Impact of Cloud Computing on IT Governance

Cloud computing has caused a major shift in Information Technology (IT) architecture, altering the way services are sourced and delivered. A move to the cloud, however, requires a well-planned strategy as there are many business and technical constraints that need to be mitigated. IT Governance and regulation are required to clear any doubts with regard to security and management of the organisation’s data. IT Governance is part of a wider Corporate Governance activity but the pervasive use of technology has created a critical dependency on IT that calls for a specific focus on IT Governance.

Management and security of data are common concerns for organisations and any organization that wants to move their services to the cloud will ask, “How secure is my data and service?” The challenge for organisations when adopting cloud services is to understand the maturity and robustness of their IT Governance framework.

In this Knowledge Sharing article, Declan McGrath gauges the impact of cloud computing on ITIL and seeks an answer to: What is the Impact of cloud computing on IT Governance?

The basis for the article is a single case study, where the Case Company is a global provider of outsourced development services. Declan’s article explores:

• Considerations by companies when they move their data or a client’s data to a Cloud Service Provider (CSP)

• Types of Cloud Readiness Assessment, if any, taken by companies

• How to match a customer’s IT Governance framework to the IT Governance framework of a cloud

  service provider

A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted and a Cloud Readiness Assessment was created and subsequently, tested on a cloud service provider. The research uncovered a number of gaps in the company’s IT Governance Framework, which presented various levels of risk to the business.

This research and the use of the Cloud Readiness Assessment, positioned the Case Company to align future cloud service offerings to their IT Governance framework and mitigate future risks to the business.

Declan envisions that this Cloud Readiness Assessment could be used by other industries as they prepare to adopt cloud services and align them to their IT Governance, in particular the ITIL Governance Framework.

Read the full article.