50 cloud computing tips

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Is your in-house IT
system struggling to
adapt to evolving conditions?
If so, here are 50 quick tips to help you use cloud computing to
eliminate the risks of major capital IT investments, work more
securely, and scale up or down with business volume.

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“ “The first step to cloud success
is determining whether it
serves a business need.
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Clearly delineate the business
problems you can resolve by
moving to the cloud.

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Determine the legal or
compliance constraints for
data or externally hosted
systems.
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Outsource IT from “Day 1” -
technology is changing too
fast to keep up by yourself.

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Don't over-buy or get locked
into a cloud contract. You can
always buy more horsepower
later.
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Survey end-users on what they
need from cloud computing. All
sorts of strategies will be
revealed as a result.

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Build a holistic model for cloud
computing based on what's
redundant, what's inefficient
and where there are gaps.
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When weighing the cloud vs.
onsite, factor in the hidden costs
of discussing IT issues, utilities
and travel expenses.

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Sign it’s time for the cloud:
You’re growing and can’t reliably
predict resource requirements
over the next few years.

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Client expectations have
increased and you need to
exhibit higher client service
levels.

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You need to keep IT costs
predictable. Cloud costs are
relatively static.

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Your employees work on
disparate systems and use a
wide variety of devices.
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You’re putting too much effort
into hardware maintenance and
software upgrades.

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Setting cloud expectations:
Personnel, data backup, disaster
recovery and compliance
costs need to be identified.

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Better service comes at a cost.
Cloud costs may seem higher,
but realize that you’ll no longer
have to budget for upgrades and
unforeseen IT issues.
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Define what moving to the cloud
means. Hardware or software?
A single vendor or multiple
providers?
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Realize that the cloud doesn’t
make IT experts irrelevant, it
makes them more strategic.
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Ask a potential cloud provider
how user-friendly the solution
is. Request a free trial or testing
period to ensure a more
seamless process.
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to specify service levels. An
availability guarantee doesn’t
cover system performance or
support resolution times.

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about their encryption and
access security, as well as the
physical location of the data
center.

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about your control over your
data. Ask to see their data
retention policy.

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where your data is stored.
Some providers utilize offshore
companies for actual storage.

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about price flexibility. Can you
add one seat, or do you have to
buy groups of 5?

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to help forecast costs. Some
charge per usage, so set a cost
structure you can work with.

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what happens if their cloud
goes down. Do they have a
redundant cloud site?

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about their recovery interval.
How long will it take to restore
data and resume operations?

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how quickly and easily it is to
add/remove software or users.

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if they’ve been breached or
whether you’ll be notified
when/if they are in the future.

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Know your cloud provider.
Under the HiTech Act, violations
can be imposed upon cloud
providers if data is exposed.
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Security-sensitive organizations
should not resort to public
cloud email.
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Make sure that the cloud
provider’s agreement
recognizes your rights to
control access to data.

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Determine what happens to
your data if you sever the
relationship or the cloud
provider goes out-of-business.

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When working with a cloud
provider develop exit clauses to
mitigate the pain of vendor
lock-in.

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Select a “private” cloud, rather
than a “public” to reduce
inadvertent or malicious access
to your data.

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Be sure the cloud service
agreement specifies service
time parameter maximums
and who is responsible for
disruptions.
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Make sure your cloud provider
can archive emails in an
efficient and secure matter –
without additional charges.
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Service Level Agreements
should address how the cloud
provider will protect your data
and include a “Right to Audit”.
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Create provisions to get your
data back when/if necessary.
Predetermine what you can do
with it once you get it back.
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If you choose a hybrid cloud
remember that local data will
still require backups and
software compatibility.
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When moving to the cloud
make sure to have adequate
internet bandwidth and a
contingency line.
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operate your current system in
parallel for 2 weeks to reduce
the probability of data loss.

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remember to migrate any
historical data to the new
system, if required.

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Give yourself ample time to
plan out and test your
migration.

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Know your cloud provider’s
record with uptime and transition
time, and get a guarantee with
some financial teeth.

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Determine how you will control
which users are allowed to do
what in which cloud
applications.

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Ask to test the cloud solution.
Send a note to customer service;
the promptness and helpfulness
will tell you a lot.

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Ask: Are the applications you’ll
move to the cloud sensitive to
timing delays? Will you need to
limit streaming video?

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Design a cloud implementation
plan. How to manage change,
training, etc. Ask the provider to
assist with the plan.

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Make sure the most tech-
illiterate can work in the cloud.
Have end-users test speed and
functionality before the
transition.
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The best piece of advice that I
was given regarding cloud
computing is simply “get on
board or get left behind.”
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Looking for more
cloud resources?
• Pros & Cons of Cloud Computing: http://info.isutility.com/cloudcomputing_prosandcons
• IT Cost Calculator: http://info.isutility.com/Cloudcomputingcalculator
• 9 Steps to Choosing a Cloud Vendor: http://info.isutility.com/HoustonITOutsourcingGuide
• Educational Webinar: 5 Steps to The Cloud: http://info.isutility.com/cloud-computing-webinar
• 10-Step Disaster Preparedness Plan & Template: http://info.isutility.com/disasterpreparedness
.

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