An Insider's Guide to Cloud Computing • David Linthicum & Prasad Rao

Cloud computing experts share practical insights on successful adoption, covering multi-cloud strategy, cost optimization, security, talent needs and pragmatic implementation approaches.

Key takeaways
  • Cloud adoption requires thorough planning and a clear business case beyond just CapEx vs OpEx considerations
  • Organizations need proper talent and skills in place before cloud migration - either through upskilling existing staff or hiring
  • Most applications are monolithic and not all systems should move to cloud - evaluate each workload’s business case individually
  • Multi-cloud is inevitable for most organizations, requiring a unified management layer for security, operations and governance
  • Cloud costs need to align with business value and revenue - many organizations are overspending due to lack of optimization
  • Future of cloud computing involves heterogeneous environments combining cloud, on-premise and edge computing
  • Success requires looking at cloud pragmatically rather than as an all-or-nothing proposition
  • Organizations should give themselves at least a year to properly plan and prepare for cloud adoption
  • Security and operational complexity increases with cloud - need proper tools and processes to manage
  • AI and modern cloud capabilities provide benefits but shouldn’t be adopted without clear business drivers