shutterstock_137893979It’s a big project, and a huge achievement, to migrate your enterprise to the cloud. After all, even a small business has a number of applications, servers, and data sets that are important, and moving it all to one or more cloud providers can be risky.
Migrating to the cloud is also just the start of your evolution. Now begins the process of ensuring that a successful migration stays successful, and that your organization is able to fully leverage its chosen cloud services to enable new initiatives and even business models.
Unlimited Potential
Cloud services, at their core, are mechanisms of enablement. Via cloud services, companies have the ability to create applications, data, servers, networks, and user accounts faster than ever before. This can increase time to market tremendously and offer significant flexibility.
Scope Creep
On the other hand, cloud services can also enable massive server sprawl, on a level not even possible in the previous physical environment. When users and administrators have more accessibility to creating accounts, generating data, and spinning up new services, it can either lead to automated provisioning or massively spiraling costs.
Maintaining Control in the Cloud

It’s important to implement some controls that will help keep your cloud environment sustainable for the long run. But the question is, where to start? With that in mind, here are some pointers to begin with:

  1. Place apps in the cloud. Most organizations have hundreds, if not thousands, of applications managed by IT. In order to maintain control of your cloud environment, place as many apps as possible under management. This can reduce unnecessary usage and costs.
  2. Maintain security. Cloud services are not secure in all cases. It’s still the company’s responsibility to provide security for both the cloud and local environment.
  3. Track usage. This might be the most important point of all. If you don’t monitor your usage, there is nothing to stop your costs from spiraling out of control. It’s that simple.

Migrating to the cloud is a massive accomplishment. It’s the first step in moving from a physical environment to a virtual one. And that’s why a complete view of what’s required for that move is required; it will ensure a strategic shift that benefits your company for the long term.