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So the debate on cloud continues: will cloud computing rescue your from the vortex of endless IT support and maintenance, which eats up 70% of your IT budgets? Or, will cloud computing lure you to downfall as your 'Faustian deal' turns out to be too ambitious to keep the company's IT assets on track?

As cloud computing increasingly attracts the CFOs' attention, so must you as a CIO or a senior IT executive be aware of how your financial controller perceives the cloud. This is particularly important when the overall cloud/ Web platforms are soon to enter the trough of disillusion, while private cloud computing needs another two to five years to mature, according to Gartner's freshest report on the hype cycle for emerging technologies.

The interview with Gartner's research chief Daryl Plummer (pictured) continues this week. In the following conversation, IT practitioners will get another glimpse of what non-cost and billing factors that CFOs generally take into account when presented with a cloud proposal. Check them out and get prepared for some tough questions from your financial chief.

 

Daryl C. Plummer: Cloud computing comes with its share of risks that must be considered as part of the development of a cloud computing strategy. The top CFO concerns are not billing issues, but rather:

Finance leaders and IT, working with CIOs and cloud computing vendors, can develop a viable mitigation plan for each of these risks. For example, users should ensure that the vendor provides documented uptime guarantees (typically between 99.5% and 99.9%) for mission-critical applications.

They should also ensure that the vendor's security procedures for vulnerability management, intrusion prevention, incident response, and incident escalation and investigation are well-documented. Some cloud computing vendors actually have better procedures than many internal IT organizations, but it is imperative that the onus be put on the provider to prove it has documented and tested procedures that address the key risk areas previously outlined.

Plummer: Cloud computing sets the stage for a new approach to IT that enables individuals and businesses to choose how IT services are acquired and delivered, with reduced emphasis on the constraints of traditional software and hardware licensing models. There are several characteristics of cloud computing that can benefit the business: