Effective cloud management. How is it achieved?

The increased complexity of today’s cloud environments is likely to find businesses unprepared, with negative results. Below you may find some interesting points your business should pay attention to, in order to properly utilize the cloud strategy and address any challenges.

Cost transparency and optimization

It is common knowledge that cloud cost management presents a challenge for CIOs, especially if they are new to the cloud. Many of them are accustomed to the traditional practice of buying equipment, installing it and using it, which –however- does not apply to the cloud services. These services have their own needs, and, if they are to be effective and profitable, those needs must be differently addressed.

Therefore, CIOs should closely monitor cloud services and then align them with the available budget on a case by case basis. A strategic plan is a key tool to this end, facilitating and controlling the activity from the beginning until the end, and allowing for interventions where needed.

Capacity and resource planning

When referring to resources in the wider context of resource management and capacity planning, we mean human resources in the first place -equipment, technology, etc., which constitute the wider concept- come second to mind. Also, the term capacity is used to denote the amount of work that can be carried out by the pool of available resources.

If you want to ensure the effective operational usage of your cloud infrastructure, you should pay special attention to the capabilities and planning of your resources, which often has to do with automation operations. Therefore, before committing to a cloud service you should ask yourselves: “What exactly do I need and when exactly will I need to use it?”

Security

We are aware that we keep coming back to the issue of security, but the reality is this: there is a great variety of security-related operations necessary in a cloud computing environment, including crisis management, rights assignment, password and sign-in management, and other parameters. In their attempt to ensure security, businesses are not alone -their preferred vendor’s assistance will prove valuable and possibly critical.

Policies implementation

As with on-premise technologies, setting up and strictly adhering to policies that determine who can access what on the cloud, for how long and when, is of vital importance. Which team or department will have access to which applications, and through which services will they be able to do it?

Automation, predictability, and synchronization

All these attributes are crucial to the successful management of a complex cloud environment. An important aspect here is service blueprinting, also known as service planning. This kind of planning requires an understanding of the connections and interdependencies of cloud and on-premise systems.