Moving from private data centers to an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud environment is not just a technology change; it is transformational for the IT organization in many ways. Cloud computing brings a new paradigm of thinking and a different culture to an organization. The focus shifts to service delivery instead of individual nuts and bolts technology.
To take the full advantage of this transformation, organizations should look beyond IaaS and evaluate cloud service providers on the services they offer which support their technology. Exploration of additional services can actually help in the selection of the “right” IaaS Cloud provider for an organization. There are a number of services for enterprises to review and evaluate as they assess a cloud service provider but below are four critical areas enterprises should ask about:
- Cloud Readiness Assessment – Every application and system may not be built for the cloud. In some cases there may be critical dependencies and integration with other systems that could cause problems when a specific application is cloud-enabled. A cloud readiness assessment takes the guess work out of the equation and makes migration to cloud predictable and successful.
- Identity and Access Management – Like any data center, identity management is an essential component of managing IT in the cloud environment. Cloud based Identity and Access Management (IAM) services are extremely helpful in bridging the gap between corporate data centers and cloud environments. In many cases, organizations can extend the corporate directory in the private data center to the cloud, reducing the need for managing two separate IAM environments.
- Security Services – When we talk about cloud, security is at the forefront of all discussions. Security services should include protection against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, application and host vulnerability scanning, application security testing, among others. The security services provided by the IaaS vendor must play an important role in the selection process.
- Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) Programs – Cloud services have cut data recovery time from days and weeks to hours and minutes. Having a discussion with your cloud service provider about available options for BC/DR programs can help improve recovery time as well as control the cost.
No transformation is complete and successful without consideration of all aspects and exploration of all possibilities. Transforming your business to the cloud is no exception. You have to go beyond the basics, research your options for cloud service providers, explore readiness of your applications for cloud migration, think about security and IAM needs, and plan for business continuity. Only a comprehensive approach that includes all aspects will provide success.
