The decision about adopting cloud isn’t enough. Enterprise CIOs are facing challenges both internally and externally in making the necessary shift to cloud for an efficient IT environment. Wide prevailing misinformation and confusion are the main reasons why some organizations are still holding themselves back from embracing cloud.
CIOs must take the leadership in encouraging companies to look at the bright side of cloud computing by improving clarity. But in order to do that he must have a clear understanding of the challenges that might come his way in introducing virtualization in enterprise environment. In this post we have discussed both the internal and external challenges that the CIO needs to deal with.
Possible internal issues
Reservations
One of the biggest hindrances that you might face internally is likely to come from the management. It could be hard to show them immediate tangible benefits of cloud. Reaching the breakeven point in cloud implementation might take some time. So, it can be difficult to convince the management to make further investment if your IT budget is already maxed out.
Over enthusiasm
On the other hand, overzealous management can also be difficult to deal with. Since cloud is the current buzz word in the industry many businesses are making the mistake of considering it as a magic bullet solution for all their enterprise problems. CIOs may face problems in explaining the limitations of cloud before an overzealous management.
Insecurity
The next objection is likely to come from the work force. Teams that are used to in working in traditional environment may feel threatened from the introduction of the new setup. However, that problem can be solved by helping them see how cloud can transform the work culture by making the infrastructure agile, accessible and portable.
Infrastructure
Introducing cloud may require modernization of your current IT setup, like – introduction of virtualization machine and things like that. Since most of the cloud computing solutions are delivered over the internet it might require you to upgrade your current bandwidth consumption.
App mapping
Successful cloud implementation means mapping the right applications to cloud. As a CIO you must know what apps to shift to cloud to extract optimum benefit. Applications with variable resource consumption that require a scalable platform for better functioning are deemed right candidates for cloud hosting. On the contrary, apps internally built to collate and manage mission-critical data are better hosted on internal servers.
Possible external challenges
Selecting vendor
Cloud options are available in plentitude nowadays. Similarly, the number of cloud hosting service providers offering cloud solutions is also innumerable. Vendor selection can prove to be a challenging task for CIOs. Selecting a vendor with proven track record can help putting your worries at rest.
Selecting cloud model
The decision is related to IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. The choice would depend on your internal business model and requirements. Business requirements are often intermittent and accordingly you need to select the cloud model that would best serve your purpose.
SLAs
Decoding vendor SLA is probably the most painful task for a CIO but since quality of service is largely dependent on the terms and conditions mentioned in the service level agreement of the vendor it becomes imperative to perform an in-depth analysis of the clauses mentioned in it.
Licensing requirements
Moving third-party applications, especially, the traditional legacy software would mean meeting their licensing requirements on cloud. Some application developers would argue that transferring their application on cloud makes the task of managing new users difficult and so, they may object to cloud hosting of their applications. CIOs would need to find a way that would keep both the sides happy.
Cloud administration
Unrestricted usage of cloud resource can soon eliminate the cost benefits promised by it. If you do not employ a proper chargeback system to keep track of your resource usage on cloud the bills would soon rack up. A cloud administrator will help monitoring the performance of your organization on cloud.
Adoption of cloud can certainly help leveraging your IT potential by making the system more efficient. However, you would need to plug all the holes in order to derive the optimum benefits out of it. According to current market survey reports, enterprise cloud adoption is going to grow by 50% by 2020. So, it is the right time to adopt cloud because not adopting it would mean losing crucial competitive advantage.
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