Cloud adoption for many is now a reality.  Your own company may be looking to expand beyond the initial pilots or test cases. Your team may find that they are once again assessing new Cloud options. A recent article on Network World by Cloudamize provides us these tips:

Know who you are. Before you can determine what cloud solution is right, you must first know the ins and outs of your own Operation.  First, inventory all your systems. Know the connections, dependencies, governance and requirements for your in-house systems and existing cloud operations. Next, how do they perform… and how should they perform?  What storage and compute resources are utilized and how much? Not only will this allow you to start to understand your needs in the cloud but also what your costs could potentially be. Cloudamize points out a few specific  metrics to have on hand Peak CPU utilization, throughput, usage patterns, storage capacity and use and Disc IOPS and bandwidth.

Know who they are – “they” as in the cloud providers. What are your cloud options? How do the different cloud configurations meet your needs… how do they not? Pricing is also important to review inside and out.  Cloud providers offer different pricing models. If you have spent the time to develop a solid understanding of what your current operation requires, than you will have an easier time evaluating the options and estimating costs. Also, look for providers that help you work through “what-if scenarios” so you can test drive the impacts to your operations and performance.

Finally, assessing a cloud solution is not just about performance, configuration and price.  You must also take into consideration your company’s short and long term goals.  A discussion about goals should start at the time you are assessing the hard facts of your operation and should include stakeholders from across the company. A thorough understanding of your company’s vision and your IT operations and needs will help you better assess your cloud options and make a good choice.

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