Top 4 Objectives of a Cloud Asset Management Program

1.    Manage Spend

Cloud makes it very easy to acquire cloud services that sometimes appear to be of little to no cost. The ease of obtaining coupled with the low price can also mean many more people can acquire cloud services. It is not just the cost per cloud service but the total cost of all services.

2.    Manage Risk

The risk of putting the organization’s data outside of the corporate firewall was one of the first concerns preventing cloud adoption. While that concern has diminished, the risk has not and, in fact, probably increased. The increased risk is the increased adoption of cloud services and by many people within the organization.

3.    Manage User Expectations

End users, IT, security, business units, departments, and finance are all consumers of cloud services or have a vested interest in the use of cloud services. A function of ITAM is to represent and manage the expectations of each group to ensure maximum value. Some users may view the cloud as freedom from the organization’s IT department. While that may be true, it is not freedom from the responsibility to the organization and its customers.

4.    Meet Business Objectives

Last but certainly not least is understanding leadership’s business objectives and how the cloud helps meet those objectives. This understanding includes making sure that moving to the cloud is not just a particular reason, such as outsourcing to save money. Instead, it contributes to the success of the organization.

Consider starting with these four objectives If you want to justify the resources needed to manage your cloud assets. Develop a list of questions for each objective to identify the reason for managing cloud assets and then align these reasons to the executive roles within your organization. A comprehensive plan plus targeted messaging will significantly increase your chances for support for your cloud asset management initiatives.