Selling the Cloud Sublime - To the Cloud: Big Data in a Turbulent World - page 95

that the service they want their company to buy is one that is sold and
used by many irms. Defending their choice as part of a widely known set
of such choices eases concerns within the organization (Orenstein 2010).
This advice is particularly interesting because it acknowledges that con-
structing the cloud as a general business solution requires salesmanship
from both sellers and buyers. The notion that “we are all in this together”
overcomes structural divisions (buyers/sellers; CIOs/CFOs) and attempts
to create an aura of common sense, community, and consensus around
the decision to move to the cloud.
Private Think Tanks Promote the Cloud
Online newsletters and blog sites help to build the promotional culture
for cloud computing without the commercial appearance of advertising.
They are informative, educational, and service-oriented, while at the
same time demonstrating key characteristics that are found, albeit more
explicitly, in commercials. These sites present the cloud as a technological
breakthrough that will have widespread inluence on all businesses and
throughout society. While noting the occasional problem, such as security,
they are quick to point to solutions, such as purchasing strong encryption
services from cloud security irms. Otherwise they are overwhelmingly
upbeat about the cloud and focus on directing readers to follow their
lead by pointing out jobs in the industry, suggesting training opportuni-
ties, and identifying key players (from top-ten companies to attention-
grabbing start-ups). More than anything, they demonstrate how to sell
cloud-computing services with general advice and speciic suggestions
for different cloud constituencies and segments of the cloud marketplace.
These sites are dependent on cloud-computing irms for much of their
information, but they also depend on another category of key players in
the cloud-computing arena: private research and consulting irms. By
comparison to newsletter and blog sites, companies like Deloitte, Forrester
Research, Gartner, and McKinsey & Company are a step or two closer to
the perception of providing what are perceived to be objective accounts.
Although they do not always offer positive reports, private research and
consulting irms tend to advance a supportive and generally promotional
story that highlights growth and positive inluence.