Decision tree helps IT discern cloud fit

Cloud computing, despite its various forms, is not for everyone. To help IT management consider the computing and storage option, The Open Group Cloud Computing Work Group has drafted a cloud buyers' decision tree to help prospective adopters navigate the maze of public vs. private, and software vs. platform vs. infrastructure as a service.

The 10-node tree is in the form of a 37-page proposal from the group's Cloud Business Artifacts Project. The bulk of the document is devoted to the line of questioning that prospective cloud users might follow in their decision-making. The questions are followed by a description of decision tree paths and then solution considerations.

The authors note that the tree also works in reverse; it can help cloud service providers identify the business situations for which a cloud type is best suited.

The first branch of the tree involves the question, "is your business situation vertical?" Definitions and an explanation of objectives follow, leading to the second branch: "Are the processes differentiating?" Successive questions take the user through impediment and infrastructure considerations.

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