February 15, 2011, 8:50 PM — The business benefits of a cloud computing model have been well stated. You cut costs by switching to more flexible on-demand IT resources that can better handle the ebb and flow technology needs at a company.
But adopting a cloud model for your company is a multifaceted decision-making process. Before even sitting down at the negotiating table with a vendor, IT managers and CIOs need to make sure their infrastructures are virtualized and cloud-ready, and that they have a firm grasp of their own security and compliance regulations.
The cloud is also a world with various layers and choices. Do you adopt a public, private or hybrid cloud model? Do you use the cloud for software or your whole infrastructure? Are you a formal (enterprise IT) buyer or an informal (mid-market, SMB) buyer, and how does that affect the model you choose?
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