#radio Radio Serbia by EnjoyIT 1.0 http://t.co/nGQFvX2E
10 minutes ago by RealTonyRocha on twitter
Breaking News: CFOs increasingly involved in IT investment decisions
ZDNet / Techguide / Tech Management
Five tips for finding a cloud solution that's ready for your users
Summary
Cloud services can lower costs and make your organization more agile--but only if you choose a solution that's right for your users. Here are a few factors to keep in mind when you evaluate your options.
Topics
apple itunes, oracle corporation, microstrategy, arbor software, google, information technology, science and technology, technology
Events
Echelon 2012
June 11 and 12, 2012
University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore
Startup Asia Jakarta 2012
June 7 and 8, 2012
12th Floor, Annex Building, Wisma Nusantara Complex, Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 59 Jakarta 10350, Indonesia
MMA Forum Singapore
April 23-25, 2012
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Cloud computing is here to stay. It has quickly earned a reputation as a powerful business enabler, based on benefits such as scalability, availability, on-demand access, rapid deployment, and low cost. IT-savvy users in development and test functions have adopted the cloud model to accelerate application lifecycles. And with recent innovations in self-service access, users in consulting, training, and sales demo areas are also becoming the direct consumers of cloud services.
As these mainstream users adopt cloud services, many companies find "infrastructure-oriented" cloud services to be intimidating and difficult to use, since they were designed for IT pros. To be of value to functional users, a business cloud solution must be simple and self-service oriented, much like iTunes. This is especially important because many companies do not have sufficient IT resources to help set up, code, and customize cloud services.
A business cloud solution should be usable--not just codeable--from day one. Here are some steps you can take to determine whether a cloud solution is usable for your business.
1: Verify that the cloud directly addresses your business problem
What business problem are you trying to solve with the cloud? Having this type of focus can help you avoid the technology trap. If you're evaluating a cloud solution for multiple functional users, including support, training, or business analysts, be sure that the cloud solution addresses their needs. A cloud that offers pure infrastructure will make it hard for functional users to accomplish business tasks without a UI framework to guide the workflow. If you are moving to the cloud to enable better collaboration across the team, ensure the cloud service provider offers a granular user access model that enables teams to assign rights to users based on their roles.
2: Focus on usability
Today's enterprise business users need a simple self-service cloud solution that enables them to implement new ideas and collaborate with customers. Usability includes requirements such as configurability, self-service access, collaboration, visibility, and control. Ask yourself these questions:
- Can the cloud be easily configured for different use-cases?
- Does it deliver team management capabilities to enforce policies and role-based access?
- Can your employees collaborate with prospects, customers, and partners and work on parallel streams without being constrained?
- Does the cloud provide detailed usage reports and control mechanisms?
These are key requirements to enable business agility no matter the size of your organization or the technical maturity of your team. These capabilities will be applauded by your business users, as they don't have time to build new IT skill sets and sit through hours of cloud training.
3: Determine whether the cloud runs existing applications without any rewrites
Most users are already familiar with the business and technical applications they use today, whether it's email, training, or sales demo applications. Clouds that power these applications without any changes will deliver immediate value across your organization. Over the years, we have learned firsthand that business users won't wait for IT to build or rewrite applications for use in the cloud. Time is money, and neither the business user nor the IT department has any to waste. As a result, the ability to run existing applications without any changes is a key factor in determining whether a cloud is easy to use.
4: Assess whether the cloud aligns cloud operating costs with business value
Cloud services do not require an upfront capital investment, but a usage-based pricing model can lead to sticker shock. To ensure that your cloud costs are in alignment with business value, see whether the cloud provider offers a service that measures the value you receive on a per-user basis. You can also ask whether the cloud provider offers distinct pricing for users at different levels. This can help you avoid paying the same fee for light and heavy users within your organization. Find out whether the cloud allows you to apply quotas to individuals and business units to cap usage at soft or hard budget limits. You will also want to ask whether you can automatically suspend resources when they are not in use to avoid the overuse of the cloud and resulting costs.
5: Pay special attention to responsive support
Successfully adopting new technologies, such as cloud computing, often requires a responsive support organization that can attend to your needs. Find out whether you can call a cloud provider directly or whether you must work through an online form or email inquiry to communicate about a cloud service. Also ensure that the support team will respond to your inquiries within a few hours versus a day or more.
The payoff
By following these steps to determine the cloud solution that's right for your users, your organization will be well equipped to drive business agility, reduce costs, and accelerate your key business activities.
Sundar Raghavan is chief product and marketing officer at Skytap, a provider of cloud automation solutions. He is an industry veteran with an 18-year career in product and marketing roles at Google, Ariba, Arbor Software (now part of Oracle), and Microstrategy.
Resource Centre Useful content from our premier sponsors
Tech Management TechGuides
You are what you measure: Choose your metrics wisely
Develop application portfolio, acquisition processes to protect business
The department of 'No'
Why management-by-intimidation can never work long-term in IT
Quantum computing: What is it and has it arrived?
Hire learners, not people with specialized skills
The great and powerful (and exceptionally resilient) ego
CIO 2015: The future is now
Technical solutions looking for a problem
Stop with the 'vision' stuff
ZDNet Asia Live
Rise in <b>Chinese</b>-funded acquisitions could trigger more hurdles http://t.co/0pXBS1HR
40 minutes ago by GeorgeHAllenGA on twitter
Rise in Chinese-funded acquisitions could trigger more hurdles: By Ellyne Phneah , ZDNet Asia on May 22, 2012 (6... http://t.co/W3SOdw2c
40 minutes ago by MergeAcquire on twitter
RT @zdnetasia: CFOs increasingly involved in IT investment decisions. http://t.co/8QrfwOSb
55 minutes ago by 666hellscream on twitter
CFOs increasingly involved in IT investment decisions http://t.co/XD1LerFq via @zdnetasia #PrivateCloud #SC2012 #CAPEX
1 hour ago by HarishAitharaju on twitter
Rise in Chinese-funded acquisitions could trigger more hurdles. http://t.co/VC3G3m3o
1 hour ago by zdnetasia on twitter
RT @zdnetasia: Rise in Chinese-funded acquisitions could trigger more hurdles. http://t.co/VC3G3m3o
1 hour ago by wrikent3500 on twitterSo much as we know , MTK6575 extremely integrated frequency1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, the superiority of 3G / HSPA Modem, and help the...
1 hour ago by y15822137359 on 5 SaaS adoption speed bumps to avoid
Rise in Chinese-funded acquisitions could trigger more hurdles - ZDNet Asia: Rise in Chinese-funded acquisitions... http://t.co/bZaAQnRL
1 hour ago by MandAWorldwide on twitter
Rise in Chinese-funded acquisitions could trigger more hurdles http://t.co/mIsuZjnU http://t.co/erFX4aVv #arcavir
1 hour ago by V_RaV on twitter
http://t.co/VNaZtseV Rise in Chinese-funded acquisitions could trigger more hurdles: "Cash r... http://t.co/N0gZZEdR http://t.co/wiqY9ktt
1 hour ago by RavtachSolution on twitter
Rise in Chinese-funded acquisitions could trigger more regulatory clearance issues overseas http://t.co/cvLSpTwo #in
1 hour ago by EllyZDNetAsia on twitter
Alibaba seeks $2.3B from shareholders for Yahoo deal. http://t.co/qLRAhRQk
1 hour ago by zdnetasia on twitter
CFOs increasingly involved in IT investment decisions. http://t.co/8QrfwOSb
1 hour ago by zdnetasia on twitter
Official UEFA #EURO2012 app with Orange 2.0 http://t.co/yoAOXTI1 #hotpeopleifollow
1 hour ago by JohnReporter on twitterI reckon your view: "CRM is strategy, not software", if a company replicating the approach uses in ERP implementation into CRM, what they...
1 day ago by wykoong on Gartner: Mobile CRM gives better ROI than socialThis video will teach you about the Excel fill handle but also provide you with a workook to download... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...
1 day ago by TradeBrother on A quick fill handle trick for Microsoft Excelwaiting...
3 days ago by eapete on What should count in a company's market value?Boy, you've opened a can of worms now.
Wait for the rants & raves.
I was puzzling before this whether to replicate the success formula we executed for a financial institute, and come out with a standard s...
4 days ago by wykoong on Drop the egos, copy ideas, then innovateKeep up with ZDNet Asia
Facebook 
RSS Feeds 
Newsletters 
Twitter Whitepapers
Downloads
Tech Management News
Inside ZDNet Asia
Sponsored
Echelon 2012 - The Awesomer Tech Event in Asia
Echelon 2012 – SEA’s longest running tech startup event goes Awesomer. Catch 50 of Asia’s most promising startups & over 40 international speakers on June 11-12.
Startup Asia Jakarta showcases new product-ready tech startups. Plus: hackathon, exhibition, and speakers. Use promo code CBSi50 for 50% discount.
ZDNet Asia Intelligent Singapore video series
Featuring inteviews with CXOs who define "intelligence" in their markets and reveal how their companies drive business efficiencies through ICT.
