The term “Cloud” is being increasingly used and analyzed in the IT market. Cloud Services are synonymous with innovative features that clearly differ from the traditional utility computing. Clouds are by definition flexible, dynamic, scalable and heterogeneous, with three defined categories: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). These qualities have proved to be very positive for IT engineering and businesses.
Nevertheless, and because of its novelty, technical and business evolution, the Cloud Computing market presents a certain number of obstacles for companies interested in moving to the Cloud, especially in the early stages.
Decision makers face a sizable considerable number of challenges when considering moving to the Cloud, especially with regards to the following obstacles:
- Pricing policies
- Neutral market place
- Technical standardization
- Lock-in policies
- Data protection and security policies
- Cloud security testing
This paper analyzes these challenges, offering factual, theoretical and practical reasons for the slow take-off of the Cloud Computing market. It also analyzes possible instances to overcome these difficulties, describing Zimory's position and practical solutions to address these market obstacles.