We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again.  The cloud is here to stay.  Even in the wake of your internal naysayers and cloud detractors, more and more enterprises will continue to recognize the value and scalability that cloud computing has to offer.  How can you work to convince the rest of your organization? How can you contribute to the overall strategy? How can your implementation go smoothly? A great way to speak of cloud adoption is something we recently discovered on CIO Magazine, titled Aligning Cloud Vision with Adoption, sharing a simple three step procedure to planning, implementing, and improving processes in the cloud.  These three steps?

• Crawl
• Walk
• Run

Sounds simple, no? Well, just as the natural development of a human, you have develop properly, lest you (or in this case your cloud strategy) falls.

Crawl: Assess What Will Happen and Benchmark What You Can Expect

Getting the ball rolling on the state of your cloud adoption can seem tough, but once the conversation begins, it is important to know what to expect.  A follow-up to our article on overcoming cloud fears, here is what you can expect in the first steps of your cloud journey.

• Internal readiness assessment: determine which processes, applications, dependencies and data are cloud-ready (not all applications belong in the cloud).
• Market readiness assessment: determine which competitors are moving to cloud, with which processes and applications.
• Adoption Road Map: Include all dependencies — people, applications, regulated data, regulations, business unit and customer SLAs, backup, storage and retention.

It often makes sense to start with the lowest-risk applications—those with minimal customer data and other sensitive information—or applications that take advantage of the elasticity of cloud computing. Assessing applications and workloads for cloud computing readiness allows organizations to determine what applications and data can – and cannot – be readily moved to a cloud environment and what delivery models (public, private, or hybrid) can be supported. The decision criteria may be refined as the assessment progresses.

Walk: Beginning Your Strategic Cloud Journey

Now that there is a plan and timeline for your cloud adoption move, it is important to find who will best suit your needs and successes. This stage, the walk stage, will get your cloud journey moving.  To ensure that your cloud strategy and relationship with vendors is perfect for selection, consider the RIPEN method.

• Request proof that selected cloud services offerings meet reliability, availability, scalability and security requirements
• Identify cloud services providers which meet your criteria and needs list.
• Partner with vendors who understand the market, have experience, and with a business model that aligns closely with your success to ensure cloud adoption.
• Ensure the commercial viability of both the cloud offering and the cloud provider.
• Notify vendors of deal breakers — anything that poses an operational or financial risk.

By following this plan, you can ensure that your vendor relationship is fruitful and will benefit you throughout the relationship.

Run: Completing an Effective and Efficient Cloud Implementation

You have the plan, you have the criteria, and you have the vendor relationship ready for business success.  Now, the adoption, implementation, and management of this ongoing process in the cloud.  What does it take to run?

• Initiate sourcing action plan for cloud services
• Pilot options meeting your RAS (Reliability, Availability, Serviceability) requirements
• Identify a cloud mobility or migration tool
• Develop migration plan and road map
• Transition to new cloud services

Now that you have a strategy and plan for the implementation of the software, it is time to welcome the cloud to your enterprise.  We thank CIO Magazine for their article on planning cloud adoption, and The Cloud Standards Customer Council on their advice on Migrating Applications to the Cloud. Remember, the cloud is here to stay.  But you also have to remember that the adoption and implementation is a never-ending journey that will bear business benefit for years, if not decades to come.  Altruas hopes you can recognize the benefits of the cloud, learn the best practices in implementation, and all in all, develop a long term benefit in cloud adoption.  As a leading Houston Cloud Provider, we seek to help customers learn more about emerging and leading software. Contact us today to learn how you can grow with the cloud.