With all of the hype about cloud computing, you’d think it is a novel concept that will revolutionise the IT industry. They were not initially called ‘cloud computing’ — but ASP or Application Service Provider contracts, or hosted or managed service arrangements, to name a few aliases. The reason cloud computing is making a lot of noise these days is because the benefits that it can now bring are more tangible than a decade ago, with improvements in internet speeds, IT infrastructure and the increase in the number of service providers in the industry. The advantages of cloud include: scalability; cost control; opex versus capex advantages through reduced upfront payments; quicker IT deployment and better technology refresh; ‘greener’ IT solutions by avoiding over-provisioning of IT kit and centralising IT infrastructures within the cloud.