In 2011, the big hype for many companies was “cloud.” However, how to define cloud differed for many , but in 2012, that is expected to change. IT administrators and management will begin to agree on what the term “cloud” means to them, which will result in a clearer view of the business benefits for transitioning to the cloud.
Today, it seems the term “cloud” is catching on with a bit more clarity. Chief information officers not only understand private clouds and the benefits associated with the agility and automation they bring, but they are also trying to sell the cloud internally to their chief executive officers and chief financial officers. To achieve this, CIOs are learning to think like company leaders, which will result in a common understanding of what the cloud is and what it can do for businesses.
In the past, the misconceptions over the term “cloud” hindered its adoption. Building a cloud requires people, processes and technology. When considering the move, it is crucial for companies to ensure that their business goals are aligned with IT objectives.
If your company still can’t agree on the meaning of “cloud” and the benefits that come with this shift, there are several steps that you can take to increase awareness and understanding. These include:
- Seek the advice of cloud analysts, media, and vendors.
- Determine if process improvement, agility and operational efficiency are important. If so, the cloud most likely has an important role to play.
- Evaluate what you will need to best operationalize a cloud for your specific organizational needs.
- Learn the specifics of a private cloud, including: self-service management and provisioning, service catalogs, showback and IT chargeback.
- Be realistic about long-term needs for automation and management.
- Be ready to discuss deployment schedules and return on investment timeframes.
- Make your case about the benefit of having a private cloud deliver real time infrastructure-as-a-service to customers.
- Be prepared to measure and quantify the savings of having a private cloud deliver infrastructure on demand.
- Be ready to explain how private cloud deployments should not only enable companies to implement showback and chargeback, but also help them monitor and curb consumption for IT resources.
- Define service level agreements and project goals that are quantifiable, measurable, and realistic.
This year, IT administrators and managers will start to agree on the definition of “cloud” and what it can do for business. This should move the perception of the term from hype to reality.
Stay tuned for a series of blogs from our management team on more 2012 IT predictions.
