Why should you create a governance model for your cloud platforms?

Even across Nordics, a highly digitized region, there is room for improvement in cloud governance to help achieve business benefits effectively and efficiently. Cloud governance is a set of practices that serves as guidelines for the company’s employees and partners to use in the acquisition, use, and development of cloud services. These guidelines enable and facilitate the cloud’s operation and those who work indirectly with the cloud.

Why a cloud governance model is so badly needed

Many Nordic companies are widely using cloud platforms but unfortunately, many have migrated to the cloud with insufficient preparation. If your company’s use of cloud platforms is not planned correctly or their management remains inconsistent, your company will not realize the cloud’s full potential. And in the worst case, it may compromise your company’s security.

One big reason why a cloud governance model might be missing or cloud governance may be in a bad state is that companies have been slow to understand the complexity of cloud architecture. Cloud architecture differs from more traditional computer architecture so much that the same tools no longer work – they lack in cloud security and DevOps capabilities, for example.

While it was previously possible to manage and optimize your data center by yourself, the use of cloud services brings with it the opportunity for partnerships. In the cloud, the responsibility for information security, for example, is shared by all parties. Therefore, there is a need for a governance model that covers all standard practices and policies. Sharing and understanding the roles associated with cloud governance is critical to successful management.

The use of cloud platforms becomes easier and more efficient for everyone

A cloud governance model is a tool for solving problematic situations in everyday life. Once the model has been defined, each department and team no longer needs to solve problems individually and no longer need to develop specialized solutions for each context.

Cloud platforms can bring savings to a company compared to its own capacity, but only if the platforms are used correctly, and costs are constantly optimized. If more cloud capacity is purchased by each department as needed, the organization may suddenly receive a hefty bill. Buying cloud services is often too easy, resulting in shadow or rogue IT occurring within the company.

Businesses can have a high level of cloud maturity, but that alone is not enough to ensure that the full benefits of the cloud are realized. Among the practices enabled by cloud platforms, cloud-native capabilities and cloud DevOps, for example, are still underutilized. The cloud offers numerous opportunities and benefits, but they all require the foundations to be in order and that the cloud is not used on an ad hoc basis.

The cloud governance model is worth adopting regardless of the stage of cloud transition

It is worthwhile to develop a cloud governance model when cloud platforms are deployed – the sooner, the better. But it is never too late to start streamlining your cloud governance and harnessing your cloud platforms in pursuit of benefits for your business.

How, then, does the cloud governance model support cost optimization of cloud platforms? And how does it help solve security challenges?