1. Is my Enterprise ready for Cloud Computing?

• All size companies:
  • yes to avoid buying/maintaining/renewing servers (and software licenses): Web, mail, file sharing, database, business specific, CRM, ERP etc.
  • yes to mutualize your client applications or to test new software, and thus reduce the number of software licenses
  • yes to benefit of an automated, economical and scalable backup system

• Additional reasons for SMB:
  • yes to facilitate the internationalization of your IT (offshore offices)
  • yes to allow your roaming coworkers to access your IS anywhere (from PDA, public computers etc.)

• Additional reasons for large companies:
  • yes to become "Green IT" and reduce your energy footprint (power bill, air conditioning)
  • yes to ensure your system scalability and high availability while facing intermittent demand (computation, Web)

2. Downsides

Big companies are often reluctant because they often develop their own IT solutions, while SMBs and startups use and deploy (uneasily) existing market solutions.

Take care also, that IT costs are reduced, but still exist in the Cloud; likely, IT personel is still required, for example to control and maintain how Cloud Computing is deployed in the company.

Usual worries about Cloud Computing concern data security and confidentiality. The company must accept that its confidential data be now stored somewhere in the world, at a trustworthy provider.

Therefore, data security issues must be addressed with our experts and the Cloud Computing provider; however, one must know that Cloud Computing servers are generally safer and more resilient to attacks (because they are set up by IT experts and specialist companies)  than local servers are (set up by IT personel unaware of these issues).

Cloud Computing providers comply with SOX or SAS70 US standards for asset protection: secured biometrical access, video and human surveilance etc.).

It is also always feasible to deploy software data encryption solutions (even under free license).