Amazon is running the cloud operation in much the same way it runs its retail business.

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Before you start spending money designing custom applications for your new Cloud operation, take a look around.

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The 68-year-old hedge fund manager is shutting down Pequot Capital amid a lingering investigation into insider trading by the Securities and Exchange Commission that has "cast a cloud" over the operation.

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As for reliability, technology analysts say you'd be hard pressed to find an in-house corporate IT operation that tops AWS's cloud service.

WSJ: The Sun Shines on 'The Cloud'

While cost continues to be the primary cloud ROI metric, there has been a surge in adoption of quality of delivered results and speed of operation, and utilization of resources as metrics as well.

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