Cloud sprawl is inevitable as more enterprises continue to add cloud services and applications to their business – often without the approval of IT. Like many IT challenges, it comes down to management and control. In this blog post we will discuss the evolution of cloud sprawl and ways your company can reel it in through improved visibility and management.

Cloud sprawl is a growing concern for businesses worldwide, and with cloud services being easier to access, cloud sprawl will only continue to become a bigger problem. But what is cloud sprawl? It is defined as a situation created by the ever-growing use of public cloud services and apps by individuals within a company, often without any permission from the IT department. Cloud sprawl can create security and privacy concerns, increase the threat of breaches and data loss and intensify an enterprises’ potential for breaking laws or best-practices. As the situation develops, poorly managed end-user cloud purchases and deployments make for fragmented, redundant, unmanaged and inefficient cloud-based outsourcing decisions with little or no input from IT.

If enterprises had just a dozen applications to manage, life would be easy for IT departments. However, with the implementation of smartphones and mobile apps into corporate life, managing just a few applications has become a thing of the past. Easy access to public cloud computing resources facilitates the resurgence of shadow IT projects.

To avoid cloud sprawl and its dangers and costs, CIOs must strategically plan and manage their cloud environments. Here are a few steps CIOs can take to help mitigate cloud sprawl.

Develop a Strategy. Without proper planning, the cloud will become nothing more than an extension of the problems it has been employed to overcome.

Create a Customized Cloud Solution. Whether it is public, private or hybrid, the cloud should be tailored to the company’s specific business needs, because the cloud is not a one-size-fits-all opportunity.

Determine Where Cloud Solutions Will Reside. Also decide how they will be operated, to help control the otherwise unmanaged expansion of cloud resources.

Assign a Manager. Someone must manage the cloud that’s been created to avoid the out-of-control clutter that once existed in unchecked physical data centers as well as the spiraling costs associated with that.

With the right management tools and techniques, enterprises can turn cloud sprawl into a competitive cost-cutting advantage.

RiverMeadow enables Carriers, Service Providers, Enterprises and SMBs to deliver and consume the incredible benefits of cloud computing with minimal cost and complexity. To learn more about RiverMeadow’s services contact us at support@rivermeadow.com.

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