Why did you choose to work for your last employer? Was it something to do with higher wages and better working conditions, or was it something a bit subtler?

A scan of the contributing factors behind Fortune magazine’s list of the top 100 companies to work for refers to the importance of a big pay packet, but top-performing companies also ensure high-quality perks, a fun working atmosphere and regular job openings (see further reading, below).

One of the biggest complaints from sceptics is that many of the supposedly innovative cloud offerings actually represent nothing new.

Although cast as revolutionary by marketing departments, the distributed model of computing has a long history in IT and strong similarities can be traced between the development of the cloud and the traditional client-server model. The evolutionary nature of utility computing, however, is just the tip of the iceberg.

While it is bad enough that some vendors seem to talk as if the cloud simply appeared by magic yesterday, others are more cunning and simply re-badge existing applications and services as on-demand technology. It is a cynical tactic and one that experts can see potentially continuing in the future with some high profile examples (see further reading, below).

Have you gone on-demand yet? Buying computing resources like a utility is expected to be the big IT trend of the decade, so are you part of the leading edge group that is already exploring your on-demand options?

The chances are you might not be, according to results from a recent survey of 5,300 organisations by security firm Symantec, which found fewer than one in five organisations has outsourced application hosting to a cloud provider. News reports suggested such results show take-up of the cloud is “disappointing” (see further reading, below).

You have taken the plunge and pushed key applications and services to the cloud. So, what happens when something goes wrong and you can’t get access to your information on-demand?

It’s definitely an important question and its significance will rise as more organisations move to the cloud. The concerns are also exacerbated by leading organisations that have moved across to the cloud, or are considering a move.

The Liberal Democrats expressed fears about the future of cloud computing at their conference this week, urging the government to look into security around cloud computing to stop the abuse of people’s data (see further reading, below).

Cloud computing is growing at a phenomenal rate, with both private and public sector companies increasingly looking towards the cloud as an alternative to onsite IT management, saving both time and money. In fact, according to research by Gartner, the number of organisations using on-demand computing is expected to rise to 43% within the next four years.

However, some industry leaders share the Lib Dems concerns surrounding the cloud including whether data is going to be held safely and securely. While cloud security should indeed be a concern, and an industry body is welcome (as recommended by the Lib Dems), it’s important to address these fears without overreacting or panicking.

Computing has gone mobile. In fact, there’s a fairly good chance you’re reading this post on a portable device.

Of course, the word portable is selling the mobile revolution way short. Just a decade ago, enterprise computing was strictly confined to the realm of the office. Following a decade of ever-rising connectivity and consumerisation, business applications have moved from the desktop to the hand.

Such a dramatic pace of evolution causes serious consternation for risk-conscious CIOs. However on-demand technology can help the business create secure rules that allow users to plug-and-play without compromising the enterprise network.

In the business world, as often evidenced when my friends decide to discuss my job on a night out, outsourcing is most often viewed as a cost saving measure, something your organisation might look at when times are tough and there is a need to reduce overheads. Whatever you are outsourcing, be it IT, marketing or even payroll, this is a fair characterisation. It is true that outsourcing often leads to cost savings, although this not the whole story or necessarily why people look to outsource.

Outsourcing isn’t only a reaction to market conditions, it is often a pro-active decision taken to capitalise on success, to drive innovation and change in the business, to stay ahead of the game, or as a way to free members of staff from the mundane to focus on strategic projects.

The modern UK household is home to a wonderful collection of internet-connected devices, including computers, smart phones and televisions.

Such devices provide instant access to information and there is only one considerable downside: the high quality of domestic technology is making many enterprise IT set-ups look distinctly second-class.

Less than a decade ago, employees would relish the opportunity to leave the dial-up modem at home and use a broad range of high-speed online services in the office. But while that might have been the dominant trend 10 years ago, the pace of technological development has been rapid.

As cloud computing has matured from a mere buzzword uttered from the desks of IT experts to a well established and dynamic infrastructure, can we really afford to ignore the cloud?

The cloud provides organisations with rapid access to leading technology on-demand and so is undoubtedly a big part of the future. However migration to the Cloud is not just about keeping-up with the latest technology, there are a multitude of benefits to be enjoyed from moving to cloud computing above and beyond cost savings.

There are, of course, tangible cost benefits of choosing to operate applications in the cloud. By moving from costly and time-consuming in-house managed IT to the management, configuration and maintenance of an organisation’s applications by a cloud provider, cost reductions are likely. In addition, the subscription based licensing and on-demand, elastic nature of cloud usage can deliver further cost savings.

Ten years ago, it would have seemed a fantasy that open source would be an enterprise standard. Rather than being seen as a reliable solution, open source was often considered a niche area of development that was dominated by technical experts.

Take the following report from the IT trade press in 2000 (see further reading, below): “Open source just isn’t at the point where it can take on the big software companies, and it’s clear that simply replacing closed source with open source won’t work.” That sentiment however, now looks rather misplaced.