At Cloud Expo East, The Planet Vice President of Information Technology and Software Development Duke Skarda presented a general session about “the cloud” and how businesses should approach the decision to incorporate the technology. Because we knew the session would draw interest outside of the Javits Center walls, we recorded the presentation for your viewing pleasure.

He explained a few of the sticking points people run into when talking about the cloud. In his words, “The problem set is pretty broad, the promises are even broader, and the term is too loose. Simplicity and specificity is how you’re going to get value in the cloud.” He recommended several approaches to getting through the Gartner hype cycle’s “trough of disillusionment” as quickly as possible, and he incorporated several use cases – both simple and complex – to help the audience understand where their businesses might benefit from use of the cloud.

Here is the session in its entirety:

[See post to watch the Flash video]

How would you recommend businesses approach the cloud? Do you think we’re heading toward the “trough of disillusionment”? What are some other common cloud use cases that present different challenges and opportunities?

-Kevin