What starts simple — let’s run applications in the cloud! — has a way of becoming complex. Despite what some see as Amazon’s best efforts to keep connections between cloud and core at bay, enterprises find clouds can’t always replace what they already use. Nor should they.

Clouds need to connect to other clouds and to the enterprise core for companies to make good use of them. Accomplishing that is often difficult and help may be hard to find.

Maybe that’s why Deliotte, the international consultancy, name Cloud Orchestration one of its top “tech trends” for 2014. Its 8-page report and associated 2-minute video, both set the scene and give some answers.

The report describes how a transaction that begins in the cloud — such as an enterprise software sale — slides between multiple clouds and internal systems before the deal is completed and delivery accomplished. End-to-end integration is the goal, but Deloitte says integration is difficult for many companies to achieve.

Tips on managing Cloud Orchestration

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Supporting this cloud-to-cloud-to-core model is likely to fall on corporate IT, which should be investing now in advanced data management and integration capabilities to support the new model.

Among Deloitte’s recommendations:

Petition for a new cloud business model — Many companies find themselves working with cloud vendors that don’t support their need to pay for “usage and outcomes, rather than licensing fees.” Deloitte suggests customers band together to get better cloud contracts and improved support from app and services vendors.

Build an integration foundation — While your company may not operate cloud-to-core today, Deloitte believes many eventually will. Likely including your company. If you are already linking legacy systems, use that middleware as a starting point to bring clouds to the party. That may not the possible, the consultants warn, so be ready to find a new course.

Connect the dots — Prepare now to make systems work together, particularly in how datasets are defined and information is funneled from one app to another. Understand how clouds share data with your core apps and each other.

Read the fine print — Understanding your cloud vendor agreements can prevent trouble later on, like when you decide to move from one cloud vendor to another. If you change providers, will your data be protected? Who owns the intellectual property? Better to know now, not once you’re committed to a move.

Build a strong chain — Which cloud is your weakest link? And it that level of performance acceptable? Cloud elasticity can break older legacy apps that aren’t used to sudden increases usage. Integration platforms should ramp up or down to meet your needs.

Explore edge architecture — Taking a page from SOA, think of clouds and core services that must be connected. Public, private, core, each service should deliver business needs, ideally in a scalable, reusable manner. This is more complex than I have space for here, so I will refer you to the full report for a more cogent explanation.

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Who benefits from Cloud Orchestration?

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Startups and small-to-medium businesses are likely to be the first to benefit from Cloud Orchestration, in part because they may be able to user prepackaged solutions from cloud vendors and systems integrators.

This means good orchestration can become a competitive advantage for companies able to do a good job in the near term, beating their less-agile competitors. The choice of the term “Orchestration” isn’t random, because doing a good job of connecting cloud-to-cloud-to-core into your new business arrangement may make sweet music, indeed.

I can’t believe I just wrote that, but clouds will be isolated for only so long. At some point, companies will either make clouds part of a larger whole or lose advantage by keeping them separated. Good integration makes the difference.

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