Research Publication Date: 27 July 2011 ID Number: G00214915 Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing, 2011 David Mitchell Smith While clearly maturing, cloud computing continues to be the most hyped subject in IT today. We look at the different aspects of the topic and where they are on Gartner's Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing, 2011. © 2011 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Gartner is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. or its affiliates. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without Gartner's prior written permission. The information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information and shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in such information. This publication consists of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. 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For further information on the independence and integrity of Gartner research, see "Guiding Principles on Independence and Objectivity" on its website, http://www.gartner.com/technology/about/ombudsman/omb_guide2.jsp TABLE OF CONTENTS Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 4 What You Need to Know .................................................................................................. 4 The Hype Cycle ............................................................................................................... 5 The Priority Matrix ............................................................................................................ 7 Off The Hype Cycle.......................................................................................................... 7 On the Rise ..................................................................................................................... 8 DevOps ............................................................................................................... 8 Cloud Security and Risk Standards ..................................................................... 9 Private PaaS ..................................................................................................... 11 Community Cloud .............................................................................................. 13 Cloudbursting .................................................................................................... 15 Cloud-Optimized Application Design .................................................................. 16 Cloud Services Brokerage ................................................................................. 18 Hybrid Cloud Computing ................................................................................... 22 "Big Data" and Extreme Information Processing and Management .................... 23 Cloud Application Development Services........................................................... 25 Cloud Parallel Processing.................................................................................. 28 At the Peak .................................................................................................................... 29 Cloud-Enabled BPM Platforms .......................................................................... 29 Database Platform as a Service (dbPaaS) ......................................................... 32 Browser Client OS ............................................................................................. 34 Cloud Collaboration Services............................................................................. 35 Elasticity............................................................................................................ 37 Multitenancy ...................................................................................................... 38 Application PaaS (aPaaS) ................................................................................. 40 Cloud Email....................................................................................................... 42 Cloud Security ................................................................................................... 43 Platform as a Service (PaaS)............................................................................. 46 Private Cloud Computing ................................................................................... 49 Cloud Computing .............................................................................................. 50 Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) ...................................................................... 51 Public Cloud Computing/the Cloud .................................................................... 53 Sliding Into the Trough ................................................................................................... 54 Public Cloud Storage ......................................................................................... 55 Cloud/Web Platforms......................................................................................... 57 Climbing the Slope ......................................................................................................... 58 Enhanced Network Delivery .............................................................................. 58 IT Infrastructure Utility ....................................................................................... 59 Software as a Service (SaaS) ............................................................................ 63 Virtualization ..................................................................................................... 64 Sales Force Automation SaaS ........................................................................... 66 Cloud Advertising .............................................................................................. 67 Dedicated Email Services .................................................................................. 68 Appendixes .................................................................................................................... 70 Hype Cycle Phases, Benefit Ratings and Maturity Levels .................................. 72 Recommended Reading ............................................................................................................. 73 Publication Date: 27 July 2011/ID Number: G00214915 Page 2 of 74 © 2011 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Hype Cycle Phases....................................................................................................... 72 Table 2. Benefit Ratings ............................................................................................................. 72 Table 3. Maturity Levels ............................................................................................................. 73 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing, 2011 ......................................................................... 6 Figure 2. Priority Matrix for Cloud Computing, 2010 ...................................................................... 7 Figure 3. Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing, 2010 ....................................................................... 70 Publication Date: 27 July 2011/ID Number: G00214915 Page 3 of 74 © 2011 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. ANALYSIS What You Need to Know Cloud computing is maturing, but it continues to be the latest, most hyped concept in IT. As we stated in "Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing, 2010," it is simplistic to look only at the hype around the high-level term. As aspects of the cloud move into mainstream adoption, each needs to be looked at separately. There will be misunderstandings and confusion specific to each aspect of the cloud, not just to the overall term. There will be overestimations and underestimations that will cause users to be confused, have doubts and be disillusioned. There will be misuse and miscommunication among users and vendors, making it a subject that is ripe for Gartner's Hype Cycle. As usual, in cases like this, there is indeed overhype, but also potential benefits. Understanding those benefits requires tearing apart the hype surrounding cloud computing (now just beyond the Peak of Inflated Expectations, and headed for the Trough of Disillusionment), and looking at the many more-granular topics, which are all part of the cloud phenomenon. This follows the pattern observed with other similarly broad labels, such as the Internet and the Web. Cloud is already showing some signs of disillusionment. Salesforce.com's CEO Marc Benioff is beginning to distance himself from the concept. Over-reactions to high-profile outages, such as Amazon, have