Cloud computing is entering its teen years

The cloud has entered the "awkward teenage" phase, as James Staten at Forrester Technology recently noted. Luckily, it's not overrun with rowdy adolescents the way other research paradigms have been. It's been maturing, to cut a long story short have best practices for its use and adoption, along with the related security and application aspects.

Cloud computing is growing up, and it's time for us in IT management to loosen our grip. It won't be an easy transition, and each environment requires its own solution. Here are some top-line suggestions to consider.

Magic bullet

I'm not suggesting that any of this is a magic bullet. And again, as with any major innovation shift - mainframe, distributed, desktop - there will be singular problems and unparalleled solutions. The undisputable reality is that cloud computing is growing up, running mission-critical workloads and delivering on its potential. It's the responsibility of those of us with a history in different IT disciplines to provide the right mix of guidance, management, freedom and supervision.