Managing the cloud

How can CIOs ensure the cloud gives them an advantage rather than puts them at a disadvantage?

Mark Samuels
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When it comes to managing technology resources in a cost effective manner, is the cloud actually more of a hindrance than a hand?

Going on-demand is commonly perceived as a way for CIOs to increase flexibility and scalability in response to changing business needs. If you're buying infrastructure- or software-as-a-service, you can simply go to your provider and buy a little bit more when requirements change.

The CIO who prefers tight constraints recognises most humans are a little bit lazy and greedy. Give people an opportunity to take more than an inch and they'll probably take a mile.

But a CIO I spoke to recently suggested the cloud actually encourages bad practice. His argument was that workers who have a limited amount of resources know they have to work efficiently. Give people the opportunity to scale-up on-demand and they will start to become slack.

It's an interesting theory. It certainly starts to make sense when you think about your personal use of computing. If your smart phone has a tight data budget, you're much more likely to be careful about downloading data than if you have an unlimited allowance.

The CIO who prefers tight constraints recognises most humans are a little bit lazy and greedy. Give people an opportunity to take more than an inch and they'll probably take a mile. Give your workers fixed computing resources and they can only take an inch.

Mark Samuels
Mark Samuels
Freelance journalist

Mark Samuels is a freelance writer specializing in business and technology. For the past two decades, he has produced extensive work on subjects such as the adoption of technology by C-suite executives.

At ITPro, Mark has provided long-form content on C-suite strategy, particularly relating to chief information officers (CIOs), as well as digital transformation case studies, and explainers on cloud computing architecture.

Mark has written for publications including Computing, The Guardian, ZDNet, TechRepublic, Times Higher Education, and CIONET. 

Before his career in journalism, Mark achieved a BA in geography and MSc in World Space Economy at the University of Birmingham, as well as a PhD in economic geography at the University of Sheffield.

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