Best Practices for Cloud Computing Adoption

This IDC white paper, sponsored by IBM, characterizes cloud computing adoption as a journey occurring in stages: Ad Hoc, Opportunistic, Repeatable, Managed, and Optimized. It outlines best practices for moving through these stages, emphasizing the importance of building a private cloud first for security and control before expanding to hybrid models.

The document discusses business drivers, the shift to shared infrastructure, and how organizations can align IT spending with business service requirements to achieve greater agility and cost efficiency.