Quick Bio and Disclaimer
Among other things, Craig Lowery is an IT industry analyst at Gartner Inc., covering cloud computing topics such as managed cloud services, cloud cost management, and platform as a service. Before that, he was a Senior Distinguished Engineer and the Executive Director of Cloud Architecture in the Dell Software Group at Dell Inc. focusing on cloud computing, with special emphasis on workload mobility and hybrid cloud.
This site is a personal endeavor representing his own views and observations about whatever seems to be interesting at the moment. Opinions and views expressed here are not necessarily those of Gartner Inc.
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Recent Posts
Category Archives: Cloud Computing Technology Insights
The Elusive Butterfly of Policy
I love it when visionaries bridge the gaps in their utopian depictions of The Future of IT with hand-waving explanations. As a supposed said visionary, I plead guilty. My most recent transgression: presenting the concept of “policy” in the context … Continue reading
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The Rebirth of Automation
I suppose by now it is fait accompli that cloud computing is going to revolutionize the information technology industry. It certainly seems on track to do so. One of the main reasons for its success is the highly dynamic and … Continue reading
Posted in Cloud Computing Technology Insights
Tagged cloud computing, orchestration
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Are End Users Too Stupid To Self-Serve Workloads?
In one of my former lives I founded a tech support team on a college campus. Staffed with computer science students, the team was responsible for rolling out and supporting Internet and desktop computing technologies across a population of several … Continue reading
Posted in Cloud Computing Technology Insights
Tagged cloud computing, self-service
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Why We’ll Gladly Pay More to Compute in the Clouds
The idea that public cloud computing is cheaper than traditional forms of IT staging, such as on-premises data center and co-location, may have had legs in the early days of cloud’s buzz, but the truth has finally been widely recognized: … Continue reading
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IaaS Exodus
I fear my thinking of late may be somewhat inconsistent: one part of my brain sees quite clearly that PaaS (platform as a service) is destined to win as the preferred method for developing and staging software in the future. … Continue reading
Posted in Cloud Computing Technology Insights
Tagged cloud computing, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS
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Why PaaS Wins
Working as a technology strategist for a large IT vendor, I’m tasked with thinking about technology from the customer perspective. But often customers ask for things not because they want them, but because they have underlying needs they are trying to address in … Continue reading
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Tagged cloud computing, IaaS, PaaS
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When Will My Data Center Grow Up To Be a “Private Cloud?”
In continuing to further the notion that hybrid cloud deployments consist of any two or more clouds (public/private, on/off-premises, single/multi-tenant), I’ve heard a few voices raised in objection. The argument goes like this: A “cloud” is a compute infrastructure with … Continue reading
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Tagged cloud computing, hybrid cloud, private cloud, public cloud
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The “Who” Attributes of Public and Private Cloud Deployments
As we continue to deal with the ambiguity of “public” and “private” definitions for cloud deployments, it occurs to me that most of the unknowns created in that ambiguity can be determined by asking “Who?” questions. At first, this may … Continue reading
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Tagged cloud computing, hybrid cloud, private cloud, public cloud
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“Hybrid Cloud” – In a Class By Itself
You’ve probably read the NIST’s definitions of Cloud Deployment Models, including their definition of hybrid cloud. If not, here’s a refresher: Hybrid cloud. The cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more distinct cloud infrastructures (private, community, or public) … Continue reading
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Tagged cloud bursting, cloud computing, hybrid cloud, private cloud, public cloud
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Is “Cloud Bursting” a Reasonable Scenario for Hybrid IaaS?
When people list use cases for “hybrid cloud computing” the “cloud bursting” scenario is nearly always trotted out first. But is bursting really so desirable? Here’s my answer first, followed by the explanation: For IaaS? NO For PaaS? YES I … Continue reading
Posted in Cloud Computing Technology Insights
Tagged cloud bursting, cloud computing, hybrid cloud, IaaS, PaaS, private cloud, public cloud, VM, WAN optimization
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