Companies that get the most financial benefits from cloud adoption all carry certain characteristics, a survey from CloudHealth Technologies found.
Cloud computing is driving a 35 percent increase in year-over-year top-line revenue for businesses that have a clear vision as to what they want their cloud infrastructures to look like, have the ability to deploy new applications quickly, and have continuous oversight to protect against unnecessary sprawl.
CloudHealth Technologies said that these steps are indicative of top cloud leaders:
- Designate a Cloud Leader
Seventy-six percent of top cloud users have a cloud steward, who has knowledge about how the cloud helps the company as a whole, has visibility within the company, has information about its inner workings and goals, and has the ability to work effectively with different groups. The cloud steward defines best practices and continues to optimize the company’s technology.
- Set Metrics for Cloud Goals
The top cloud companies are 10 times more likely to respond that they have a “crystal-clear vision” for their cloud program. The survey encouraged companies to track their progress over time, compare their numbers to those of their peers, and revisit these metrics to ensure that they’re still relevant.
- Balance Cost with Performance
Companies should analyze their products, workloads, and cost centers to determine the right cloud resources. The cost of certain products reflects performance, utilization, and security. Focusing too much on cutting costs could deter cloud performance, according to the report.
- Centralize the Cloud Decision-Making Process
Top performing cloud companies make decisions on their cloud infrastructure through one body, in order to keep track of all of the moving parts. Companies with decentralized management should define rules to continue making cloud decisions through a single body, which would simplify operations and speed decision-making.
- Automate
Companies should begin policies that automate infrastructure schedules, ensure the efficient operation of the cloud infrastructure, reduce manual labor, and eliminate the potential for human error. Procedures that could be automated include modifying reserved instances, ensuring proper tagging, and turning the lights on and off. This eliminates time-consuming tasks so that IT professionals can spend their time managing services and products.
These subjects and more will be addressed Feb. 8 at the Rayburn House Office Building at a Cloud Computing Caucus Advisory Group Hillversation. Hear from Federal and state agencies on their cloud strategies and how government can navigate the journey to the cloud. Click here for more information.
