Sure Horizon

Archive for October 25th, 2010

The increasing availability of cloud servers , applications, and IT services is making more and more companies consider moving all or some of their computer needs out of their offices and into the cloud. Before they jump on the cloud bandwagon, there are several things they should consider.

Companies need to carefully evaluate the practicality of moving to cloud services. For some it will be perfectly reasonable to operate completely in the cloud, but most companies will realize that it’s best to only move some services to the cloud. It’s probably best to identify one or two functions and test them before moving other operations to the cloud. This should include a thorough financial analysis of the proposed changes.

A few companies will have the need and resources to create their own cloud systems. However most will want to investigate cloud collaboration options. The overall architecture of a company’s technology should take into account which areas need to be private and secured versus what can be handled in a more public or collaborative cloud environment.

Other important considerations are security and service of these systems. This includes internal access levels and user hierarchies . Lastly, a company will want to outline specific procedures for employees as well as the overall governance plan for these systems.