Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.

Much is made of cloud computing today, but I’m not sure if the market is really aware of the correct meaning of “cloud.” Recently, I spoke at two events with cloud computing themes, and I was surprised when I asked the audience if they used cloud and less than 10% of the participants raised their hands. When analyzing this, I believe there is a conceptual problem. Is private cloud also cloud? What’s the right definition?

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To clarify: If your users already use systems on the Internet, if they already pay to use these systems as a service (software + hardware + the manpower involved in maintaining the legacy divided by the number of hours of use or the number of users), you already have cloud and did not even know it!

Client-server applications are increasingly rare, so that users can access everything through the browser Internet, and IT is increasingly focused on business, thinking more and more on generating value, their binding revenue budget or strategic objectives, which will lead inevitably to cloud computing.

Recent studies, such as the “Nexus of Forces” published by Gartner in June, have identified cloud computing as one of the major IT trends for the coming years.

Companies still fear problems with cloud’s security, and in fact, they should have this fear. However, there are big companies investing heavily in this issue, and we’ll probably see some news in a few months—which increasingly raises the question: When should you migrate?

Aldo Navarro Zuquini Junior is IT general manager at Brazilian Grupo Águia Branca