Embracing the inevitable: how best to get started with the cloud

Grazed from TechRadar. Author: Gordon Haff.

With rare exceptions, there’s little question about whether you will adopt cloud computing in some form. You will. Rather, the questions you are probably asking revolve around how best to get started or, perhaps, how to start managing the cloud use that is already happening within your organisation. For many, one good answer is to start with a cloud for application development and test (dev/test) because it:

• Can deliver benefits even at relatively modest scale points, offering the opportunity to start small
• Provides an internal alternative to current public cloud use and thus can streamline and standardise development workflows
• Can be independent of production systems and processes – although they can be integrated over time whether through adopting DevOps methodologies or other approaches…

Perhaps most importantly though, a dev/test cloud directly addresses one of the most pressing needs at many organisations: improving developer productivity and accelerating application development. In a world rapidly turning to digital, delivering new applications faster and more efficiently isn’t just a nice-to-have element; it’s a key component of your business agility and, ultimately, your ability to win against the competition…

Read more from the source @ http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/cloud-services/embracing-the-inevitable-how-best-to-get-started-with-the-cloud-1285146