Preparation and planning make cloud use possible

Becoming a more cloud-focused company is a laudable goal. On top of the operational benefits here and now, it's nearly certain that the future will be heavily cloud-based. This means that if you don't make the change now, your partners and clients may see you as behind the times. This is a scenario you no doubt want to avoid. Functions such as rapid application development can thrive in a hosted environment, empowered by the easy connectivity and scalable nature of cloud-based deployments. However, the change isn't a simple on-off switch. There are best practices to keep in mind, especially regarding the pitfalls you will have to dodge.

Adopting and adapting
Forbes contributor Joe McKendrick recently shared cloud computing knowledge from industry author and CTO Mike Kavis, who has plenty to say on the subject of adoption mishaps and the steps firms can take to avoid them. Paying attention to such warnings could be the difference between delayed deployment and effective usage.

McKendrick specified that Kavis wants firms to know that their cloud transition will likely go in stages. Rather than transforming into a completely off-site IT juggernaut immediately, the firms will likely switch their capabilities one at a time. This, according to Kavis, is because the massive amounts of legacy technology that firms currently employ are not so easy to break down and rebuild. If the technological problems don't slow IT teams' progress, directives from top executives might.

Once the cloud is in place, it will likely reach outside of the IT department. McKendrick explained that Kavis has some advice on this topic, too. He advised that businesses will need to prepare their non-technical personnel for the new way of doing things. They may be leery at first, or simply need direction. In any case, ignoring the change may undermine the improved functionality of the cloud.

A developer's dream
One promising cloud deployment project for companies of all kinds is to implement Platform-as-a-Service application development features. With these tools, workers from outside the IT department may take charge of their own app projects. Provided they have the right amount of support and information from their IT-minded peers, these workers can turn out powerful technology that suits their unique roles. Progress® Rollbase®, for example, reduces the amount of coding required for creating Web applications. Your employees can reap all the benefits of new software, designed by people with hands-on experience in the subject matter, without calling for heavy involvement by your already-busy IT professionals.

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