When clients contemplating a move to the cloud ask for advice, we tell them to start by being realistic about what cloud computing actually offers.
Yes, the cloud frees budgets from constant investment in infrastructure, reducing CapEx expenditure.
But the cloud is a technology, not a solution that will automatically deliver benefits like faster time-to-market or streamlined methods or a fix for personnel or process issues within your enterprise.
Next, we advocate a know thyself approach. You’ll get the most out of a cloud implementation by understanding what you’re trying to accomplish. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses.
If you’re certain about having access to the technical talent you’ll need to get from purchase to actual delivery of services, then go it alone.
If you’re less certain about what to do once you’ve ordered up servers and terabytes of data, you’ll want some help — which brings us to the last bit of advice: know thy cloud provider.
Cloud providers, like cloud computing itself, come in a dizzying array of options.
So don’t let a cloud provider tell you there’s only one way to get something done. Those vendors are trying to sell you their product rather than a solution that fits your business.
But you can in fact get exactly what you need without giving up the economies of scale the cloud promises. Ask a trusted technology advisor how.
