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Checklist for cloud computing success: 4 key factors

 
JudyRedman| July 25, 2011
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checklist.jpgCloud computing has many benefits including providing more agility, boosting productivity and helping to reduce capital outlays. Because of the cloud’s popularity IT leaders might feel coerced into considering cloud projects that may or may not make the best sense for the company or fit into an overall IT delivery strategy. Here’s a checklist of the top factors that you should weigh carefully before embarking on any cloud project.  And if necessary, these considerations can be used to push back or steer a project in the right direction.

 

Factor 1:  Levels of Security, Compliance and Risk Management

As I point out in my post, “CIO.com survey says: Cloud computing has come of age” security is the number one challenge and concern around cloud computing among IT leaders. You need to ask the right legal questions during the planning process to help ensure a secure cloud environment.  Some of those questions are:

  • ·         What are the potential risks of putting a specific application in the cloud?
  • ·         How sensi­tive is the application’s data?
  • ·         Can compliance requirements be met?
  • ·         Will the cloud provider’s IT systems integrate with my organization’s architecture, allowing for resiliency and portability?
  • ·         Does the cloud provider understand my organization’s unique business requirements, and are the specifics of the service level agreements spelled out and understood by both parties?

 

Factor 2:  Choose the Right Applications

A second area for consideration involves applications. Not all applications are suited to the cloud.  You need to carefully review which applications have the right workloads, what is required to move specific applications into the cloud and what impact the cloud could have on application performance.  Because you don’t own the resources when you move an application to a public cloud, you can no longer guarantee end-to-end application performance (a reason private clouds are worth considering).  Monitoring your applications can be a challenge and you often lose control of the troubleshooting process should problems arise. Most experts caution against moving mission-critical apps to the cloud until you have experience moving less important applications and understand the impacts. That said, many mission critical applications are suited to the cloud (See my recent post: “Dispelling 5 common myths of cloud computing” for more information.)  Just make sure you have the means to create a service catalog and a way to automate business critical applications such as ones from SAP, Microsoft and Oracle.

 

Factor 3:  Map out your integration between cloud and existing infrastructure

Before moving any applications to the cloud, the IT staff must think through how the program will integrate with existing IT architecture. For example, if the application is moved into a hybrid environment, how will load balancing be implemented?  What about backup and recovery of data?  How will dynamic resource management be accomplished?

 

cloud drawing.jpg

 

Factor 4:  Don’t Forget Legal Implications

As with most things IT these days, you need to think like a lawyer when moving to the cloud.  Service-provider contracts are especially important. Make sure any contract you sign meets your needs, has flexibility and covers your liability. (For a longer discussion of this topic, I recommend a post written by my colleague Paul Muller, “Look before you click:  10 questions to ask before agreeing to a cloud services contract.”)  And it goes without saying that any cloud service provider needs to comply with all jurisdictional, federal and industry regulations. Make sure your cloud provider offers the same privacy protections that your company, industry or law requires. Does the service provider have data-breach or business interruption insurance? How will your business be affected if the service provider has problems?  If in doubt, contact your legal department before proceeding. 

 

Considering these factors will take time up front, but will help pave the way for more successful cloud implementations.  A new Enterprise CIO Forum white paper provides more details about these key cloud computing considerations.  Download the white paper for the full report. 

 

 

Tags: cloud computing| cloud computing applications| cloud computing blog| cloud computing legal considerations| cloud computing security| View All (9)
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About the Author(s)
  • Archie delivers strategic solutions focused on today’s critical and evolving business needs, linked to the growing list of Strategic Enterprise Services including Hybrid Cloud, IM&A including Social Media, Security and Mobility from BYOD to mobile applications. Archie is the author of 4 books so far, and a founding director of the Australian Cloud Security Alliance chapter.
  • Lending 20 years of IT market expertise across 5 continents, for defining moments as an innovation adoption change agent.
  • Global Marketing Manager at HP in the Converged Application Systems organization, ESSN for Cloud Maps Solution which is a key part of HP’s Converged Cloud and CloudSystem strategy. Responsible for leading marketing for Cloud Maps with a focus on creating internal & external awareness, sales & partner enablement, and demand generation. You can follow me on Twitter @BelaniDeepak
  • This account is for guest bloggers. The blog post will identify the blogger.
  • A comprehensive partner program for key service providers to jointly take advantage of the rapidly growing cloud market with HP.
  • Jim is a technology marketer with over two decades experience in product launch, branding, and product marketing
  • 15 years in the IT industry holding titles such as System Administrator, Professional Services Consultant, Technical Instructor, Solution Architect and Technical Product Marketing.
  • I've been with HP for 30 years. Half of that time was in R&D, mainly as an architect. The other 15 years has been spent in product management and product marketing. .
  • René J. Aerdts is chief technologist and leader of the Strategic Pursuits and Cloud Enablement organization within the Chief Technology Office for HP Enterprise Services. René is responsible for creating and delivering direction and content for consultative driven thematic pursuits, where leading edge technologies and offerings are part of the solution.
  • Roger has been trying to get out of Information Technology since programming COBOL on mainframes in the late '80's. But no matter in which continent he awoke, or whom employed him, his passion to enable people with technology was constant. So now he enables businesses to determine their strategy using the latest technologies like cloud computing, mobility, and big data. HP calls these Strategic Enterprise Services, Roger calls them "another day in the office."
  • Shakeeb "Shak" is responsible for HP's Cloud Solutions as Sr. Product Marketing Executive. He helps strategize HP's future directions around Cloud offerings and works closely with HP's large enterprise and strategic customers to understand their needs and requirements and help map them to HP's solutions. Prior to joining HP - Shak was with Cisco managing their Global Unified Compute and Virtualization Practice. Before that Shakeeb was with VMware in various capacities for nearly 6 years managing VMware's customers and strategic partners. Shakeeb spend almost a decade prior to VMware with other enterprise software companies such as Interwoven and Platinum Technology managing enterprise content management and enterprise performance management solutions respectively. Shak started his professional career after completing his Master's in Management from University of California, with PriceWaterHouseCoopers where he managed multiple consulting teams responsible for worldwide delivery of large enterprise solutions.


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