This is the third in a series of blogs aimed at demystifying the Cloud and helping business put together an appropriate Cloud strategy. I was inspired to write this series based on a recent power lunch I attended where the topic was focused on business strategies for moving a company’s IT infrastructure to the Cloud and using SaaS solutions for business productivity applications.
In my previous Cloud blogs, I provided a definition of the Cloud from a business perspective, explained how businesses were already utilizing the Cloud, described which applications are best suited for the Cloud, and what application traits send up a red flag when considering the Cloud. Today, I want to talk about how to develop your Cloud Strategy.
Let me start off by saying that you should focus on how the Cloud can enhance your existing technology strategy to better meet strategic business needs. You should not be developing a standalone Cloud strategy, instead, include Cloud based solutions in your existing technology strategy where appropriate.
So, how do you go about figuring out where Cloud based solutions are appropriate for your business? First, if you haven’t read it already please read my blog The Cloud. What applications are good candidates?.
Second, I recommend you follow Forrester Research’s advice on how to appropriately position cloud offerings as part of your existing technology strategies:
1. Integrate IaaS into your infrastructure strategy
At the infrastructure level, the business problem is to cost-effectively provision infrastructure to run your business. IaaS becomes the right answer when, for a given business scenario, it provides the most effective computing infrastructure based on financing, flexibility, reliability, security, and other factors important to that specific business scenario. Evaluate IaaS options alongside on-premise data centers, private cloud, hosted cloud, traditional outsourcing, and managed hosting.
2. Integrate PaaS into your application platform strategy
For application platforms, the objective is to provide effective tooling to allow your solution delivery teams to build and maintain a coherent portfolio of business solutions and, where appropriate, to do specialized development for individual applications within the portfolio. PaaS is right for your business when its combined solution development and runtime environment compares favorably against other application platform options on cost, flexibility, developer skills management, and solution life-cycle management either for your entire portfolio or for individual applications viewed as part of your overall portfolio. In other words, the absolute best platform for a single isolated app is not always the best platform when that app is considered within a coherent application platform strategy.
3. Integrate SaaS into your business solution portfolio and road map
When buying or building a portfolio of solutions to run your business, the business problem is to achieve effective, competitive business operations. SaaS is the right option when the portfolio fit, cost, risk, functionality, operational robustness, and integratability of a (small or large) SaaS-based solution allows it to provide the best combination of business effectiveness and cohesive fit into your application road map and strategy. An application that provides the perfect fit for a given set of business needs may or may not fit well into your solution portfolio. If it doesn’t, there’s the risk it will create upfront and ongoing integration and operational hassles both for IT and for your business process.
And last but not least, I recommend that you carefully consider the timing of introducing Cloud based solutions. Critical infrastructure (think hardware purchase) and application life-cycle events (build/buy new capabilities, replacing end-of-life solutions) should prompt you to consider how Cloud based solutions might play a role in improving business agility and operational excellence.
About the author
Esther Mattick has over a decade of experience leading process driven optimization projects that enable organizations to achieve revenue improvement goals in a cost effective manner. She has working experience as a Quality Assurance Technician, Business Analyst, Project Manager, Operations Manager and Director of Technology. Esther has established a reputation for making complex technology problems understandable and manageable.
Inspirations
Cloud Computing from Wikipedia
IBM White Paper, Dispelling the vapor around cloud computing
Top 5 Cloud Applications for 2010
To Cloud or Not to Cloud in Financial Services
The Confusion of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
