Myths, Facts and Reality

When vendors stop talking about a technology then you can rest assured that the technology is dead or getting mature.  In the case of the cloud the later applies; however knowing The (Real) State of the Cloud, 2011 becomes more difficult because the hype is overshadowed by reality and vendors don’t like reality at the dog and pony shows.
Cloud Computing (August 15, 2011)

Hidden Expenses Can Kill the ROI

Vendors love to provide the raw data for your ROI because there are always gotchas that pop up that you don’t think about.  In Preparing for the Real Costs of Cloud Computing there are going to be some substantial surprises if you are very careful in turning over every rock.

InfoWorld (August 15, 2011)

Fast Isn't a Given

By their nature clouds have multiple users on the same virtual machine and there’s the rub:  Cloud Performance Isn't Always Stable.  You can get a guaranteed performance in your contract but that clause won't be cheap…and you cost savings may evaporate very quickly.  Make sure you get what you want in writing and if your cloud vendor balks, you walk.
Cloud Computing (August 18, 2011)