Maybe I'm biased, but it really seems like this cloud thing is real. I'm a skeptic about almost everything but it seems that nearly every software vendor, service provider, and IT department has decided that there is a better model for how IT services are created, delivered, consumed, and paid for. We've agreed to call it cloud. What makes it newsworthy now is that the technology finally exists to execute on it.

But with so much change and so many options to consider, the daunting task of matching one's IT needs to an optimal solution seems impossible. Sure, it's relatively easy to find real-time performance data about a particular instance of a particular public cloud service. But a single performance data point is a small piece of the puzzle when you're managing an IT budget, security requirements, SLAs, and capability requirements in a dynamic IT environment. So how can you identify the best service for your needs?

Fortunately, some smart people saw this coming and we now have the Cloud Service Measurement Initiative Consortium (CSMIC). Unveiled in May 2010 (CA Technologies is a founding member; Jay Fry wrote about it here), a primary objective is to create and promote the adoption of a standardized method for comparing cloud and other IT services. The product of these efforts is the Service Measurement Index (SMI), which is an impressive set of business-relevant KPIs that provide qualitative and quantitative insight into the comparative user experiences of particular service options - internal and external. In other words, it helps IT make the right decisions about their service offerings.

This is a win-win-win for end users, IT directors, and service providers. I'm glad to see that momentum is building around this effort. Carnegie Mellon University, which is driving the initiative, just announced 10 new members spanning research, academia, government and industry leaders - including Accenture, Cask LLC, City University London, Data Security Council of India (DSCI), International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), Mycroft, State of Colorado's Office of CIO, Stony Brook University, NY, TM Forum, and the University of Melbourne in Australia. Here is the announcement for additional info.  The consortium's efforts will be hosted on Cloud Commons - please feel free to register and share your thoughts in this user-focused community focused on cloud topics and trends.