Google’s announcement that it is ending support or shutting down web services such as Google Notebooks, Google Catalogs and Jaiku should serve as a stark warning to Business and Start-ups lured by the promises of cloud based only computing.
Yes – the above named services where not necessarily cloud based offerings such as Google Apps, SalesForce or Amazon WS. But the principles remain the same – instead of building, supporting or procuring on-premise applications and infrastructures you are lured into the cloud.
But what happens when your ASP or S/PaaS provider decides to pull the plug on that service, what do you do? What happens to your data? And more importantly how do you continue to run your business?
Thousands of businesses have invested heavily in building key line of business applications on top of SaleForce. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when they openly promote an end to all software I grind my teeth because they just don’t get it.
Cloud based and on-premise solutions are not enemies, so why does SaleForce treat them as such? In my opinion Microsoft has the right idea with the up and coming Windows Azure.
With Windows Azure Microsoft are saying “Look you can have the best of both worlds.” They understand the shift towards the cloud, but they also understand the importance of running services on-premise. And with that you have the ability to build hybrid-applications that use both the cloud and on-premises services.
Microsoft is not choosing one over the other; they are simply giving you a choice which I think is the way forward.
SaleForce on the other hand have backed themselves unnecessary into a corner with that hideous no software campaign. Only time will tell who the true winners and losers will be, but I’m backing Microsoft on this one.
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