• Security – New platforms and processes will require
automation to manage the security and risk postures,
because cloud goes faster than humans can manage.
• Finance – For new chargeback and billing tools to
give IT teams visibility on consumption.
Cloud adoption will affect nearly every aspect of your orga-
nization. Therefore, it is actually more a strategic direction
and leadership initiative than a technology decision.
Adopting cloud also requires assigning dedicated teams,
and deciding to properly fund your cloud program. This
means team members will only work on cloud-related activ-
ities, and their entire focus will be on getting the enterprise
to the cloud securely – not just kicking the tires with a proof
of concept or a pilot. A cloud team whose members still
have their day jobs is a sure indication that:
• There is not a full commitment to the cloud.
• The effort required is misunderstood.
• There is a lack of executive sponsorship.
When an organization truly understands the benefits of
cloud and their cloud native strategy — and there are many
such organizations — the sponsor can create a proposal so
compelling that no CEO could ignore it.
#3 – Establish a Cloud Business Office
Cloud adoption will have an enormous impact on your com-
pany, evolving processes that have not been seriously
touched in decades. For the first time, developers are able
to create and modify their infrastructure requirements
using software. The implications of such power are both
dazzling and frightening.
Software development has lived in a static world of change
management, where the critical nature of the business
impact has created tight control processes and long
approval cycles. Thus, the need for a Cloud Business Office
(CBO).
The CBO serves as the central point of decision-making and
communication for your cloud program – both internally
and externally. More than a cloud “center of excellence,” the
CBO is a permanent operational and governing body that
directs and guides all aspects of your cloud program, from
first establishing a common definition for what cloud means
for your organization, to leading the implementation and
ongoing operations.
Members of the CBO fall into two categories: Full-Time and
Part-Time. Full-Time CBO members are leaders who have
daily responsibility for the successful adoption, implemen-
tation and management of cloud in your organization.
These include:
• Cloud Program Leadership
• Technical Operations Leadership
• Chief Architect(s)
• Security Operations Leadership
Part-Time CBO members are leaders who have a vested
interest in the success of the cloud program and need visi-
bility into the process. These include:
• Legal and Risk Leaders
• HR Leaders
• Procurement
• IT Finance
• Application Owners and Business Units (BU’s may
have a full-time role for a short duration during their
onboarding process)
The cloud has completely changed how we consume and
operate IT. The agile nature of cloud technology enables
dramatic benefits for the enterprise and touches almost
every department within an organization. In addition, com-
pared to on-premises environments, the cloud requires far
fewer people to manage and operate it, so you need a
tighter, more cohesive team to break down silos. Because
you are combining operations, development, infrastructure,
risk and finance, you need a central set of processes. These
include:
• Project management
• Technical decision-making
• Application owner onboarding
• Technology training
• Risk / Security decision-making
• Organizational change management and training
• Financial governance
• Operational services and governance
• Vendor management
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