The Top 10 Cloud Myths

01October2014

G00270265

Analyst(s):DavidMitchellSmith
(http://www.gartner.com/analyst/6992)

Summary

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Cloudcomputingisuniquelysusceptibletotheconfusion
andhypethatsurroundsit.Here,weprovideatop10listof
themostcommonmisconceptionsthatCIOsshouldlook
outfor.

Overview
Key Findings
Cloudcomputingisuniquelysusceptibletotheperilsofmythsduetothenature,confusionandhype
surroundingit.
Mythsslowusdown,impedeinnovationandscareus,thusdistractingusfromrealprogress,
innovationandoutcomes.
Themostprevalentmythaboutthecloudisthatitalwayssavesmoney.

Recommendations
CIOsshould:
Neverassumethateveryonehasthesameunderstanding,view,expectationsorevendefinitionof
cloudcomputing.
Ignoretheextremepolarizingviewsthatcanresultfromcloudcomputingmythsthatcanbe
contradictory.
Avoid"onesizefitsall"andoverlysimplisticanswerstocomplexsituationscloudisnotonething.
Maintainsightofbusinessgoalsandalignthepotentialbenefits(anddrawbacks)ofcloudcomputing
withthem.

TableofContents
Analysis
Myth1:CloudIsAlwaysAboutMoney
Myth2:YouHavetoBeCloudtoBeGood
Myth3:CloudShouldBeUsedforEverything
Myth4:"TheCEOSaidSo"IsaCloudStrategy
Myth5:WeNeedOneCloudStrategyorVendor
Myth6:CloudIsLessSecureThanOnPremises
Capabilities
Myth7:CloudIsNotforMissionCriticalUse
Myth8:Cloud=DataCenter
Myth9:MigratingtotheCloudMeansYouAutomatically
GetAllCloudCharacteristics
Myth10:Virtualization=PrivateCloud
GartnerRecommendedReading

Analysis

Cloudcomputing,byitsverynature,isuniquelysusceptibletotheperilsofmyths.Itisallaboutcapabilities
deliveredasaservice,withaclearboundarybetweentheprovideroftheserviceandtheconsumer.From
aconsumerperspective,"inthecloud"meanswherethemagichappens,wheretheimplementationdetails
aresupposedtobehidden.Soitshouldbenosurprisethatsuchanenvironmentisrifewithmythsand
misunderstandings.
Evenwithamostlyagreedonformaldefinition(see"NISTandGartnerCloudApproachesAreMoreSimilar
ThanDifferent"(/doc/code/173137?ref=ddisp)),multipleperspectivesandagendasstillconspireto
mystifythesubjectevermore.Addtothistheincessanthype(see"HypeCycleforCloudComputing,
2014"(/doc/code/263850?ref=ddisp))andwegettheresultantconfusionthatpermeatesIT(andbeyond)
today.
Mythsaresometimesharmlessbuttheydohaveaneffectonhowweapproachsolutions:
Theyslowusdownanddistractusfromtherealissuesandtherealsolutions.
Theycancauseustomakedecisionsbasedonassumptionsthatarewrong,orevendangerous.
Theyimpedeinnovation.
Theyslowprogresstowardrealgoalsandrealaccomplishmentsandoutcomes.
Theyscareus.Manymythsarerootedinfearandmisunderstanding.Theycandrivedecisionsand
strategiesbasedonfearandthisleadstooversimplificationsandmantrasthataretherealdangers.
Thereisnoshortageofcandidatesforthetop10cloudmyths.Belowisalistthathighlightssomeofthe
mostdangerousandmisleadingones.

Myth 1: Cloud Is Always About Money

RarelyarefinancialconsiderationsnotpartofanITdecisionprocess,especiallywhenthatprocess
concernscloudcomputing.However,theprevalentmythaboutthecloudisthatitalwayssavesmoney.
Whilethisissometimesthecase,therearemanyotherreasonscitedformigratingtothecloud,themost
commonofwhichisforagility.
Gartner's2014CIOsurveyshowsthatcostsavingsaccountforonly14%ofthereasonsfororganizations'
useofthepubliccloud(see"TamingtheDigitalDragon:The2014CIOAgenda"(/doc/code/261080?
ref=ddisp)).Whilepricesaredropping,especiallyforinfrastructureasaservice(IaaS),notallcloud
servicepricingiscomingdown(forexample,mostsoftwareasaservice[SaaS]).Assumingthatthecloud
alwayssavesmoneycanleadtocareerlimitingpromises.Savingmoneymayenduponeofthebenefits,
butitshouldnotbetakenforgranted.
Manymythsalsohaveseeminglycontradictorycountermythsinthiscase,thebeliefthatan
organizationiscapableofmatchingorbeatingthepricepointsofthepubliccloud.Countermythsare
usuallyaresultofdifferentperspectivesandpersonasandcanleadtoextremesthatappeartobe
contradictory.Therealityisthattheseextremepositionsareheldbydifferentpeoplenotthatwefind
singleindividualsbelievingbothextremes.Whileitistruethatsomeveryefficientorganizationswith
extremelyhighvolumeneedscanindeedruninfrastructurecostsefficiently,thisisnotthenorm.Often,
calculationstryingtoprovethis"conveniently"omitrealestate,utilityandothertypesofcosts.
Advice:Don'tassumeyouwillsavemoneyunlessyouhavedonethehardworkofhonestlyanalyzingthe
situation.Utilizetotalcostofownershipandothermodelsonacasebycasebasis.Segmentcloudintouse
cases.Lookbeyondcostissues.Also,becertaintocheckwithfinancialspecialistsabouttheimplications
thataswitchfromcapitalexpenditure(capex)tooperatingexpenditure(opex)mayhave.Don'tassume
thatopexisalwaysbetterthancapex.Keeprevisitinganalysisasthemarketandpriceschangeoften.

Myth 2: You Have to Be Cloud to Be Good

Thisisthemanifestationoframpant"cloudwashing"(referringtothetendencytocallthingscloudthatare
not).Itisnotjustvendorsthatdothis,althoughmanyhavebeenguiltyofit.Somecloudwashingis
accidentalandaresultoflegitimateconfusion,butsomeisalsobasedonamistakenmantra(fedbyhype)
thatsomethingcannotbe"good"unlessitiscloud.ITorganizationsarealsoincreasinglycallingmany
thingscloudaspartoftheireffortstogainfundingandmeetnebulousclouddemandsandstrategies.The
resultantmythisthatpeoplearefallingintothetrapofbelievingthatifsomethingisgoodithastobecloud
orthatifitisnotcloudbaseditcannotbegood.
Advice:Callthingswhattheyare.Manyothercapabilities(e.g.,automation,virtualization)and
characteristicscanbegoodanddonotneedtobecloudwashed.Allowthesestrategiestostandontheir
own.Avoidmisplacedexpectations.

Myth 3: Cloud Should Be Used for Everything

ThisisrelatedtoMyth2andreferstothebeliefthattheactualcharacteristicsofthecloudareapplicable
to,ordesirablefor,everything.Clearly,therearesomeusecaseswherethereisagreatfit.Examples
includehighlyvariableorunpredictableworkloads,caseswherethereareclearsavings,andthosewhere
selfserviceprovisioningandreprovisioningarekey.Thecloudfitswherevalueisplacedonflexibilityand
thebusinesshastheabilitytoconsumeandpayforonlywhatisneededwhenneeded.However,notall
applicationsandworkloadsbenefitfromthecloud.Unlesstherearecostsavings,movingalegacy
applicationthatdoesn'tchangeisnotagoodcandidate.
Advice:Thecloudmaynotbenefitallworkloadsequally.Neverassumethatitdoes.Analyzeapplications
onacasebycasebasis.Don'tbeafraidtoproposenoncloudsolutionswhenappropriate.

Myth 4: "The CEO Said So" Is a Cloud Strategy

Whenaskedaboutwhattheircloudstrategyis,manycompaniesdon'thaveoneandthedefaultisoften
(statedornot)thattheyarejustdoingwhattheirCEOwants.SometimestheCEOhasactuallydictated
thatthecloudisthestrategy(withoutaconnectiontoanactualbusinessgoal).Notunlikeotherexamples
of"airlinemagazinesyndrome,"hypeandunrealisticexpectationsareoftenbehindtheinterest.Thisisnot
acloudstrategyandisoftenbasedononeormoreofthemythsoutlinedinthisnote.
Advice:Acloudstrategybeginsbyidentifyingbusinessgoalsandmappingpotentialbenefitsofthecloud
tothem,whilemitigatingthepotentialdrawbacks.Cloudshouldbethoughtofasameanstoanend.The
endmustbespecifiedfirst.

Myth 5: We Need One Cloud Strategy or Vendor

Itisnaturaltowanttosimplifyandstandardize.However,cloudcomputingisnotonethingandacloud
strategyhastobebasedonthisreality.Cloudservicesarebroadandspanmultiplelevels(IaaS,SaaS),
models("liftandshift,"cloudnative),scope(internal,external)andapplications.Thenatureofcloud
servicesandexistinginteroperabilitystandardscanmaketheissueoflimitingoptionslessimportant,as
thosedetailsareoftenhiddenfromtheconsumer.However,evenifonevendorandonestrategyis
possible,manysignificantcompromiseswillfrequentlyhavetobemade.Insuchcases,focusingonthe
underlyingtacticscanbejustasimportantastheoverallstrategy.
Advice:Acloudstrategyshouldbebasedonaligningbusinessgoalswithpotentialbenefits.Thosegoals
andbenefitsaredifferentinvarioususecasesandshouldbethedrivingforceforbusinesses,ratherthan
anyattemptstostandardizeononeofferingorstrategy.Asinglecloudstrategymakessenseifitmakes
useofadecisionframeworkthatallowsforandexpectsmultipleanswers.

Myth 6: Cloud Is Less Secure Than On-Premises Capabilities

Cloudcomputingisperceivedaslesssecure.Thisismoreofatrustissuethanbasedonanyreasonable
analysisofactualsecuritycapabilities.Todate,therehavebeenveryfewsecuritybreachesinthepublic
cloudmostbreachescontinuetoinvolveonpremisesdatacenterenvironments.Themajorityofcloud
providersinvestsignificantlyinsecuritytechnologyandpersonnelandrealizethattheirbusinesswouldbe
atriskwithoutdoingso.However,assumingtheyaresecureisnotadvised.
Thereisalsoanopposingviewthatcloudplatformsareactuallymoresecurethanonpremisesplatforms.
Thismay,infact,betrueformanysmallormidsizebusinesses,someofwhichcannotmakethenecessary
securityinvestments,andevenforsomelargeenterprisesthatrecognizethattheirsecurityeffortsmaybe
lacking.
Securityisnotonemonolithicentity.Itisalsoimportanttoidentifywheresecurityresponsibilityliesand
wherethedividinglineis.Forexample,ifacustomerusesacloudIaaSprovider,thatprovideris
responsibleforIaaSlevelsecurity,butthecustomermustowntheoverallsecuritystrategyandtake
ownershipofapplicationandotherhigherlevelsecurityissues.
Advice:Don'tassumethatcloudprovidersarenotsecure,butalsodon'tassumetheyare.Cloud
providersshouldhavetodemonstratetheircapabilities,butoncetheyhavedonesothereisnoreasonto
believetheirofferingscannotbesecure.Thereareenterpriseswhosesecuritycapabilitiesareformidable,
butsoarethecapabilitiesofmostcloudproviders.However,thesecuritylevelsofcloudproviderswillvary.
Assessyouractualcapabilitiesandyourpotentialprovider'scapabilitiesandholdbothtoreasonable
standards.Assumingonpremisescapabilitiesaremoresecurecanleadtoafalsesenseofsecurity.

Myth 7: Cloud Is Not for Mission-Critical Use

Cloudcomputingisnotallornothing.Itisbeingadopted(andshouldbeadopted)instepsandinspecific
cases.Therefore,itisnotsurprisingthatearlyusecases(e.g.,development/test)aremostlynotfor
missioncriticalsystems.However,manyorganizationshaveprogressedbeyondearlyusecasesand
experimentationandareutilizingthecloudformissioncriticalworkloads.Someoftheseusesaretrue
cloudservices(SaaS,cloudnative),whileothersarehostedmodelswherethecloudbenefitsareata
lowerlevelbutstillrepresentagenuineuse.Therearealsomanyenterprises(notjustsmallstartupsany
more)thatare"borninthecloud"andruntheirbusiness(clearlymissioncritical)completelyinthecloud.
Advice:Missioncriticalcanmeandifferentthings.Ifitmeanscomplexsystems,approachessuchas
takingaphasedapproachcaneasethemovementtothecloud.Hybridsolutionscanalsoplayakeyrole.

Myth 8: Cloud = Data Center

Mostclouddecisionsarenot(andshouldnotbe)aboutcompletelyshuttingdowndatacentersandmoving
everythingtothecloud.Acloudstrategyshouldalsonotbeequatedwithadatacenterstrategy.Neither
shouldbedoneinavacuumyouneedtohavedatacenterspaceforthingsnotinthecloudand,ifyou
movethingsoutofthedatacenter,thereareimplications.Buttheyarenotthesamething.Ingeneral,
datacenteroutsourcing,datacentermodernizationanddatacenterstrategiesarenotsynonymouswith
thecloud.
Itiscommonforpeoplefocusedononearea(datacenter,forexample)tothinkcloudcomputingisonly
aboutthat.Continueduseoftheterm"clouds"(ratherthancloudservices)leadstotheperceptionthat
cloud=datacenter.Thefocusshouldbemoreoncloudservices.Therearemultiplecloudserviceseven
withinvendorcloudofferings.Forexample,withinAmazonWebServicesthereexistsAmazonElastic
ComputeCloud(EC2),AmazonS3cloudstorageandAmazonElasticBlockStore(EBS).
Advice:Lookatclouddecisionsonaworkloadbyworkloadbasis,ratherthantakingan"allornothing"
approach.Cloudanddatacenteroutsourcingstrategiesarerelatedbuttheyarenotthesamething.
Assumingthatcloudis"allornothing"leadstothewronganalysis.Looktolinkcloudanddatacenter
strategies.Focusoncloudservicesandserviceinterfaces.

Myth 9: Migrating to the Cloud Means You Automatically Get All Cloud Characteristics

Cloudcomputinghasuniqueattributesandcharacteristics.Gartner'scloudattributesincludescalability
andelasticitytheyuseservicebased(andselfservice)Internettechnologiestheyareshared(and
uniform)andmeteredbyuse.Manymigrationstothecloudare"liftandshift"rehosting,orother
movementsthatdonotexhibitthesecharacteristicsathigherlevels.Being"hostedinthecloud"(evenifon
cloudIaaS)doesnotmeanthatwhatishostedisalsoacloudservice.Thereareothertypesofcloud
migration(refactoringandrewriting,forexample)thattypicallydooffermoreofthesecharacteristics.The
mostcommonusecaseforthecloud,however,isnewapplications.
Advice:Don'tassumethat"migratingtothecloud"meansthatthecharacteristicsofthecloudare
automaticallyinheritedfromlowerlevels(likeIaaS).Cloudattributesarenottransitive.Distinguishbetween
applicationshostedinthecloudfromcloudservices.Thereare"halfsteps"tothecloudthathavesome
benefits(thereisnoneedtobuyhardware,forexample)andthesecanbevaluable.However,theydonot
providethesameoutcomes.

Myth 10: Virtualization = Private Cloud

Virtualizationisacommonlyusedenablingtechnologyforcloudcomputing.However,itisnottheonlyway
toimplementcloudcomputing(establishedSaaSvendorssuchassalesforce.commakeverylimiteduseof
it,whilenewapproachessuchascontainerizationaregainingtraction).Notonlyisitnotnecessary,itisnot
sufficienteither.Evenifvirtualizationisused(andusedwell),theresultisnotcloudcomputing.Thisis
mostrelevantinprivateclouddiscussionswherehighlyvirtualized,automatedenvironmentsarecommon
and,inmanycases,areexactlywhatisneeded.Unfortunately,theseareoftenerroneouslydescribedas
"privatecloud"(seeMyth3above).
Advice:Usetherighttermtodescribewhatyouarebuilding.Youdon'thavetobecloudtobegood.
Avoidmissettingexpectationsandaddingtocloudconfusion.

Gartner Recommended Reading

SomedocumentsmaynotbeavailableaspartofyourcurrentGartnersubscription.
"TamingtheDigitalDragon:The2014CIOAgenda"(/doc/code/261080?ref=ddisp)
"HypeCycleforCloudComputing,2014"(/doc/code/263850?ref=ddisp)
"NISTandGartnerCloudApproachesAreMoreSimilarThanDifferent"(/doc/code/173137?ref=ddisp)
"ComparingDataCenterCostsWithPublicIaaSCloudServices"(/doc/code/228692?
ref=ddisp&latest=true)
"PrivateCloudComputing:TargetServicesThatNeedAgility"(/doc/code/230747?ref=ddisp)
"AgendaOverviewforCloudComputing,2014"(/doc/code/259456?ref=ddisp)

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