New Open Group Survey Aims to Understand Cloud Computing ROI and Business Drivers

By Chris Harding, The Open Group

What are the real business benefits from using the Cloud that enterprises see today?

To help answer this question, The Open Group has launched its second annual study to gather information about the evolving business requirements for Cloud Computing and examine the measurable business drivers and ROI to be gained.

We are specifically looking for input from end-user organizations about their business requirements, concerns with implementing Cloud initiatives, and tools for measuring Cloud ROI. We would greatly appreciate your insight and encourage you to spend a few minutes completing the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TheOpenGroup_2012CloudROI

The Open Group Cloud Computing Work Group exists to create a common understanding among buyers and suppliers of how enterprises of all sizes and scales of operation can include Cloud Computing technology in a safe and secure way in their architectures to realize its significant cost, scalability and agility benefits. It includes some of the industry’s leading Cloud providers and end-user organizations, collaborating on standard models and frameworks aimed at eliminating vendor lock-in for enterprises looking to benefit from Cloud products and services. It has created a series of whitepapers, guides and standards to help business approach and implement Cloud Computing initiatives, which are available from download from The Open Group bookstore. The Open Group book, Cloud Computing for Business, gives managers reliable and independent guidance that will help to support decisions and actions.

The results of the survey will contribute to our future work and will be publicly available for the benefit of the industry as a whole.

Dr. Chris Harding is Director for Interoperability and SOA at The Open Group. He has been with The Open Group for more than ten years, and is currently responsible for managing and supporting its work on interoperability, including SOA and interoperability aspects of Cloud Computing. Before joining The Open Group, he was a consultant, and a designer and development manager of communications software. With a PhD in mathematical logic, he welcomes the current upsurge of interest in semantic technology, and the opportunity to apply logical theory to practical use. He has presented at Open Group and other conferences on a range of topics, and contributes articles to on-line journals. He is a member of the BCS, the IEEE, and the AOGEA, and is a certified TOGAF practitioner.