Organizations recognize the critical importance of technology in driving business strategy and enabling competitive advantages. As a result, business leaders are placing increased demands on the IT department to deliver innovative solutions and services. The problem is that IT still must dedicate significant resources to “keeping the lights on,” making it difficult to adapt to this expanding role. That’s why more organizations are investing in managed services to enable improved technology and business outcomes.

The headlines have painted a dire picture of the retail industry in recent months. Kmart, J C Penney, Macy’s and Sears collectively have closed thousands of stores due to financial difficulties. The Limited, Radio Shack and Payless ShoeSource are among the hundreds of retailers that have filed bankruptcy. Media coverage makes it appear that brick-and-mortar commerce is dying.

In our last post, we discussed the critical importance of developing a strategy before moving to the cloud. Adopting cloud services without defining the business drivers and desired outcomes is a recipe for disaster. Your cloud strategy will help you select the right applications and services, understand all the costs involved, and ensure that security is baked in from the start.