Preparing Your Business for the Cloud

As cloud adaptation quickly moves into business, IT Department Heads must learn how to prepare for changes in technology and staff or suffer the consequences. Here are a few pointers to help prepare for that move to the cloud in today’s IT world.

Prepare for the shift Don’t assume you can just move everything to the cloud. Plan how your department will strategize to make organizational improvements to align your department with the cloud.

Restructure IT and Manage the Cloud Don’t let management be seduced by the accessibility of the cloud. Be sure that your department is still the go to expert of all things IT, including the cloud.

Extend IT influence With the cloud removing the IT department as simply maintenance, now is the time to establish the department’s place regarding strategy and business critical initiatives.

Make use of traditional outsourcing skills This is one area where IT already should have skills, and working with the cloud has many similarities to the role of product and service evaluation, contract negotiations and performance monitoring that were needed before.

Reduce IT risk by adjusting your organizational design

Maintain control of the technology decision making process by making adjustments to your organizational design to align IT with the cloud.

Manage the cloud as part of IT structure Take an active role in managing the cloud by deciding which services should migrate to the cloud and which should stay in-house. Create a hybrid environment that is the best of two worlds.

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