.



Financial Sector’s Gaze Fixed Firmly on the Cloud – A Guest Commentary in E-Commerce Times

Posted by thinkstrategies in Uncategorized. Comments Off on Financial Sector’s Gaze Fixed Firmly on the Cloud – A Guest Commentary in E-Commerce Times

13th July

A persistent myth in the tech world is that major enterprises in highly regulated industries are risk-averse and reluctant to adopt new technology innovations. In the case of the financial services sector, this has not been the case for years, and it is being disproved again as a growing number of financial institutions aggressively pursue a widening array of cloud computing alternatives. Click here to read THINKstrategies’ view about the market implications of this trend in E-Commerce Times.



ISV Migration to the Cloud via Managed Services – A Guest Commentary in Sandhill.com

Posted by thinkstrategies in Uncategorized. Comments Off on ISV Migration to the Cloud via Managed Services – A Guest Commentary in Sandhill.com

28th May

In one of my recent commentaries in Sandhill.com, I discussed the growing opportunities incumbent software vendors (ISVs), especially publicly traded ISVs, have to move their applications to the cloud and offer a new generation of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions to their customers. Click here to read about one path I think provides particular promise to those ISVs that are concerned about cannibalizing their installed base of perpetual license customers and disrupting their existing business models in Sandhill.com.



Early Cloud Views for 2012

Posted by thinkstrategies in Uncategorized. Comments Off on Early Cloud Views for 2012

21st January

We are less than a month into the new year, and the Cloud Computing marketplace is already attracting more attention than ever. There have been more acquisitions, alliances and other activities surrounding a widening assortment of Cloud opportunities.

In addition to continuing to contribute commentaries to Datamation, E-Commerce Times, Internet Evolution and Sandhill.com, among others, I’ve been asked to also lend my perspective to two more online publications, APMdigest and TechWeb/UBM’s new IT Services site.

Here are my latest commentaries in these publications,

IT Services: Outsourcing Failures Drive More People to the Cloud, 01/20/12 

APMdigest: Three Tiers of Analytic Possibilities in the Cloud, 01/14/12 

E-Commerce Times: Building Synergistic Alliances in the Clouds, 01/13/12  

Internet Evolution: Google Goal for 2012: Changing You, 01/09/12 

You may have noticed that I’m also blogging on behalf of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need … Read More »


Predicting Lots of Clouds in 2012

Posted by thinkstrategies in Uncategorized. Comments Off on Predicting Lots of Clouds in 2012

28th December

This is the time of year when we reflect on the year past and year to come.

I provided a scorecard of my past year’s predictions which I published a year ago in E-Commerce Times in my previous blogpost.

I’ve been given the privilege of publishing this year’s predictions for 2012 in Datamation. I hope you like them and they serve as a guide for leveraging the unprecedented businesss opportunities created by today’s exciting new Cloud innovations.

Based on the success of THINKstrategies’ Cloud Channel Summit this past November, we are not only planning to have another one next November, but also plan to host two new events in 2012. We’ve announced that one of the new events will focus on Cloud Analytics. We will announce the focus of the other new event in early January. All of these events will be one-day forums for … Read More »


Five Reasons Why It’s Time for CIOs in Mid-Sized Businesses to Move to the Cloud

Posted by thinkstrategies in Uncategorized. Comments Off on Five Reasons Why It’s Time for CIOs in Mid-Sized Businesses to Move to the Cloud

17th December

Despite numerous market research forecasts predicting that small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs) would be in the vanguard of adopting today’s rapidly expanding array of Cloud-based services, the truth is that most mid-sized businesses have been slow to join the migration to these ‘on-demand’ alternatives.

In too many cases, it has been hesitancy or even overt resistance among IT decision-makers within mid-sized businesses which has let to these organizations staying away from Cloud services.

THINKstrategies believes there are 5 reasons why it’s time for CIOs in mid-sized businesses to move to the Cloud,

It’s Safe: Too many IT decision-makers in mid-sized businesses continue to be afraid of the perceived security, reliability and performance risks associated with the Cloud. The fact is that the leading Cloud service providers have more stringent security precautions in place and far higher uptime records than most mid-sized businesses can boast. 
Your … Read More »


Cloud Channels Coming Into Focus

Posted by thinkstrategies in Uncategorized. Comments Off on Cloud Channels Coming Into Focus

23rd September

The topic of building effective channel alliances in the Cloud continues to gain greater attention. This past week, I spoke at two events and attended a third in the Boston area in which Cloud channel strategies and solutions were a central theme.

The first event was a local gathering called, “Mondays in the Cloud”, organized by Sonian and hosted at the UMass-Boston Venture Development Center. The session was kicked off by Greg Arnette, Sonian’s Founder and CTO, who provided his perspective on the state of the Cloud marketplace. I followed Greg with a talk about the Cloud industry trends driving the demand for a stronger channel network to build on the initial success of Cloud services. My talk was followed by Erik Sebesta of cloudTP who talked about how Cloud integration services companies like his are becoming an important channel to market for Cloud vendors seeking to sell private … Read More »


Perspectives on Google's Acquisition of Motorola, and HP's Divestiture of Its PC Business

Posted by thinkstrategies in Uncategorized. Comments Off on Perspectives on Google's Acquisition of Motorola, and HP's Divestiture of Its PC Business

22nd August

I’ve had the privilege of publishing my point of view on Sandhill.com regarding two of the blockbuster announcements over the past week,

Will Google’s Purchase of Motorola Be a Path to Greater Android Success or Pandora’s Box?
HP’s Software Transformation Cloudy without Consumer Channel to Market

Yesterday’s NY Times included a good article discussing the new challenges facing Google as it enters the smartphone business, echoing my concerns with this terrific quote,

“When Google decides to evict a small Web publisher from its ad service, it sends a computer-generated form letter with the bad news. It says the Web site “poses a risk of generating invalid activity.” Why, the publisher might ask? You will never find out from Google. The only appeal is to fill out a Web form. Good luck. You can’t talk to an algorithm.”

There was also a seminal commentary by Marc … Read More »


Cloud Parade Ambushed by Amazon Outage

Posted by thinkstrategies in Uncategorized. Comments Off on Cloud Parade Ambushed by Amazon Outage

25th April

Plenty of has been written about last week’s disruption of Amazon’s Web Services (AWS) which took hundreds of organizations offline, including many rapidly growing start-ups and evolving aspects of enterprise operations.

(The best I’ve read summarizing the questions raised and lessons to be learned as a result of the AWS outage was by my friend Phil Wainewright.)

After suggesting at the beginning of last week that recent issues surrounding Google could derail the rapid growth of Cloud Computing services, it is obvious that Amazon’s problems must be added to the list of sobering events which will certainly cause many entrepreneurs and enterprise decision-makers alike to re-think their Cloud strategies and deployment tactics.

Google’s support issues, combined with Amazon’s service availability problems, clearly make real two of the three greatest fears which IT and business decision-makers face when considering the widening array of Cloud alternatives. The third primal fear … Read More »





The Latest from THINK IT Services Blog

THINK IT Services Blog examines the business implications of the latest developments in the technology services market ranging from Cloud Computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to Managed Services and other forms of 'On-Demand' services.

Tercera eBook and Webinar Identify Key Characteristics of Third Wave Cloud Consulting Leaders

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of presenting the key findings of a new ebook that I produced with Chris Barbin, the CEO/Founder...

Tercera Launches to Fund Third Wave of Cloud Consultancies

I’m pleased to be one of the initial advisors of a new venture capital and advisory services firm focused on the ‘third wave’ of...

Reshaping the Software and Services Marketplace – A Guest Commentary in E-Commerce Times

In the old information technology (IT) world, systems integration and consulting companies flourished, helping enterprises of all sizes across nearly every industry pull together...