This year, more than ever, IT administrators are faced with a multitude of challenges, including the mounting complexity of enterprise systems, ever-increasing volumes of corporate data, proliferation of virtual machines, increased focus on disaster recovery planning, and emerging legal and auditing requirements. So how exactly do we address these growing demands with shrinking budgets and staff?
The potential of extended capacity, scalability and cost
benefits associated with cloud computing make transitioning to an on-demand IT
services model a compelling solution, especially for small- to mid-sized
businesses. Further, the success of early cloud providers has spurred other
industry giants to jump on the cloud bandwagon. This lends legitimacy to the
trend and suggests that fewer obstacles will be posed by integration,
customization and cost of services in the future.
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Cloud services still
are prone to service disruptions that compromise the availability of
mission-critical applications and information. Reports, such as the “IT Cloud
Services User Survey” released last fall by
To meet the demands of a changing data center, IT administrators must move now to develop strategies for adopting cloud technologies—technologies that strategically address their business requirements. These strategies need to include roadmaps outlining how they intend to select, utilize and monitor cloud computing platforms; how they will measure and report ROI in using cloud-based compute resources; and how they will do this without compromising business continuity and data security.
In a recent article for Communications News, I outline five tips for selecting a cloud computing service provider. Choosing the right provider is an ideal first step in mitigating risks associated with cloud computing, helping you promote high availability of applications and information within the cloud and ensure business continuity.
Well said.
Posted by: Rosemary | April 22, 2009 at 02:41 AM