Businesses everywhere are seeing that ‘the cloud’ is making life easier for end users and leaders to get the information they need, make decisions when and where they need to make them, and take advantage of modern and powerful software at an affordable price. Cloud applications have changed the way that companies do business, providing more agility and flexibility than ever before as they moved up the ladder from personal use to small businesses to the enterprise. However, just as the cloud has grown and evolved—so has the “fake cloud,” on-premises applications dressed up to look like cloud solutions.
Unfortunately, many businesses still fail to see the fake cloud warning signs until it’s too late, and to address this, we released a new guide to debunk the myths. True Cloud vs. Fake Cloud—How to Identify and Understand Differences in Cloud Software is a free guide written by the MIBAR team designed to help decision makers understand the reality behind deployment options, discussing how to identify a fake cloud application before it’s too late.
How Did It End Up Like This?
Throughout the 90s and 2000s, the cloud was a new concept considered too dangerous for the enterprise. However, time passed and the cloud vendors continued to improve the functionality, reliability, and availability of the products they offered and by the late 2000s, the cloud started to become more and more viable. On-premises vendors continued to deny this reality, ignoring the threat that the cloud posed to their business—until it was too late.
Throughout the early 2010s, these vendors pushed forward the idea that the cloud couldn’t live up to the hype, couldn’t meet the needs of major enterprises or global organizations, and couldn’t provide the security or uptime that an on-site server room could. They relied on an aging group of decision makers afraid of the ‘risks’ that came with storing data elsewhere.
The cloud push continued. Companies continued to trust the cloud, and by the time the on-premises vendors were on board, they were behind the eight ball. The final death knell for traditional on-premises-first software came in the past couple years when Gartner retailored its Magic Quadrants and Critical Capabilities reports to exclude on-premises applications, only accepting vendors who met specific “cloud” criteria.
This didn’t stop these companies, who “re-imagined” their products as cloud solutions. Thanks to savvy marketing, they look like “true cloud” solutions and promise to deliver the distinct advantages of “true cloud” solutions, but…they’re not.
True Cloud vs. Fake Cloud: How to Identify and Understand the Differences in Cloud Software
We discussed the concept in a blog earlier this year, but to give even more clarity on this subject, we recently released an in-depth guide for decision makers looking to understand what it means to be “in the cloud.”
True Cloud vs. Fake Cloud: How to Identify and Understand the Differences in Cloud Software was written to provide the answers that you need about the difference between “True Cloud” solutions and “Fake Cloud” products, giving readers a framework for making an informed decision. By reading this guide, decision makers will gain deeper understanding of the multiple deployment options, learn to decipher what it means to be a ‘true cloud’ solution, and read about the benefits of avoiding fake cloud options. The guide explores the following:
- The history of business management software and the rise of fake cloud solutions
- Issues and shortcomings of fake cloud applications
- Benefits and reasons to choose a true cloud solution
- A brief guide to the available options when selecting a true cloud solution
Those interested in receiving the True Cloud vs. Fake Cloud guide can learn more by previewing it below on SlideShare and downloading the entire whitepaper here.
