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Some IT professionals believe that the cloud is the next era for IT, and most can agree that it is one of the most important technological advances of this decade. However, while the cloud has grown substantially over the last decade and many people are using the cloud, it still seems difficult to describe the cloud in the most effective manner.

IBM hopes to help clarify what the cloud is by telling the top 5 things that the cloud is not:

1.     Cloud is not a place: Companies can talk about “moving to the cloud” as if they were moving their office. But the cloud is not a place – in fact the cloud can be anywhere.

2.     Cloud is not server virtualization: Virtualizing you data center will not create a private cloud. The cloud and the next-gen server virtualization are not the same thing.

3.     Cloud is not an island: The cloud is not a place where you put all of your IT services and then leave them. The cloud is easy to connect and build out, to change if you need to in order to better fit your needs.

4.     Cloud is not top-down: The “move to the cloud” does not have to be led by the CIO. The cloud is available for all people to experiment with and learn about, and perhaps even lead their companies into using.

5.     Cloud is not hype: The cloud is not something that will be ready in the future, it is here now, and it is here to stay.

Do you agree that the cloud is not these 5 things and this is ripe? Or do you disagree and this is hype? Let us know! And if you agree with some and not the others tell us in the comments below.

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