Choose a Public Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service Partner

Public cloud IaaS is gaining traction and going mainstream. Select the right provider of cloud services for specific use cases to get the most from your hybrid cloud infrastructure.

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Contributors

Tom Baker, Manager of Architecture & Research, NZ Department of Corrections
Glenn Burnside, Executive VP, Headspring
Brian Doyle, Infrastructure Architect, Gen Worth
Scott Clark, Vice President, Innovation Credit Union Limited
David Schwindt, Manager IM/IT, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
Terry Honeycutt, MIS Director, Pueblo of Isleta Government Programs
Bart Veldhuis, Cloud Consultant, Weolcan
Peter Joseph, Cloud Architect & Independent Consultant
Brian Pokojoy, Associate Director, University of Calgary
Rick van der Mieden, Infrastructure and Cloud Architect, Resonate IT
Paul Baran and Craig Bates, Director Business Systems, Allegheny Technologies Inc.
Shlomi Fanan, Head of Cloud Computing, WE Ankor
Bala Dengale, Cloud Architect
Nick Korte, Infrastructure Administrator, Organic Valley
Kevin Vigil, Director of Information Technology, Southwest Care Center

Additional interviews were conducted but due to privacy and confidentiality requirements, they are not listed.

Outsourcing part of your IT infrastructure is inevitable. The question is no longer about whether to outsource, but when to outsource.
IT infrastructure outsourcing options are plentiful and growing. There are more options to outsource to the cloud than ever before, including a suitable solution for every organization.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

Time your public cloud IaaS project to the infrastructure hardware refresh cycle. Don’t throw away perfectly good servers just to move to the cloud.
Don’t blindly implement public cloud IaaS just to save money, and at the cost of performance.
Hybrid services are hot. Providers are differentiating themselves through managed cloud services and multi-service hybrid offerings.

Impact and Result

Assess cost and strategic fit when determining deployment decisions.
Treat your cloud vendor as a partner – collaboration works much better than penalties do.
Consider both current and future requirements when selecting a public cloud IaaS solution and build them into your contract.

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out how to choose the right public cloud IaaS partner, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and discover the four ways we can support you in completing this project.

Choose a Public Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service Partner – Executive Brief

1. Launch the public cloud IaaS project and collect requirements

Develop a project plan to launch the public cloud IaaS project.

2. Select a public cloud IaaS solution

Select the best-fit public cloud vendor based on the requirements and criteria.

3. Plan the public cloud IaaS implementation

Transform the public cloud plan into an implementable project.

Guided Implementations

This guided implementation is a nine call advisory process.

Guided Implementation #1 - Launch the public cloud IaaS project and collect requirements

Call #1 - Identify organizational fit and deployment with public cloud IaaS.

Call #2 - Create the project plan.

Call #3 - Gather requirements and metrics.

Guided Implementation #2 - Select your public cloud IaaS solution

Call #1 - Discuss and complete the IaaS vendor assessment.

Call #2 - Complete the IaaS RFP template.

Call #3 - Conduct contract review.

Guided Implementation #3 - Plan your public cloud IaaS implementation

Call #1 - Create an implementation plan and roadmap.

Call #2 - Discuss rollout of processes and hand over to Operations.

Call #3 - Review your exit strategy and communication plan.

Book Your Workshop

Onsite workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost onsite delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Module 1: Launch the Public Cloud IaaS Project and Collect Requirements

The Purpose

Identify organizational fit and deployment method for public cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS).
Create the project plan.
Gather requirements and metrics.

Key Benefits Achieved

Development of your organization’s public cloud IaaS requirements and metrics lists.
Creation of a project plan that includes a high-level strategy plan.

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Conduct a strategy, use case, and driver analysis.

1.2

Create your cloud IaaS project charter.

Documented project charter

1.3

Gather and record the team.

1.4

Identify and prioritize your cloud IaaS project goals.

1.5

Conduct a high level TCO assessment.

1.6

Evaluate features to create your requirements scorecard.

Public cloud IaaS requirements and features list

1.7

Formulate the metrics.

Creation of metrics for the metric scorecard

Module 2: Select Your Public Cloud IaaS Solution

The Purpose

Discuss and complete the IaaS vendor assessment.
Complete the IaaS RFP template.
Contract review.

Key Benefits Achieved

A completed vendor assessment scorecard outlining the recommended vendor(s).
Selection of a public cloud IaaS solution.

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Evaluate vendor profiles to determine your shortlist.

2.2

Determine the weightings for criteria in your assessment tool.

2.3

Create the assessment tool scoring criteria and features.

Completion of a custom vendor assessment scorecard with a refined scoring methodology and criteria

2.4

Plan for and conduct vendor demos.

A structured analysis for each vendor on the shortlist

2.5

Analyze your technical short- and long-term requirements with the capacity assessment template.

Public cloud IaaS capacity and technical requirements assessment

2.6

Integrate the scorecard requirements into an RFP.

2.7

Score the vendors on your shortlist.

2.8

Select a vendor and cloud solution.

Module 3: Plan Your Public Cloud IaaS Implementation

The Purpose

Create an implementation plan and roadmap.
Discuss rollout of processes and hand over to Operations.
Review your exit strategy and communication plan.

Key Benefits Achieved

A project implementation and communication plan.

Activities

Outputs

3.1

Establish an implementation resourcing plan.

Implementation resourcing plan and work breakdown structure

3.2

Plan your implementation task list by looking at people, process, and technology initiatives.

3.3

Create the implementation roadmap.

Comprehensive project roadmap

3.4

Develop a communication deck and strategy.

A communication strategy or plan

3.5

Assess your project’s progress with the metrics scorecard tool.

Completed metrics scorecard and evaluation of it

3.6

Formulate an exit strategy.

After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this Blueprint, and what our clients have to say.