Closing in on the cloud

Newly released report provides a comprehensive overview and examination of the current landscape in cloud networking

VoIP, unified messaging, products and services

Our colleague Jim Metzler (who co-authors the Network World Wide Area Networking Alert with Steve) recently completed a very comprehensive overview and examination of the current landscape in cloud networking.   The report is being presented in serial installments, and the just-unveiled executive summary suggests that our readers may want to follow the publication of subsequent sections as they are released.  

Among the key findings discussed in the executive summary:

* Most IT organizations have either already adopted, or are in the process of adopting cloud computing.

To continue reading, register here and become an Insider. You'll get free access to premium content from CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. See more Insider content or sign in.

Our colleague Jim Metzler (who co-authors the Network World Wide Area Networking Alert with Steve) recently completed a very comprehensive overview and examination of the current landscape in cloud networking.   The report is being presented in serial installments, and the just-unveiled executive summary suggests that our readers may want to follow the publication of subsequent sections as they are released.  

Among the key findings discussed in the executive summary:

* Most IT organizations have either already adopted, or are in the process of adopting cloud computing.

* Cloud computing should help IT organizations achieve a dramatic improvement in the cost-effective, elastic provisioning of IT services that are "good enough." The phrase "good enough" is used because  the study found that "IT organizations will continue to be required to provide the highest levels of availability and performance for a small number of key applications and services; . . . however, an ever-increasing number of applications and services will be provided on a best effort basis."

* "Good enough" is also a factor because SLAs from both traditional network service providers and public cloud computing providers are often weak or non-existent.

The summary also highlights the fact that using cloud computing can create some very significant networking challenges. Recognizing  those challenges, the study looks at the LAN, WAN and management functionality that IT organizations must put in place in order to enable cloud computing.

We'll monitor the serial installments of the study and alert out readers to relevant findings.  In the meantime, the executive summary can be found here. Our thanks to Webtorials for making this study available, and to the following sponsoring companies for funding  the project.:  A10, Arista, CA, Certeon, Cisco, Citrix, Force10, InfoBlox, Ipanema, Juniper, LSI, NetScout, Packet Design, Riverbed, Shunra, Streamcore, Talari, Visual Network Systems and Vyatta.

Read more about voip & convergence in Network World's VoIP & Convergence section.

Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. Larry Hettick is a principal analyst at Current Analysis.