If you're like most organizations, your use of cloud services is gradually growing over time. You may not even realize it, but if you're not careful, cloud creep can lead to problems like increased costs and security vulnerabilities.
In fact, this may be a more urgent and immediate need than you’re currently paying attention to in your business.
In this article, we'll discuss what cloud creep is and how to avoid it. We'll also give you some tips for staying in control of your cloud services.
What is cloud creep?
Cloud creep is the tendency for organizations to gradually increase their use of cloud services over time, often without realizing it. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as adding new employees who need access to cloud-based applications or adopting new cloud-based applications that were not part of the original plan.
How can you avoid cloud creep?
The best way to avoid cloud creep is to be aware of it in the first place. Pay attention to how your organization is using cloud services and make sure you have a plan in place for managing them. It's also a good idea to review your cloud services on a regular basis to make sure they're still meeting your needs.
Another way to avoid cloud creep is to put processes and controls in place that will help you stay in control of your cloud services. For example, you could require all new cloud services to be approved by a certain manager or team. Or, you could set up a process for periodically reviewing your cloud services and making sure they're still aligned with your business goals.
What are some tips for staying in control of your cloud services?
There are a number of things you can do to stay in control of your cloud services and avoid cloud creep. Here are a few tips:
1) Pay attention to how your organization is using cloud services and make sure you have a plan in place for managing them.
One of the best ways to avoid cloud creep is to simply pay attention to how your organization is using cloud services and make sure you have a plan in place for managing them. This can be difficult to do if you're not actively involved in the day-to-day management of cloud services, so it's important to have someone on your team who is responsible for keeping track of usage and costs.
If you don't have someone on your team who is specifically responsible for cloud management, make sure that everyone who uses cloud services understands the importance of monitoring usage and keeping costs under control. Encourage them to flag any unusual activity or unexpected increases in cloud usage so that you can investigate and determine whether or not it's part of a larger problem.
2) Review your cloud services on a regular basis to make sure they're still meeting your needs.
Cloud services should be reviewed every 6-12 months in order to ensure that they are still aligned with the company’s needs. If cloud services are not actively managed, they can quickly get out of control and lead to cloud creep.
Additionally, it’s important to involve different departments within your company in the review process. Each department will have their own specific needs and requirements for cloud services, so it’s important to get input from as many people as possible.
3) Put controls in place that will help you stay in control of your cloud services.
For example, you could require all new cloud services to be approved by a certain manager or team. This will help to ensure that new cloud services are properly vetted before they're used.
You could also consider setting up spending limits for cloud services. This will help to prevent unexpected increases in costs.
Finally, make sure you have a good understanding of your cloud service contracts. This will help you to avoid any unwanted surprises down the road.
Bonus tip: utilize technology to manage cloud services at scale.
This level of complexity can be difficult to manage with simple spreadsheets. An IT asset and contract management platform like ServTrax can help your organization stay in control of your cloud services.
Conclusion
Cloud services can be a great way to improve your business efficiency, but cloud creep is the tendency for organizations to gradually increase their use of cloud services over time without realizing it. To avoid cloud creep from happening at your company, review all cloud service agreements on a regular basis (every six to twelve months), involve different departments within your company in the review process, and put controls in place that will help you stay in control of cloud services. Also, don't discount the value in a platform to help manage the process.
By following these tips you can keep cloud creep from happening in your organization.
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