As cloud computing matures it will create many opportunities to get rid of stuff from the data center and migrate applications and storage to the cloud. It will be important to pick your spots and be cognizant of the switching costs involved in cloud hopping. In-house development should use the appropriate open source API’s and functionality to minimize the overhead of migration to another platform. For both enterprise IT and enterprise users, it will also be imperative to establish legal ownership to code and data in the event of bankruptcy or sale of part of the cloud.
Action Item: Executives responsive for IT, business risk, and compliance should work together (and with managers under 30) to ensure that the business can take advantage of cloud computing while building in sensible exit and cloud hopping strategies.
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