Cloud Computing: We’re here to help you get it right

This week, we are pleased to launch the new ADMA Cloud Computing Checklist that assists Australian marketers navigate their way through the cloud computing maze.

Over the past few months, cloud computing has received much media attention particularly with Apple launching iCloud earlier this year. For marketers, cloud computing is presented as a solution to the ‘big data’ problem by facilitating the efficient management and use of large databases. This is an issue that will face us all in the near future with data proliferation at a record-high and showing no signs of slowing down. In the IBM Global CMO Study 2011, launched last week, ‘the explosion of data’ was identified as being one of the four key challenges that CMOs worldwide are confronting, with 90% of today’s world data having been created in the last two years alone.

This is where cloud computing comes in as it can offer more scalable, secure, flexible and cost effective environments than can be created using the resources of a single enterprise. This has already been recognised in Australia, which has been a huge adopter of cloud computing. A study conducted by Frost & Sullivan in May 2011 shows Australia continues to lead the adoption of cloud computing in Asia Pacific with 43% of enterprises now using the cloud in some form. The reasons for making the transition differ, but a study by UK-based Cloud Industry Forum shows that the key priority for most businesses was data backup (42% of those surveyed), closely followed by email management (39%), data storage (39%), collaboration tools (26%) and IT operations management (25%).

Although there are clear advantages to cloud computing, the biggest inhibitor to adoption is concern around data security and privacy risks. For this reason, ADMA has developed the Cloud Computing Checklist – an easy to use guide to ensuring you can reap the benefits of cloud computing whilst ensuring you do it right.

The ADMA Cloud Computing Checklist will be added to the regulatory and compliance tools that we make available to ADMA members through ADMA Dialogue. Be sure to check it out.

Jodie Sangster
Email: jodie.sangster@adma.com.au