Although aimed to explain what is the cloud hype all about it did point out that corporate spending will reach a whopping $42 billion by 2012(source:IDC) and Merrill Lynch predicts revenues to reach $160 billion globally.

This is the where any serious IT company will want to have their slice of the cloud.

I would agree on the usefulness of the Google products and no doubt it will in time shake up the market. However, what disappoints me in this discussion is the absence of Google themselves to set the record straight. Diarmuid asked pre-blog, we then offered a Google rep (who had recently approached me to advocate on behalf of Google Apps) the opportunity to respond. And we get nada. I am coincidentally reading ‘What Would Google do’ and I feel that the author Jeff Jarvis would be more than disappointed in Google’s failure to enter into this discussion.

As a Google Apps specialist; I have to say it is a great product in terms of cost-saving, functionality and ease of use. I agree that as a business product it could use great levels of user control but then again as a product it is constantly being developed.

I understand that a lot of people are unsure about the reliability of cloud computing but having worked using both internal and cloud computing options I have to say that the cloud option caused far less headaches and at least when the cloud option crashes you just need to wait for the engineers behind the cloud to fix it.

We tried a VMWare roll out two years ago which provided utility compute. But once again a variety of legal issues came along so it could only really be used for basic wintel application hosting (web sites etc.)

Hosted services will work out eventually but corporates need so much control and these services dont yet provide it.

I’m currently liasing with a ‘SaAS’ provider about a roll out of a new system in a SME. I’m not satisfied with the level of control the SME is getting over their own data.

Brendan I agree with you as I am among the many gmail account holders who didnt worry a jot about T&Cs until I started to research this article . I didn’t rush to close my gmail account as soon as I read section 11 either . My usage of my gmail account is sufficiently ‘casual’ not to warrant such a reaction . I am not using my gmail to run a business . What I would find objectionable and what I’m asking Google to clarify among other things is if section 11 applies to Google Apps ( at least Premium ) clients who are running a business and are entitled to expect their data to be handled confidentially .

Ignoring all the technical issues (Uptime, control etc.) which we attempted to avoid by plowing cash in for more control. You are presented with a bunch of business and most importantly LEGAL reasons as to why it just wont fit.