Page 143 - Cloud Essentials

context of outsourcing, it can play out much quicker and harsher with cloud

computing. This is because of the following:

A cloud provider can deploy its resources more easily to other clients.
A provider of outsourcing has its assets often more dedicated for
clients.
A cloud provider is likely to have a lot more clients, so an individual
client is not as important.

When a provider becomes unavailable, as shown in Figure 6-2, it is wise

to have a plan for what to do.

FIGURE 6-2 Cloud providers going out of business is a major risk.

This is called “maintaining strategic flexibility” or having an “exit
strategy.” This could be done as a component of a business continuity

program. Ensuring business continuity is more important than reducing risk.

Strategic Options
Strategic options exist on multiple levels. Understanding vendor

dependencies is the first step. The basic structure to follow is to look at
business process, application, and infrastructure. You must anticipate future
scenarios and build the best possible strategy for each.
These alternatives should be developed in advance, to the extent that it
becomes clear what effort is involved in making the move. With that

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