Through cloud asset management, an enterprise can maintain peak levels of resource utilization while keeping alignment with its key business strategies. Specialized tools and processes can reduce costs, enhance security and compliance, and also improve IT performance. Most crucial is the clarity that CAM provides in complex setups, especially in multicloud and hybrid cloud environments where different vendors and platforms further obscure visibility.
Despite its essential role, many businesses erroneously view cloud asset management as a secondary issue. They put their primary focus on migrating or extending the infrastructure, which (they feel) gives them a better chance of success. This is a risky imbalance, of course. Even the best plan or add-on cloud strategy doesn’t fix the disorganized state of cloud assets, it just makes them mobile.
So, how do you effectively implement cloud asset management? Enterprises should focus on three major areas. First, introduce a plan for consistent resource tagging and automation. Standardization is equally essential because it is the tool to track cloud assets across teams, applications, and environments. Automation will take this further by allowing the continuous discovery of new resources, enforcing tag compliance, and uncovering underutilized assets or cost-saving opportunities.
