Cloud Computing and SOA Convergence in Your Enterprise: A Step ...

When the Applications and/or Services Are New 193
processes, and databases on cloud-based platforms or, more likely, by relocating
entire systems to cloud-based platforms, could being doing so because
of the hype and the buzz around cloud computing. You can make a huge
mistake here.
At issue is that the temptation to improve a résumé or just to play with
new toys could influence many in IT more than the goal to make their IT infrastructure
more cost effective. Many cloud computing projects are really a reaction
to the hype more than a clear business need. While this is to be expected
during any “hype cycle,” the end result is on-premise pegs in cloud holes, raising
issues around the longevity of those systems considering that they are not
good candidates for cloud computing at the end of the day.
How do you avoid hype mistakes Make sure that the gating factor of the
business case is always in place and that there is a clear business benefit from
moving toward cloud computing. It is also a good idea to have an independent
reviewer or committee participate in the process to objectively review the fit
with cloud computing (use sparingly and leverage people without agendas). If
these governance processes are not put in place, I suspect that we will have
many cloud computing misfits.
The key is that you find the true costs—all of the costs associated with
building and maintaining the processes, services, and data you are looking to
place in the clouds. I suspect that many components that are moved out to
cloud platforms under the notion of cost reduction will not be as cost effective
as most might expect. Do your business case around each service, data,
process, and application.
When the Applications and/or Services Are New
New applications, including services, processes, and data, are almost always a
much better fit for cloud computing than are legacy applications. There are a
few core reasons that new applications are a better fit.
First, legacy applications (including services, processes, and data) typically
have to go through a partial or total rewrite in order to successfully exist
on cloud computing platforms. While many existing systems are in need
of a rewrite, the reality is that having to redesign, rewrite, and redeploy services,
data, and processes for cloud-based platforms substantially increases