The growing shift to cloud computing can deliver significant value—but most enterprises have little knowledge of the perils of transferring IT decision making away from technology specialists to business unit leaders. Eliminating oversight and governance from cloud computing decisions can create significant risk to organisations, effectively undermining any benefits of moving to the cloud and, at the same time, potentially creating serious issues for organisations.

Only through proper governance and management can cloud computing achieve its potential for organisations. To help enterprises manage the potential pressure points that begin to surface when cloud computing strategies diverge from internally provided IT services or traditional outsourced arrangements, global non-profit IT association ISACA has issued Guiding Principles for Cloud Computing Adoption and Use, a complimentary guide featuring six key cloud computing principles:

1. The Enablement Principle: Plan for cloud computing as a strategic enabler, rather than as an outsourcing arrangement or technical platform.

2. The Cost/Benefit Principle:  Evaluate the benefits of cloud acquisition based on a full understanding of the costs of cloud compared with the costs of other technology platform business solutions.

3. The Enterprise Risk Principle:  Take an enterprise risk management (ERM) perspective to manage the adoption and use of cloud.

4. The Capability Principle:  Integrate the full extent of capabilities that cloud providers offer with internal resources to provide a comprehensive technical support and delivery solution.

5. The Accountability Principle:  Manage accountabilities by clearly defining internal and provider responsibilities.

6. The Trust Principle:  Make trust an essential part of cloud solutions, building trust into all business processes that depend on cloud computing.

According to CA A.Rafeq, CISA, CGEIT, member of COBIT 5 Task Force and Managing Director of Wincer Infotech Limited, India is the ninth-largest economy in the world, and the pace of economic growth in India has brought the role of IT into sharp focus within many enterprises. The Government of India, through the National e-Governance Plan, is increasing the number of government services to be provided online. An m-governance policy has also been drafted covering services provided via mobile phone. Core banking enables banking from anywhere and basic banking services can be accessed via mobile phones. E-services are becoming seamlessly linked through mobile, Internet and other modes of delivery. A pan-India Broadband Plan has been initiated with the objective of providing broadband connectivity across the country by 2014, which will propel economic growth in a bigger way.

“These measures will ensure connectivity across India to large segment of the population and will empower Indian enterprises to harness the power of IT by riding the cloud wave. The availability of cost-effective and easily accessible Internet on broadband will usher in a knowledge revolution in India,” said Rafeq. “Cloud computing  is rapidly emerging as the next big IT service for its pay-as-you-go model and is a key enabler for  for all enterprises, but especially for small and medium enterprises as it makes available computing power on demand as a utility by drastically reducing investment in IT infrastructure,” he added.