Code (IaC): automatically deployed, standardized capabilities that have been
built to reflect the enterprise’s specific security and operational requirements
in important areas. These include identity management, encryption, monitor-
ing and cost management, and are available to any internal customer who
wishes to deploy products and services to the public cloud.
So far, so good, right? You have accomplished centralized oversight and control
through the guard-railed platform, while the enterprise’s internal cloud cus-
tomers benefit from easy-to-deploy accounts, with many essential services
ready to use, right out of the box.
Then, what is the problem? The problem arises when companies are so focused
on the very real challenge of building out the technology required to deploy
these services, they forget that the internal customers for which these plat-
forms are built do not automatically comprehend the platform and what it can
do for them. They do not necessarily understand how to interact with the plat-
form nor how to request support. In effect, they are just like the customers of
the truck chassis company we talked about earlier. They were provided with a
great customizable product but with little information, operational guidance
or support. The result is a sophisticated technology capability that fails to sus-
tain other critical aspects of any business technology solution.
The Other Pieces of the Puzzle
The technology needed to deploy guard-railed, public cloud environments is
just the beginning. Think about the following:
• Cloud Customer Applications: What potential new customer use
cases are appropriate and compatible with the guard-railed environ-
ment, and how are they determined?
• Cloud Services Deployment Process: How are new cloud environ-
ments generated, and by whom?
• End User/Cloud Customer Support: Who answers questions about
the service?
• Issue Management: How are bugs/defects reported, addressed and
tracked?
• Evangelism: How will the enterprise’s potential internal customers be
made aware of the platform’s capabilities and value?
62 | THE DOPPLER | FALL 2018