Sun's Cloud Services Target Business Needs

by Vance McCarthy

Tags: Cloud, Business, Strategic Planning Service, Cloud Strategic Planning, Cloud Strategy, Cloud Computing, Sun,

Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced a new portfolio of professional services to help businesses move forward with cloud computing. Sun's Cloud Strategic Planning Service, announced at Sun's CommunityOne conference, pledged to connect-the-dots between cloud's capabilities and today's needs for ROI and business improvements.

Sun's Cloud Strategic Planning Service will span cloud options for desktop to the data center, the company said, and include services for an entire 'cloud lifecycle' assessment -- from identifying needs, planning strategies, implementation and on-going measurement of results.

Among the IT-business connections Sun's cloud planning options provide are:

Build a "realistic" cloud strategy for your business.

Map cloud technology capabilities to current and future business needs and challenges.

Conduct Risk vs. reward analyses

Provide Business readiness analyses (gap analyses) and recommendations

Design a 24-month 'cloud roadmap' that aligns cloud capabilities with datacenter and IT strategies

Conduct multiple financial analyses and scenarios to optimize ROI.

Provide a set of plans, architectures, and cost estimates as required for budgeting and planning purposes.

"Cloud Computing has been billed by the industry as the answer to today's IT woes, without much clarity on how to get there," said Amy O'Connor, vice president, Services Marketing at Sun. "At Sun, we are applying our industry specific consulting and technology expertise to offer secure, practical guidance to companies looking to drive new levels of efficiency by leveraging this emerging computing model."

With its new Cloud Strategic Planning Service, Sun said it can help clients evaluate public or private cloud computing technologies that will save them money while giving them the flexibility they need. According to the company, the Cloud Strategic Planning Service will determine how ready a customer is to implement cloud computing and identify opportunities in four key areas: Business, Organization/Culture, Technology and IT Environments. Sun said its professional services consultants will then recommend a solution that satisfies an organization's business and IT objectives.

Sun's new Cloud Strategic Planning Service can be used for a variety of IT and business requirements, according to O'Connor, including:

Save money on IT and/or facilities;

Upgrade, migrate, consolidate or build a more agile data center or private clouds to support mergers and acquisitions, consolidation and divestitures;

Speed up the deployment of IT in the cloud;

Better align IT with the business;

More economically manage peak workload requirements in a cloud environment;

Increase IT flexibility, capacity and capability through cloud computing.

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