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Cloud Computing 101: Tips on Taking Your Business into the Cloud
by Phoebe King
Tags: CLOUD COMPUTING,HOW-TO,SMB
Nowthat cloudcomputingisfirmly established inthe ITlexicon—andworkplace—we thoughtthis
wouldbe a goodtime to offertipsyoucan share withclientsand/orprospects onhow small and
medium-sizedbusinesses (SMBs) canbestmove theiroperationsand/orinfrastructureintothe cloud.
But, first:Whatis “the cloud”?Quite simply,the cloud canbe thoughtof as a data delivery mechanism
comprisinganecosystemof productsandservicesthatcan be structuredinways to bestmeetthe
computingneedsof companieslarge andsmall.Itcanbe brokenintothree basicmodels:software-as-a-
service (SaaS),whichincludes productssuchas Salesforce andNetsuite;infrastructure-as-a-service
(IaaS),wherebyall the informationhostedonacompany’sserverisnow cloud-basedandaccessedover
the internet;andplatform-as-a-service (PaaS),whichincludes the applicationandinterface aswell as
database developmentandstorage,all deliveredthrougharemotelyhostedplatform.Thereare more,
but theyfall outside of the scope of thisprimer.
Cloudmodelsare growingandbecomingever-more prevalentinthe businessworld. The followingsteps
and resourcescanhelpSMBs make the transition intocloudcomputing.
Do Your Homework
Self-AssessmentAnimportantfirststepmanybusinessesneglecttoexplore fully before makingthe leap
intocloudcomputing isthe why step.What are the IT needsof yourorganizationtoday,andhow do you
expectthemtochange in the next5 years? What is the frameworkof yourIT architecture?How do you
see itinterfacingwithcloud? Have youinventoriedall of the appsusedbyyour business recently?These
are importantquestionsthatshouldbe answeredbefore cloudimplementation.Also, itisimportantto
getinputfrom all stakeholdersduringthispartof the process.Considerconductingdepartment-wide
surveystodetermine whatworks,whatdoesn’tand toget suggestionsforimprovementintermsof
processesand apps. Customersatisfaction,asalways,shouldbe atthe forefrontof ANY change youplan
to implement.
Accordingto the CompTIA BuyingGuide forCloudServices, cloudadoptiongenerallyprogressesalong
the followinglines:(a) experimentation,(b) non-critical use,(c) full productionand(d) optimization. Itis
likelyyouare alreadyusingcloud-basedsoftware,e.g.,Salesforce,ConstantContact (experimentation
phase).Bythe time youare backingup yourdatabase inthe cloud,youhave progressedtothe
productionandoptimizationphases. A thorough needsanalysisandself-assessmentshouldbe done
before progressingtothe nextsteps of movingyourenterpriseintothe cloud. Yourin-house ITpeople
are integral tothisprocess.
Cloud/VendorResearchNowthat you have an ideaof whatyour needsare,you have to decide which
productsand servicesare goingtomeetthose needs. Forinstance,will yoube placingyourbusinessin
the publiccloud,the private cloudordo youforesee adoptingahybridframework?There are differing
rationalesforeach,butmost studiesfind thatSMBsembrace the hybridapproach. Some businesses
take a “multi-cloud”approach,wherebytheyuse differentcloudmodelsfordifferentapplications.Each
optionshouldbe assessedintermsof scalability.

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For instance,the businessthatplanstolaunchan automated,customizableCRMdatabase with e-
commerce functionalityinthe cloudinordertoimprove its connectionwith customersisgoingto
require differentservicesthanthe businessthatwants managedservicessuchasbackupand data
recoveryasits focal pointforcloudcomputing. Whatare the costs associatedwitheachof these
choices?Andhowdo youmake sure your data issecure?Answeringthesekindof questionsduringthe
all-importantplanningprocesswillhelpyoudetermine whichkindof vendorwill be able toprovidethe
rightkindof services.
Regardlessof yourrolloutplans,the followingfactorsare essential infindingthe rightvendorsforyour
business:
 ReputationCheck references.Word-of-mouthrecommendations alsocanprove invaluable.
 Reliabilityintermsof minimal downtime andaccessibility.
 Versatilityintermsof customizationandbreadthof services.Will yourproviderbe able to
accommodate yourparticularprocessesandare theyequippedtogrow alongwithyour
business?
 SkillsDoesthe prospecthave the toolsand skills necessary totake care of problemsasthey
arise?
 Downtime There is a bigdifference between a99 percentservice level agreement(SLA) anda
99.99 percentSLA,measuredinpercentage of uptime.The formertranslatesintoasmuchas7.3
hoursof cloudaccessdisruptionpermonthversuslessthan44 minutespermonthforthe latter.
Bring Staff on Board
As withthe adoptionof anynewtechnologyorwayof doingthings,buy-infromyouremployeesisa
critical part of the change process. Andnomatter whichexpertyouask,theyall agree that
communicationiskeyfromthe outset. Once aplanis in place,it isimportanttocommunicate your
visiontoyouremployees.However, some expertsrecommendgettingemployeesinvolvedinthe
planningprocessitself.One suggestionistogetan employee fromeachdepartmentthatthe cloud
implementationwill affectandhave themforma change committee.Taskthemwithdraftingachange
policytohelpsmooththe transition.
Fine Tune and Evaluate
It isimportantto analyze andevaluate the planafteryourcompanyhasbegunto implementcloud
computingandfine tune it,as necessary. Publiccloudshave analyticssoftware builtintotheirapps.Your
cloudprovidershouldalsobe able torecommenduseful,up-to-the-minuteanalytics. Itishelpful tohave
a benchmarkinplace prior torollout.
The followingresourcesprovidemore detailedinformationonthe topicscoveredinthispost.
Resources
Cloud Computing
First-time CloudImplementationMistakesandHow toAvoidThemGlowtouchTechnologies
Today’sCloudSecurityChallenges workintelligent.ly
Nine BestPracticesforCloudImplementation CIOInsight

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Service Providers
BuyingGuide forCloudServices CompTIA
Pole Position:Rankingthe Top5 IaaS, PaaSand Private CloudProviders CRN
EmployeeBuy-In
Change Is Good.Now,Howto Get EmployeestoBuyIn Entrepreneur
Employee InvolvementinOrganizational Change Houston Chronicle