Fear of the Cloud

For me, cloud computing is one of those topics where it’s good to know the general information about it but that’s all I need to know.  After researching this topic online I have found out that there are various types of fear surrounding this subject.  For example, the Intelligent Enterprise Blog had this to say about cloud computing:

Fear means that people are just plain afraid of cloud computing and view it as something that will lead to massive failure of core enterprise systems: Fear that data will be lost, data will be compromised, and any fear that one could have when considering cloud computing. In more basic terms, fear that the systems not under your direct control will crash, and there is nothing you can do about it. This is clearly a people issue, again, and you must teach those who fear cloud computing about the benefits, as well as address the fears directly. Listen carefully to their concerns, and then address those concerns.

Control means that people view their role within IT as significant, and that they should continue to control all architectural assets. Thus they feel everything should remain within the data center. These are the “need to hug my server” crowd, and this is another people issue. Some people won’t allow cloud computing due to control issues, no matter what business benefits you present to them.

I find it funny when people are afraid of  technology.  What is it really going to take over in their lives that they aren’t willing to give up to reap the benefits of technology?  Sure it’s a bit creepy sometimes when you realize that you can be tracked at any moment through your phone, but technological advancements have naturally become part of our evolution.  If cloud computing didn’t exist the average Joe wouldn’t be able to create a company, transforming  himself into Joe Millionaire.  This is a huge benefit cloud computing offers to anyone with a computer.  This advancement is amazing!  While it’s understandable for people to be skeptical and research out the topic, I think that having technophobia is a little extreme.  If we understand the capabilities of new technologies there is no reason why we shouldn’t jump in and take advantage of the benefits cloud computing.