As business adoption of cloud computing and cloud storage takes hold, new benefits of cloud IT versus traditional IT continue to emerge on a regular basis. One recent example is the Carbon Disclosure Project Study 2011: Cloud Computing – The IT Solution for the 21st Century produced by analyst firm Verdantix.  In the report, not only are the cost advantages of cloud computing discussed but also the resulting reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, the study looks at a food and beverage company that is moving an HR application from local IT to the cloud. The model predicts a savings of  $12 million over a 5 year period and a reduction of 30,000 tons in CO2 emissions, simply by moving to the public cloud.

So what does all this have to do with 2012 being the year of the private cloud? Let me explain.  Interestingly enough, the study also concluded that this same company could save $5M and cut CO2 emissions by 25,000 tons over the same time period but this time by moving to a private cloud. While most of us already assume that public clouds are housed in highly efficient “green” data centers with tremendous economies of scale, the private cloud scenario modeled in this report makes a strong statement that improved resource utilization can drive huge benefits even when all infrastructure stays local. The study goes on to cite other efficiencies of cloud architectures including improved time-to-market which also apply to both public and private clouds.

Whether moving to public or private clouds, the bottom line is that businesses can realize substantial benefits from embracing cloud — in overall utilization, cost savings, emission savings, speed and agility. These are compelling benefits that may indeed persuade those who have resisted the move of their IT infrastructure outside of their four walls to deploy their own private clouds. With open source technologies like OpenStack gaining momentum, do we have the perfect storm for mass private cloud adoption in 2012?

While it’s certain that we will see an increase in private cloud adoption, reports like this may prompt many companies to consider incremental changes to their existing infrastructures to make them more efficient and “cloud-like.” That means we’ll likely see more hybrid deployments that leverage existing infrastructure, create more efficient multi-tenant environments, yet provide the ability to expand with public and/or private cloud deployments in the future.

In the data storage space, technologies such as CloudArray enable businesses to leverage existing infrastructure on the path to public cloud, private cloud or a combination of both. Enabling technologies are key for companies looking to leverage cloud efficiencies in incremental ways, particularly for those with an eye to keeping their options open in the future. And those options not only include public and private clouds but also a variety of cloud providers in each category.

So is 2012 the year of the private cloud? More likely, it will be the year of all clouds whether public, private or hybrid. Regardless of the cloud categories you select for use as components of your infrastructure strategy, consider adopting an enabling technology that not only improves your efficiencies today but also provides you with the most flexible path to the future.

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