STEPS TO STRATEGIZE CLOUD COMPUTING

After understanding the importance and hype around cloud computing, it becomes more or less important to strategically adopt cloud computing into the enterprise. The hype around cloud computing keeps growing as the number of cloud service offerings evolve.

Cloud computing should not just be an alternative to expansion of an enterprise. Maximizing the effects of cloud computing on an enterprise should be on the grounds of being able to leverage the technology to its full capacity. At this stage it is important to understand the needs of an enterprise, and its end-user requirements. There are several strategic plans for the successful adoption of cloud computing.

• Understanding the requirements and demands of the enterprise, and the end-user
• Frame the right team of professionals
• Create a definite strategic plan
• Deploy the right measures to achieve the objective

The first and foremost plan of understanding the requirements of the enterprise is in itself a herculean task. Several factors are to be taken into consideration while deciding the need for cloud computing, not just as an alternative to expansion or to get into the domain of cloud services. If there is a growing demand for cloud end users, cloud computing is the right domain an enterprise needs to look at. These decisions are not to be made by following instincts or random ideas.

In conventional IT sectors, the decision of a company to move up the ladder in terms of technology is normally taken by a group of IT professionals. What needs to be discussed here is that demand for cloud services coming from the non IT folk. These people want to maximize the effectiveness of the organization. The staff from the finance department would idealize cloud computing as a way of reducing costs. The marketing personnel would want to look at it as a mode of enhanced publicity. It is always critical to have a team built on different aspects of expertise. This would contribute to the success of the project.

After framing the right team, a strategic plan needs to be in place. Cloud computing requires generous number of years for establishment. It is not and should not be the result of isolated decisions. The plan should focus on the previous existing services, and its inter-operability with the new cloud services. It should be taken care not to damage the accountability of the existing services on the pretext of maximizing cloud services. A clear road map towards the objective, to an extent, marks the success.

Once the team has been framed, and a strategic plan is in place, it is time to deploy some mission-critical actions. The inter operability and portability of services need to be rightly defined. The terms and conditions of service providers and hosting services should be rightly made for all the targeted services. Actions deployed must be capable of maximizing the returns. Decisions once made should not differ with respect to unfortunate impacts and situations.

Cloud computing services have the obligation to abide by the standards of certain regulatory bodies. They are required to pass all the compliance audits. At the end of the day, all that matters for the successful adoption of cloud computing is a series of right decisions.

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