Moving to the cloud is supposed to save money. That strategy is often successful, but sometimes related expenses can start climbing. Some areas to keep a weather eye on can help mitigate losses.
By John Ghrist
Many enterprises continue to move to the cloud as a way of managing their computing expenses. Added security, reduction in IT-related expenses of managing systems in-house, and user convenience often top the list of corporate motivations. Unfortunately, a shifting of C-suite focus to other areas of business after migration can result in a slow escalation of costs associated with cloud, a trend that can eventually make that migration look like a not-so-great strategy. In fact, a 2020 Gartner report estimated that as much as 70 percent of public cloud expenditures are wasted money, largely because of inefficient cloud-management practices. With most cloud users employing either public or hybrid cloud arrangements, suboptimal public cloud use is a problem that must be taken seriously. Savings don’t automatically follow like pennies falling from heaven; they have to be cultivated.