"The cloud (whether public or private) is a strong driver of Big Data," noted Michael Kopp, a technology strategist at Compuware, in this exclusive Q&A with Cloud Expo Conference Chair Jeremy Geelan. "A Cisco survey said that 4 out of 5 IT professionals stated that ‘all or some Big Data projects will require cloud computing capabilities.'"

Cloud Computing Journal: The move to cloud isn't about saving money, it is about saving time - Agree or disagree?

Michael Kopp: Agree - The move to cloud is about faster go-to-market, more flexibility, more agility and faster deployments. That being said Cloud costs can easily explode if not monitored and if applications are not specifically tuned toward cloud-based cost structures

Cloud Computing Journal: How should organizations tackle their regulatory and compliance concerns in the cloud? Who should they be asking / trusting for advice?

Kopp: They should be talking to their legal / compliance / privacy teams, carefully reviewing any applicable security / privacy regulations, developing best practices and consulting with those specialized in helping organizations meet these requirements.

Cloud Computing Journal: What does the emergence of open source clouds mean for the cloud ecosystem? How does the existence of OpenStack, CloudStack, OpenNebula, Eucalyptus and so on affect your own company?

Kopp: Open source is great for innovation but it could get confusing and complex for customers with more varieties and choices. Compuware APM excels at the managing performance of the broadest range of complex application environments.

Cloud Computing Journal: With SMBs, the two primary challenges they face moving to the cloud are always stated as being cost and trust: where is the industry on satisfying SMBs on both points simultaneously - further along than in 2011-12, or...?

Kopp: Both are moving further along as costs keep coming down with competition among cloud providers and improvements in security controls.

Cloud Computing Journal: 2013 seems to be turning into a breakthrough year for Big Data. How much does the success of cloud computing have to do with that?

Kopp: The cloud (whether public or private) is a strong driver of Big Data. A Cisco survey said that 4 out of 5 IT professionals stated that "all or some Big Data projects will require cloud computing capabilities."

Cloud Computing Journal: What about the role of social: aside from the acronym itself SMAC (for Social, Mobile, Analytics, Cloud) are you seeing and/or anticipating major traction in this area?

Kopp: We are a B2B company and we are seeing increasing traction in this area.

Cloud Computing Journal: To finish, just as real estate is always said to be about "location, location, location", what one word, repeated three times, would you say cloud computing is all about?

Kopp: Performance, performance, performance.