As cloud-based services continue to evolve at a rapid pace, what do these new services mean for business travellers?
Malcolm Rowe, Director for Northern Europe, Akamai [www.akamai.com]

[1] What key impact has the rise of cloud computing had on business travel in general?
It has been a great enabler.  Whilst many businesses struggle to even provide remote e-mail access, others are giving full access to the applications a business traveller needs to do their job from anywhere in the world, and the services get faster all the time.

[2] Are security issues with the storage of sensitive data in the cloud still holding back the uptake of cloud-based services by businesses?
Some customers will always only feel safe knowing their data is on site and protected by them, and in some situations this is the right approach.  However, there are now very strict data protection rules that govern datacentres around the world and this has boosted the confidence of business users in the cloud.  In addition, companies like Akamai implement specialized security protocols and encryption to ensure the security of data as it moves between the datacentre and business travellers device.

[3] Can you outline the core benefits that cloud computing offers the business traveller?
Flexibility and productivity.  When travelling on business it can very easily feel as though one hand is tied behind your back because you don't have access to the information or applications that you need.  The cloud helps overcome both of these issues.

[4] Could a business traveller really abandon their desktop applications in favour of those that are currently available in the cloud?
Whilst this can be done, there is no need. A business traveller can access their desktop and critical applications as though they were in front of the machine from anywhere in the world, through Virtual Desktop technology.  By using the cloud to deliver this it is possible to have a very fast and smooth experience from almost anywhere.

[5] For business travellers integration with their existing IT infrastructure is vital if cloud computing is to be adopted. Can the cloud currently offer this level of integration?
Absolutely.  Our own solutions, for example, are designed to make integration with a company's back office data or applications as easy as possible.  But there is a lot of variety in the market and it is something that a company should look into carefully before committing.  Equally, there may be a time in the future when you want to part company with a cloud provider, and you need understand how you will re-integrate any information they hold back into your business.

[7] Issues such as data backup, and even the destruction of data can be a major problem when trusting the cloud. Outages are also a problem that could give business travellers real problems. Do you think these issues are being addressed?
There are very strict rules regarding the governance of data, but when appointing a cloud provider it is very important to question them and understand the back-up policies they have in place, as well as the physical security of the datacenters.  On the point of outages, all modern datacenters will have back-up power supplies, communications lines, and servers, which greatly reduces the risk of any kind of outage occurring.  Furthermore, distributed cloud networks such as Akamai's, can work around issues that happen outside of their datacenters, such as natural disasters disrupting communications, to ensure the resilience of their services.

[8] Do you think we will ever see a wholesale move of the mission critical applications - and the data sets that support them - that business travelers use move to the cloud?
There will always be companies that feel the safest way to ensure their data and applications remain online is to host them on-premise rather than through any third party.  However, there is a lot more interest in the cloud now that the recession is lifting, and many industry watchers are claiming that 2011 is the year that cloud goes mainstream.

[10] What do you think the future of cloud computing looks like from a business traveller's perspective?
Business travellers will come to expect a seamless experience between their office and wherever they are in the world, which will be enabled by cloud technology.  Some of that technology they will never see, or know it exists, but it will be fundamental to their experience.

Cloud will be successful if it's optimised for business, by a Cloud Optimisation technology such as Akamai's. Otherwise, progress is going to be slow as the network/middle mile compromises speed, scale, reliability and security, therefore reducing the ROI business gets.