Have questions about cloud computing and the top challenges and opportunities it presents to vendors and users? Then join us for an interactive Tweet Jam on Twitter about the future of cloud computing on Wednesday, September 15^th, 2010 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EDT (17:00 – 18:00 CEST) using the Twitter hashtag #cloudjam. Joining me (@hkisker) will be my analyst colleagues Mike Cansfield (@mikecansfield), Pascal Matzke (@pascalmatzke), Thomas Mendel (@drthomasmendel), and Stefan Ried (@stefanried). We’ll share the results of our recent research on the long term future of cloud computing and discuss how it will change the way tech vendors engage with customers.

Looking through the current industry hype around the cloud, Forrester believes cloud computing is a sustainable, long-term IT paradigm. Underpinned by both technology and economic disruptions, we think the cloud will fundamentally change the way technology providers engage with business customers and individual users. However, many customers are suffering from "cloud confusion" as vendors' marketing stretches cloud across a wide variety of capabilities.

To help, we recently developed a new taxonomy of the cloud computing markets (see graphic) to give vendors and customers clear definitions and labels for cloud capabilities. With this segmentation in hand, cloud vendors and users can better discuss the challenges and benefits of cloud computing today and in the future.

(Source: July 2010 "The Evolution Of Cloud Computing Markets" report)

Here are some of the questions we want to debate during our Tweet Jam discussion:

• What really is cloud computing? Let’s get rid of “cloud washing!”
• What are the benefits and opportunities of cloud computing?
• What are the challenges, risks and inhibitors of cloud computing adoption?
• Will cloud computing cannibalize the traditional IT markets?
• What are new emerging business models in the cloud market, such as the “cloud broker?”
• Will the cloud bubble burst or entirely change the IT market?

We’d love to hear if there are any other questions or issues you think we should cover. To join the conversation, tune in to the #cloudjam hashtag on Twitter, or follow the analysts above.

Hope to tweet you there!

Holger Kisker