BANGALORE, INDIA: Simon Green, VP &GM, Asia Pacific, NetApp in an exclusive chat with Deepa Damodaran of CIOL. Excerpts:

CIOL: How will NetApp approach the cloud computing space?

Simon Green: We are not going to build our own data centers, or cloud computing environments. We expect to be the infrastructure provider of choice for external cloud providers and companies looking at internal cloud space.

Independence of a company is a very strong value proposition in cloud computing space. Customers don't see us as a major IT vertical innovator, such as IBM or HP etc.

CIOL: How do you look at the Indian cloud market?

SG: Lots of conversations are happening around cloud computing and companies have started to figure out what cloud is all about. We are working with some large enterprises, telecos to help them build cloud strategy.

CIOL: With cloud coming in, will IT departments go out of job?

SG: Yes, this is going to happen. Today, companies do not have that much of money they had 12 months ago, to spend on infrastructure or IT  and services. They are trying to figure out how to take all infrastructure expenses off the balance sheet and also reduce paper cost associated with it.

Companies are looking forward to put infrastructure into data centers and buy it as a service, on a monthly basis, similar to how we use mobile phones service today.

We also see the rise of system integrators who will end up with more power in IT decision making. They will be responsible to bring in best of breed technology for companies in order to build internal cloud or help them to get into external cloud space.

CIOL: Security over the cloud is still considered as one of the reasons that is restricting the uptake of cloud. What is your take on this?

SG: I think most of the security issues have been resolved. Today the bigger issue is the perception and willingness of enterprises to take some level of risk, which is very low as of now, in order to put information out in the cloud.

Nine years ago, financial enterprises wouldn't dare to put information even in a hosted environment because of security concerns. However, today four of the largest 10 banks in APAC believe that in the next 18 months about 30-50 per cent of their application will be moved to cloud. So financial organizations have taken a 360 degree change.

I think security should be more of a concern for government or military styled organizations. Whereas, for an enterprise to put their e-mail, or customer relationship application or marketing application, onto an external environment, there are no security issue at all.

For me security is more of an excuse not to do it so as to protect people's job.

CIOL: What are the trends that you see in the Indian storage market?

SG: There are a few prominent trends that are coming up today.

Virtualisation: Both server and desktop virtualization are very hot today.

Data center consolidation: It is very cheap for enterprises to build data centers, especially small. However,  the cost for transport of data between data centers is very high. So companies are looking for data center consolidation.

Secure multi-tenancy in storage infrastructure: This is going to be the next big thing. Cloud provider will be able to put in 500 terabyte of storage and put many customers and those customers will be able to access only their floor with swipe cards.

Heterogeneous virtualization of storage: That is already a huge hit today.

Going forward customers will demand the usage of a particular infrastructure in data centers, unlike today.