Cloud Storage Isn't All Blue Skies Just Yet - Page 2

Page 2 of 2

Still, the experience may have led to some lessons for enterprises considering cloud storage.

"I would strongly recommend reviewing the SLAs and support in cloud service and determine if it meets the requirements for the project," Schulz said, adding that Amazon's adoption of SLAs now follows the tactics of earlier players in the space, such as Nirvanix.

Currently, Amazon's SLA now states the service will "store data durably, with 99.99 percent availability. There can be no single points of failure. All failures must be tolerated or repaired by the system without any downtime."

The analysts said that limitations on reliability and support are the chief drivers for what enterprises should and shouldn't store in the cloud.

"Right now, it is being used for a lot of Web 2.0 application backend needs, and for use with test and development," Laliberte said, noting the technology is also finding favor with engineering departments and other internal "skunkworks" needing quick and easy storage.

"Engineering departments, for example, find it easier to put down a credit card and get storage than to have it provisioned internally," he said.

Sunnier skies ahead?

According to Schulz, the good news is that cloud storage won't always face the same limitations it does today.

"Certainly, the current generation of cloud, managed and storage-as-a-service offerings are more robust and resilient than a few years ago," he said. "There is more flexibility and options in terms of interfaces and types of available services."

For enterprises facing budget constraints and seeking greater storage options, that news could bode well -- particularly as they explore additional ways of leveraging off-premises options.

"We are already seeing cloud computing evolving with cloud storage, and I expect that will continue, given the same caveat for SLAs and support," Laliberte said.

Additionally, he said the concept would encourage more large companies to start building their own cloud storage environments internally to better service employees.

Likewise, the technology's maturation process will further blur the line between old-school storage outsourcing and today's storage clouds, Schulz said.

"In many ways, they are the same, but it's how they are packaged and delivered as well as the interfaces for accessing the data that differentiate the two," explained Schulz, adding he expects only greater cloud features down the road.

"The current services will continue to evolve and become more scalable, flexible and resilient for broader adoption across different price bands and company sizes," Schulz said.

The technology's maturation could have another effect, further blurring the line between old-school storage outsourcing and today's storage clouds.

The older outsourced storage model provides for a specific location within a host's datacenter, with direct access, and carries a tradition of offering SLAs. As storage cloud offerings build on those same aspects and works to improve reliability, users will begin to reap the same rewards -- but at a much lower cost, Schulz said.

"The current [cloud storage] services will continue to evolve and become more scalable, flexible and resilient for broader adoption across different price bands and company sizes," he added.