7 STEPS FOR Creating YOUR CLOUD STRATEGY

Gartner posted an article outlining seven elements to a Cloud Strategy. These seven provide a good anchor point for any cloud strategy.

Source: Gartner: Seven Elements for Creating an Enterprise Cloud Strategy

1. Ensure Cloud Strategy Follows Business Strategy

Sometimes organisations can be more understanding with cloud vendors making accommodations, if the service does not align precisely with their business objectives. But it should align with your strategy!

2. Assess Five Types of Cloud Risk to Address Security, Compliance, and Other Cloud Concerns

Security and compliance are important in your cloud strategy, but something that often gets overlooked is your business continuity and disaster recovery concerns. These are more complex as you are dealing with third-party vendors, and even in some cases, phantom vendors. Phantom vendors – hey that is new but what are they you ask? These are companies providing services to your vendor, but you do not have a direct relationship with them. Sometimes it pays to ask questions of your cloud vendor. 

3. Question Cost Reduction as a Main Driver for Cloud Adoption

Understanding the direct savings achieved from your cloud strategy is a difficult task. What is the costs associated with the services that will require to stay on-premise versus to someone else’s premises? That is ALL THE CLOUD IS.

4. Plan Potential Routes to the Cloud

For many organisations, a cloud strategy should plan for various possible routes to the cloud. How do we access our data and digital environment ALL the time or without it failing? 

5. Understand the Shared Responsibility Model of the Cloud

A fundamental change that cloud computing introduces is the concept of a shared responsibility model. 

6. Differentiate the Approach for the Three Typical Areas of Enterprise Cloud Adoption

Gartner has observed three distinct areas of cloud adoption: adoption of software as a service (SaaS) for rapid access to modern standard functionality; adoption of cloud infrastructure platforms (CIPS) for building unique new functions; and the migration of current and legacy applications.

When formulating their cloud strategy, enterprise architects and I&O leaders should take a wholistic view. This view addresses the tradeoffs they must make between operational control and management of the new environment.

7. Embrace the Changing Role of the IT Department

“No matter what cloud strategy enterprise architects and I&O leaders decide on, the strategy will involve a changing role for their internal IT organisation. Typically, this leads to appointing a cloud architect, establishing a cloud center of excellence, and setting up a cloud service broker group that liaises between business stakeholders and cloud service providers.“

.@Gartner_IT analyst Raj Bala says that enterprise architects and I&O leaders should use 7 elements to create a pragmatic #cloud strategy for their organizations. Read more. #GartnerIO #IO

Source: Gartner: Seven Elements for Creating an Enterprise Cloud Strategy