I’m just finishing up a book on cloud computing and SOA, and found the process of writing the book to be a great catalyst for thinking through the issues surrounding cloud computing, as well as assisting my clients with their cloud computing strategies.

As I found, there are a few issues to consider with cloud computing:

• First, cloud computing is not the savior of IT. It’s nothing but a way to deploy your enterprise architecture in such as way that has the potential to be more productive and cost effective. In essence, it’s a tool, not a way of life. It’s not magic, it’s not even new, but if approached correctly, could be a path toward efficiency.

• Second, cloud computing and SOA are different concepts, but they are indeed related. SOA is a pattern of architecture, or an approach, where cloud computing is an instance of architecture, or architectural options. They are linked, they are related, and you can’t do one without the other if you’re looking to solve problems at the enterprise level.

• Finally, the concepts of cloud computing require that many enterprises perform unnatural acts, such as out-placing processes and information. There are things to consider, of course, but there should never be an approach that’s completely against cloud computing, or completely for it.The answer is somewhere in the middle.

My new book is promoting good architectural practices by leveraging what’s best from SOA and cloud computing. Hopefully I’m providing a balanced view, including when cloud computing is a fit, and when it’s not. Cloud computing is not “the end of IT,” nor is it a waste of time. You’ll find it’s value somewhere between the two extremes.

You’ll never hear from me that I believe you need to outplace your core information systems to cloud-based platforms, but you’ll never hear from me that you don’t need to look into it. Like anything, it’s a balancing act that requires you understand your own issues before you can implement any approaches or techniques to build a better IT infrastructure for your enterprise.

I’m exciting about the book. I think the market is in need of guidance at this point, or perhaps some good practical thinking for this exploding space.