More and more organisations are choosing to work with managed cloud service providers to ease the transition to the cloud. Despite the knowledge that these specialists can offer, not all collaborative projects go successfully. That's why Paul Bates, Vice President of Managed Cloud Services at leading cloud and data centre provider Proact, looks at seven key lessons that should be kept in mind when defining a cloud strategy and choosing an associated partner. Gain insight into key areas, including: - Data location - Cost models - Automation and orchestration - Hybrid and public cloud platforms Set firm foundations before you embark on your journey to the cloud.

1. Over the last few years, more and more organisations have
started to work with managed cloud service providers to
deliver a variety of business services. Talking with companies
and reading the trade press, it has become clear that not all
projects have gone smoothly.
by Paul Bates, Vice President of Managed Cloud Services at Proact
All of the organisations had strong reasons to look at, and choose, cloud services. They wanted to increase business
agility, reduce costs, enable a focus on the core business, improve business continuity, reduce complexity and bridge
the skills gaps that have appeared as IT stacks have become broader, deeper and more complex calling for incre-
asingly skilled personnel.
Still, many companies have been disappointed and their expectations not met. Instead of becoming more agile, they
have been in discussions with their provider about unexpected cost, have had to deal with adjustments to business
processes and manage dissatisfied staff that have had their hopes raised when the company finally moved to the
cloud.
How to avoid
a cloud disaster
blog
7 lessons for defining your cloud strategy

2. Two important reasons for these disasters
are the lack of a detailed due diligence
process before selecting a cloud provider
and the lack of a proper cloud strategy.
When considering cloud, and looking to create the right cloud strategy to take the organisation forward, the business
needs to focus on the following questions:
What is the best service model for every specific workload or service?
In other words, who manages what and up to what layer?
What is the best deployment model for every workload or service?
In other words, which location(s) do I deploy my services ranging from private to public deployment models?
Which financial model provides the best fit for every workload or service? In other words, do I want to pay for
the service in an OPEX or CAPEX manner?
Start with answering these questions and you will have a foundation for your cloud strategy. When
answering them, consider the Lessons Learned.
Data is strategic; therefore, keep it close. Data has much weight and is not as fast
moveable as CPU or memory. As a result, it is wise to keep it close and ensure
continuous access regardless of type of platform, private or public.
Keep your cloud options open. If you run an application in a public cloud now,
who knows how long you want to stay there. That is an extra reason to keep your
data close.
An experience level agreement is more important than a service level agreement.
Check how your provider handles changes and incidents. Is he focusing on solving
the problem first or is he entering in formal discussions on procedures and rules
every time you log a call? The end user experience and ability to do their job is key.
Building a relationship with a cloud service provider takes time. Take that time to
get to know each other. This initial investment will pay off as you move along.
Consider the way you want to work when you want an exit. Many companies
forget to think about an exit when they open the champagne bottle at the contract
signing. It is better to be safe than sorry and also discuss a possible exit right
from the start.
Put automation and orchestration on the agenda. To profit fully from cloud
computing, you will need automation and orchestration. This will help users find
the apps and data they need and provide automated workflows that speed up
business processes and boost efficiency.
Make sure your cost models are predictable. Cloud computing is not always
the economical alternative for an on premise approach. Therefore, you need to
ensure, that you have complete insight in the TCO of both your on premise and
cloud platforms.
By answering the three strategy questions and keeping our lessons learned in
mind, it is possible to avoid a cloud disaster and find the best suitable solution for
any workload you have.
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Keep these lessons in mind
From AS-IS to TO-BE: Which
cloud models provide the best
fit? The 5 parameters explained
Every company has an existing IT
architecture in place with various
applications. CRM, e-mail, ERP,
BPM, HR etc., all tools for which
you need applications and storage.
The question is, how do you ensure
the best model when you want
to move these applications to the
cloud? And based on what
parameters?
Find out how in this article.
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Proact IT
PO Box 1205
SE-164 28 Kista
Sweden
Telephone +46 8 410 666 00 | E-mail info@proact.eu | Website www.proact-bca.eu
Proact is Europe’s leading independent data centre and cloud services provider. By delivering flexible, accessible and
secure IT solutions and services, we help companies and authorities reduce risk and costs, whilst increasing agility,
productivity and efficiency.
We’ve completed over 5,000 successful projects around the world, have more than 3,500 customers and currently
manage in excess of 100 petabytes of information in the cloud. We employ over 800 people in 15 countries across
Europe and North America. Founded in 1994, our parent company, Proact IT Group AB (publ), was listed on Nasdaq
Stockholm in 1999 (under the symbol PACT).