Scott Lowe, the founder of The 1610 Group, writes that the buzz around cloud computing has subsided a great deal in recent years. As a result, IT departments are no longer pressured by the proposition that the cloud is an “immediate replacement” for on-premise infrastructure, but CIOs face new challenges that have to be addressed in order to effectively integrate with the cloud on an organization-wide scale.

Cloud is but one arrow in the quiver

Lowe writes that the public cloud is “capable of unlocking new kinds of innovation that simply isn’t possible or feasible in the traditional on-premises data center model”. ServiceAngle editor Bert Latamore outlined the advantages of tapping into the cloud for certain workloads, such as Big Data, but Lowe stresses that CIOs should refrain from adopting a one-size-fits all approach. Different providers offer different services and pricing plans, some of which will be preferable to others for certain use cases and projects.

Lowe emphasizes that CIOs, especially those who work for large organizations, must also take cloud sprawl into consideration. Out-of-control adoption of cloud services across various business units can lead to excess spending and cause an administrative havoc that can be immensely difficult to contain. In order to combat this situation, CIOs must ensure implement well-established and operational governance policies. Lowe summarizes:

“For CIOs, the emerging reality is this: The cloud is here to stay. It’s your job to embrace it and develop strategies that will get you into the platform in a way that meets current and future business needs and then, over time, to continue to iterate while continuing to align the services provide with strategic objectives. “

Efficiency and security are two such strategic objectives. SiliconAngle contributing editor John Casaretto named security the “obstacle that causes the most concern” for enterprises in cloud, an issue he discussed in-depth.