Does every cloud have a silver lining?

Cloud computing is a buzzword used to describe information infrastructure, software and services hosted on the internet rather than on personal computers. We asked two cloud experts to discuss the pros and cons for project managers.

For - Graham Fern, MD of IT solutions business axon-IT

In my view, cloud computing should be hugely beneficial to project managers enabling Gantt charts, budgets, etc to be held in a hosted environment, which can then be accessed by the team members whatever their location via web access.

Taking a current example of a relevant application, Microsoft Project Server 2007 enables you to effectively manage and co-ordinate projects, ranging from one-time projects to complex programmes across the entire project life cycle, designed to be accessible via web access.

Depending on who needs access to what level of data, project team members are able to input updates informing the project manager when activity has been completed. And depending on the actual completion date of these tasks, and whether they are ahead or behind schedule, the forecast completion dates on various dependent activity, etc will adjust in accordance so a true real time picture can be assimilated. For the provision of further detail, the package also lets you upload documents in Word, Excel etc, which can be saved as attachments.

Cloud computing also brings a fundamental change in our working patterns, as we can setup anywhere, plug in to the internet and go. Project managers are able to access all their data and line of business applications anytime, any place.

In terms of cost savings these are very transparent. A small business can rent the services they require without any capital upfront costs, meaning no hardware maintenance, no air conditioning in your server room, no IT staff required, no office space requirements, no hardware or software going out of date, no backup issues, the list goes on and on. It is easy to see the appeal pay a monthly cost to an IT service supplier and have all your IT requirements sorted without having to spend millions on running your own data centre.

The only caveat is connectivity all business must have reliable fault tolerant internet connectivity, without it they will cease to function in an IT sense.

Regarding security, if anything security couldnt be better. All your data is on the best hardware, in the most secure physical environment, power protected, continually monitored, continually updated, run by the best IT staff. There is no such thing as 100 per cent safe but it is the next best thing.

To conclude, the background to cloud computing is nothing special it has always been technically possible to provide a cloud computing service, but typically going back a few years most users only had dial up modems running at 56k so only the cash rich businesses could afford high speed connectivity needed to run or access remote data, but with the advent and massive growth of broadband and cheap connectivity to Internet the ability to deliver this service to the masses is now a reality.

• axon-IT is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and small business specialist, providing managed, outsourced IT services. For more information call 0845 313 0025 or go to www.axon-it.com.

Against - Graham Oakes, principal of independent consultancy Graham Oakes Ltd

Most projects already operate within a cloud: Stakeholders with hidden agendas; prevaricating sponsors; fuzzy estimates; key team members who get poached by other projects. Why would I want to put my tools into a cloud as well?

OK, there are some benefits on the face of it I can turn on functionality and capacity as I need it; someone else manages the infrastructure for me; I get access to some new tools. But these benefits come with some significant downsides. Consider the following for starters:

• Connectivity. Cloud computing only works when Im connected. If Im on a flight or working from a location with limited internet access, then I lose access to my documents and tools. I can solve this by downloading everything to my laptop, but that pretty well negates the whole concept of the cloud.
• Security. Projects are about gaining competitive advantage we develop new capabilities in order to help our organisations compete. This means that the data we manage is often sensitive. Before I can entrust this data to an external third party, I need cast iron guarantees that its integrity will be maintained. Few cloud vendors are willing to provide such guarantees.
• Integration. If I need multiple tools, Ill probably end up dealing with multiple cloud vendors. It now falls on me to integrate these tools, and to manage end-to-end service provision. Likewise if I need to integrate my project management tools with other enterprise applications, say for financial management. For internal tools, this has probably already been done.
• Economics. Monthly per-user fees look great for short projects and small numbers of users. As the project grows, they can become crippling. Theres a point where its cheaper to run and manage my own infrastructure.
• Vendor reliability. Many Cloud applications are provided by small vendors who are still looking for a business model. What happens if they go bust in the middle of my project? Ill need to get my data back. Ill need to find a replacement tool. Ill need to retrain everyone. Do I need this risk? (Choosing a large vendor doesnt eliminate this risk Google wont go bust any day soon, but its still looking for a business model for its cloud applications. If it cant find one, it will shut them down, as happened recently with the Lively service.)

Underneath all this, the cloud is a fuzzy concept it means vastly different things to different people. Software as a Service? Grid computing? Web 2.0? These have all somehow become entangled in the cloud. This suggests that many people are looking at the cloud not for what it is, but for what it isnt

The reality is, if an organisation has trouble getting its in-house IT team to deliver effective services, then it will probably have trouble getting a cloud vendor to deliver those services. The cloud just adds another layer of technical and contractual complexity to the picture.

• Graham Oakes helps people untangle complex technology, relationships, processes and governance. He is currently principal of independent consultancy Graham Oakes Ltd. He can be contacted at graham@grahamoakes.co.uk.