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IoT could usher in a post-cloud world

The cloud will stay with us for another 15-20 years until the cycle changes and swings back again to enterprise, writes Ian Collard,  the managing director of IdentityMethods.co.uk.

Post cloud  – or AC (after cloud) – will be brought about by ridiculously cheap technology, security scares, deskilling and easier to use systems such as the Internet of Things. Whatever the trigger, something will lead to bringing the crown jewels back in-house. The cloud is, after all, just a modern version of the computer bureau.

The work environment will be a very different place in 2030, refined by the skills our children will have developed for when they enter the workplace.

Looking at right now, the market has already begun to move away from the bolt on suites from the likes of SAP and Oracle and is moving in a more self-contained and cloud based direction.

What are you waiting for?
Well, you’re actually waiting for your IT department to have their handcuffs taken off by your IT Security department. You’re going to put all of our HR data in the cloud?  It’s going offshore? It’s subject to the US Patriot Act?

Nobody told you that stuff, so suddenly IT security are all over it. Where are the safeguards? IT needs to develop a cloud federation capability to share your user names and passwords, you need to extend the reach of your identity and access management.

What’s going on here? None of that was on the menu when you made the decision, but that’s how it plays. Technology decisions need to be thoroughly thought through.

But all this time business needs to stay smart and understand from their colleagues in IT about the implications of strategic change. We often hear the mantra of: “IT should support the business” and that is perfectly true, however, whether for good or ill, often IT is the business.

The business cannot function without it and the systems we choose reflect directly on our ability to function as management.