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Cloud contracts have become notorious for their unfair and non-negotiable terms which often leave companies tied into deals that don’t fully meet their business needs.

It is a common misconception that by moving to the Cloud , businesses are relinquishing all control of their data. Generally speaking, many companies fail to take the time to fully understand Cloud computing and in this vein, feel reluctant to outsource business-critical data to the Cloud.  

We’ve all heard it before: “cloud computing is so much more cost effective than in-house IT – move to the cloud and start saving today!” and “cloud computing will revitalise the British economy – sign up today for a free trial!”

We have to face facts: cloud uptake is on the rise – indeed, deployments are set to double by 2015 , and up to 200,000 UK jobs will be created by cloud computing technologies between 2011 and 2015. CIOs therefore have to accept that cloud is here, and here to stay. So what considerations must a CIO make when moving to the cloud, even if he entirely unwilling to do so?! Below, I have outlined some tips for any CIO who is either looking to move to the cloud, or indeed, is being pushed into making the move by his CFO or CEO...

Will an increasing uptake in cloud technologies lead to an increasing amount of “screw-ups” in the cloud?

Anyone that has seen Channel 4’s highly rated The IT Crowd will understand what I mean when I say that the IT support staff in the sitcom are not held in the highest of regards by the rest of Reynholm Industries’ employees. Indeed, the majority of the sitcom is set in the IT team’s office, or rather, their dark, dingy and unkempt basement, which is in stark contrast to the shining modern architecture and London views enjoyed by the rest of the organisation. Furthermore, despite the company's dependence on their services, the IT department is despised, and generally ignored, by the rest of the staff.

Whilst Cloud Computing is still very much in its infancy, I expect great things are still to come for the industry once cruelly referred to as "just another fad". Below, I outline my predictions for the year ahead and where I see Cloud Computing technologies heading in 2012.

Power outages such as those experienced by the likes of Amazon, Google and Microsoft in recent months are not only hugely embarrassing for the cloud giants, but also incredibly disruptive for the affected users.

With the advent of Cloud Computing, businesses are able to pool resources, and form partnerships with other companies in the Cloud much more readily than they would have been able to do ten years ago. Indeed, ecosystems are forming across all verticals and across businesses of all sizes because storing data and applications in the "ether" makes it far easier for others to access that information for themselves. Furthermore, pooling resources in the Cloud could mean that two companies agree to share the cost of a virtualised server, resulting in reduced capital expenditure for both.

High profile power outages, such as those suffered by Amazon, Microsoft and Google in recent months are continuing to mar the Cloud computing industry. But many Cloud service providers are attempting to lessen the frustrations of the thousands who are faced with significant downtime by pledging to pay out compensation to all affected customers. Indeed, many providers are starting to guarantee a "four nines" (99.99%), or even a "five nines" (99.999%), SLA with regards to uptime. Such SLAs state that if the end-user receives less than 99.99 or 99.999% uptime, they will receive an agreed amount of compensation.