'If you outsource to the cloud and it goes wrong, you look stupid' - CIOs fear cloud catastrophe

IT problems related to cloud outsourcing partners are far worse for CIOs' credibility than purely internal issues.

That's the opinion of several CIOs at a recent Computing Dining Club, discussing the cloud and how best to exploit it.

One CIO cited this as a risk, when discussing how to build a strategy around which services to outsource.

"If you outsource to the cloud and it blows up you look stupid. Getting it wrong when you've outsourced looks worse than if it goes wrong when you're managing it yourself."

The CIO conceded that cloud suppliers are likely to have more security expertise than other organisations, but maintained that the risk remains.

"Cloud vendors are more secure because they've got more experience, but if a cloud vendor gets it wrong there's more comeback on the CIO."

Greg Hanson, CTO at Informatica explained that these risks can be minimised with a good outsourcing strategy, and an understanding of what cloud vendors can offer.

"There are many different descriptions of getting it wrong. Costs can rapidly spiral without good management, and with a lack of governed cloud adoption you will find that.

"Sometimes there's also a lack of understandng around working with vendors, and seeing how best to utilise their services for the best return.

"You can find costs spiralling as cloud is so easy to consume. It's like giving a child a bag of sweets and being surprised later when all the sweets are gone. You need to plan, execute and govern properly. "

The event was run under Chatham House rules, so the first CIO is not named.

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• Topics
• Cloud Computing
• CIO
• Informatica