✓ Managing the overall service level of the combination of all computing services inside and outside the firewall: While IT management has long focused on meeting service levels within its own data center, the requirements are now expanding with the hybrid cloud. As this evolves, IT has to incorporate all these public, private, and data center services into a virtual environment that’s managed as though it were a single system through an integrated service delivery approach. 

✓ Managing configurations, licenses, and the usage requirements for services:  Every environment that becomes part of the hybrid cloud environment includes system requirements that have to be managed in a different way. IT needs to have deeper control over how configurations relate to each other and how systems coordinate their services. 

✓ Ongoing support of security and governance:  Security and governance issues become more complicated in a hybrid world. IT has to create a security fabric and governance framework that supports both IT and business integrity. 

✓ Providing cloud integration services between clouds and traditional on-premises applications:  Each business unit tends to focus on the applications that support its business. IT has a unique opportunity to take a holistic perspective on integration across the extended enterprise. 

## Planning the Successful Journey 

After you understand the business strategy and the technology requirements, you need a broad set of cloud options to support changing business needs. You also need an ecosystem of partners that can help you integrate your resources together. Make sure to have a roadmap and plan that takes you from an inflexible, slow-paced environment to a dynamic elastic environment that cloud services provide. 

This sounds like common sense, but too often business and IT don’t collaborate on planning for the future. Successful companies are able to view IT and business as a strategic partnership. Planning for the cloud contains two parts: 

