As enterprises gear up to the demands of a “wait-less world” in which consumers, co-workers and partners expect instant information and services, successful IT leaders are in a unique position to act as the enablement partner for new business capabilities. On one hand, these IT leaders understand what it takes to deliver the necessary IT service levels to the business. And on the other hand, they understand how to support the business requirement for rapid adaptation as new opportunities emerge for revenue generation and expansion of market share.
Hybrid clouds emerged partly because business units were frustrated with the slow pace of change enabled by traditional IT organizations. By integrating low-cost, easy-to-implement public cloud services with existing internal systems, business leaders saw that they could react more rapidly to changes in their markets and in customer expectations. However, as they looked to do more, the business units soon recognized that they would need to re-engage their internal IT departments for expert support in resolving concerns around scalability, security and service levels in the hybrid cloud.
Five key findings from a CTO Roundtable
To show how relationships between IT leaders and business leaders are changing, IBM partnered with Hurwitz & Associates to conduct a CTO Roundtable discussion. The eight companies that participated represent a cross-section of large and small businesses across both public and private sectors, as well as cloud service providers and brokers. While each participant had a unique mix of business needs to satisfy, it was clear that there were several universal requirements for a successful hybrid cloud environment. The roundtable discussion highlighted the following five key issues and concerns for CTOs, exploring how IT leaders are using hybrid cloud technologies to address them:
1. Responding rapidly to changing business demands
2. Delivering on the required service level agreements (SLAs)
3. Securing data and intellectual property (IP) at every level
4. Controlling costs in the delivery of IT services
5. Simplifying the management and orchestration of IT assets
The IT leaders who participated in the roundtable agreed that there is enormous pressure from the business to put IT services to work as engines of revenue and profitability. As businesses continue to evolve and change, business leaders are faced with an increasing number of requests for new and innovative services. At the same time, the technology leaders are figuring out how to create a supportive infrastructure that will help their organizations comply with regulations and keep their data secure.
Accomplishing all of this requires IT to move faster than ever, brokering a complex blend of internal and external IT services into a seamless platform for delivering business services. The hybrid cloud is therefore becoming the foundation for how companies large and small are leveraging IT services to move their businesses forward.If you adhere to the following constructs, you will be ready to lead your company into the era of hybrid cloud computing:
1. Business models are changing rapidly. It is critical to create an environment that can provide a consistent customer experience even as it adapts to meet new requirements.
2. When managing a hybrid environment, it is imperative that the IT organization be able to deliver the required service levels across all services—both internal and external.
3. The security of your company’s data and intellectual property is paramount. In a hybrid environment, security must be managed even for services that reside in the public cloud.
4. Controlling costs is imperative as hybrid cloud services become central to maintaining the right customer experience. Cloud services are developing into revenue-generating products, and costs need to be predictable.
5. As the hybrid cloud is a combination of distributed services, there needs to be a streamlined way to make these services act as a unified environment. Achieving seamless management will ensure that customers have a consistent and predictable experience.
Schedule a consultation today to learn more about how Flagship can assist you with your hybrid cloud environment.
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