Small Business Cloud Computing

7 'Must Haves' When Moving To a Cloud Computing Provider

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This guest article is written by Alan Guinn of The Guinn Consultancy Group, and is the fifth in a series of IT experts, executives, attorneys and IT consultants who share their expertise on how small and midsized organizations can successfully transition an on-premise to a cloud computing provider.

(Other articles in this series include: “So you’re going with a cloud computing provider… now what?”, “You’re ready for the cloud. Your software vendor isn’t”, “15 steps to choosing a cloud computing provider” and “Take these four steps before moving to the cloud”)

7 Steps a company should take upon deciding to move to the cloud. 

1.  Assess the scope of services that are required and be sure that the cloud partner has allocated sufficient space for data transfer at the agreed upon cost structure.  Nothing is less endearing than trying to make the project work, and finding that you've underestimated the costs.  
2. Recognize that expenses need to be allocated differently than they were allocated previously.  You'll avoid the capital investment required with IT infrastructure. Think in terms of a purchased asset vs a leased asset, and be certain that your accountant, or accounting group, is fully versed in what you are doing with the current in-house IT network vs going outside.  Think of an in-house IT network as a true  cost/asset that is depreciating--and probably being superseded by more efficient systems, and cloud services as your group paying for a service with infinitely possible changes and opportunities to be exploited for gain.  
3. Operate the two systems in parallel for at least two weeks to be certain there is no data loss that occurred during the transfer and that the reporting systems--especially the fiscal ones-- are tracking data correctly and applying costs and revenues correctly.   
4. Be certain that the end-user agreement covers licensing of the software off premises so as not to default on your end-user agreement in any way that could create an issue with the licensor of your software packages.  
5. Specify your needs to the cloud computing provider. If you want dedicated and unique VPN lines as a user, be sure to specify so prior to moving to the cloud.  If you want totally dedicated servers, be sure that you specify so in the Service Agreement.  
6. Be sure the service agreement specifies service time parameter maximums, and calls out who and what is responsible for disruptions.   
7. Assure that any prepackaged product purchased will be able to be serviced correctly in the cloud.   

Looking to implement cloud computing for your firm, but not sure where to start? Register for a free webinar on the 5 Steps to Understanding and Implementing Cloud Computing.