How to Evaluate Cloud Solutions vs. Legacy IT Operations

Grazed from InformationManagement. Author: Ravi Shankar.

Enterprise executives are always facing new challenges when it comes to running their IT operations. Today, this is especially true as the number and demand for new cloud applications spurs a corresponding complexity of service delivery models. More and more, IT departments are choosing a hybrid model that incorporates several options: developing “born-in-cloud” applications, selecting certain external applications to be hosted in a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) environment, and modifying existing applications that then must be hosted either on premises or in the cloud.

In the end, IT executives must ensure that each application meets the business needs and computing architecture policies of the company. To do so, IT leaders must apply a set of high-level evaluation questions:..

1. Does the application meet the business need?

Whether the application is acquired from an external provider, a modified version of a legacy application or a new application, its primary goal should be to meet the needs of the business. Significant cost savings can come from the discipline of eliminating legacy applications that no longer serve their intended purpose…

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