PLM Cloud and Gartner Flip Flop

by Oleg on November 5, 2011 · View Comments

Cloud conversation is taking a sharp turn. Private cloud vs. public cloud. This is actually can be a very interesting and quite a big game changer for PLM companies. In one of my previous blogs, I was talking about cloud trends and different cloud options -dedicated, private, public. It was quite common to consider enterprises will push towards “private cloud” as the first option on their “cloud highway”. Private cloud keeps IT “business as usual” status quo and, at the same time, leveraging cloud technology. Major IT analytical companies behaved in a very supportive way with regards to this option. Navigate your browser to the following article in Info World – Gartner endorse private clouds…

However, I figured out that Gartner just made a flip flop. Read another InfoWord article that was published about a week ago – Gartner flip-flop: try private cloud first by David Linthicum. The article contains few links on Gartner reports. If you have a time over the weekend or later this week – have a read and make your conclusion. I found the following passage interesting:

Adding virtualization to your data center does not make it a private cloud, so server huggers needs to move beyond that approach. This [Gartner opinion] is refreshing to hear, considering that my consulting life has revolved around explaining the differences between virtualization and cloud computing lately. To be clear, adding virtualization does not make it a cloud. Clouds, including private clouds, don’t require virtualization, but they do need self-provisioning, use-based accounting, multitenancy, and APIs, among other cloud attributes.

The next passage of David’s article emphasizes even more one of the core elements of data re-branding in so-called “private clouds”:

The trouble is that hardware and software vendors have gone gaga over the concept of private clouds, using it as a new argument for you to purchase more IT gear. There’s a been a ton of confusion around just what a private cloud is and does, as they push the same old stuff rebranded as “cloud.” I find that most enterprise technology consumers don’t know what a private cloud really is, but instead latch on to the idea they can continue to hug servers. We love our servers.

I found it specially interesting in the context of on-going conversation about how the future of PLM cloud will look like. In another post “Cloud, Head’s-down drafters and Technological analogies” I’ve been talking about a potential confusion around PLM cloud software and how to  differentiate multiple ways to implement PLM on the cloud – new multitenant cloud systems and existing PLM systems cloud re-branding.

What is my conclusion? Companies will decide how to adopt the cloud. The interesting thing, I discovered this week – it won’t be a linear process. IT is trying to establish a running pathway to get existing software on the cloud in a very gradual way. It includes planning, validation, etc… However, urgent business pains and short opportunity will provide an advantage for cloud providers to offer their services to companies at the time they needed with the right speed and cost. It will be interesting to see all flip-flop that will happen to IT on this way. Just my thoughts..

Best, Oleg

  • Share/Bookmark
  • Oleg,

    Like anything - scratch that - like EVERYTHING else in IT - its all about the definition.

    I always found it amusing when SAP said they did PLM - well if you define PLM as a glorified folder system for tracking and versioning documents over time - then yea - but I don't think anyone in the real PLM commuity defines the capability that way.

    Cloud has the same problem. Gartner, Forrester, IDC, eieio advisory firm "hype" "Cloud" as the next great thing and every IT marketing department goes off and rebrands (lots of cut and paste) their current capabilities as Cloud something.

    Value creation of any capability is in maturation - and value realization is in $$$ (Rev up / Cost down / cycle time reduction / speed to market / ...).

    So my question is - if Cloud (fill in the blank) doesn't include some form of a multitenancy capability - then how will value be realized?

    Airline Computer Reservation Systems / Global Distribution Systems - CRS/GDS - are an example of Private Vertical Cloud - and I definately see Verticalization playing a role in private clouds - but even here it includes a multitenant capability.

  • beyondplm

    Michael, thanks for the comment and sharing some examples. I think, in the beginning SaaS was equal to the cloud. And therefore, many jumped in by saying "delivery" is important. But future discovery shows that "utilization" is even more important, since it brings a next level of "cost structure" to the customers. True cloud systems need to be delivered with a next cost level and, therefore it will be disruptive. Just my thoughts... Best, Oleg

  • Awolf777

    Strong situation: I'm really don't understand "private cloud". Cloud: servers must be in cloud. If company hold servers in own server farm - that's NOT cloud. :)

  • beyondplm

    this is a place where things get complicated. what if... your server farm is located in the cloud (i.e. the same colocation data center used by "cloud service providers")?

blog comments powered by Disqus

Previous post:

Next post: