Cloud Migration Success: Ensuring Success of Moving Business Applications to the Public Cloud

Key Factors for a Successful Cloud Migration

Question

An enterprise has made a decision to move some business applications to the public cloud despite being very new to the cloud environment.

What is MOST important for the CIO to do to help ensure the success of this initiative?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

D.

Moving business applications to the public cloud can offer several benefits, such as cost savings, scalability, and accessibility, but it also comes with potential risks that the CIO needs to address to ensure the success of the initiative.

Out of the given options, the MOST important action for the CIO to take is C. Require a vulnerability and threat assessment.

This action is crucial because moving business applications to the public cloud can expose the enterprise to new security risks and vulnerabilities, such as data breaches, data loss, and unauthorized access. By conducting a vulnerability and threat assessment, the enterprise can identify and mitigate potential security risks before they can cause harm.

A vulnerability and threat assessment typically involves evaluating the security controls of the cloud provider and identifying potential security gaps, such as weak passwords, unpatched software, and inadequate access controls. It also involves assessing the potential impact of a security breach on the enterprise's operations, reputation, and compliance requirements.

In addition to the vulnerability and threat assessment, the CIO should also ensure that the cloud provider complies with international standards, such as ISO 27001, which sets the standards for information security management systems. This can help ensure that the cloud provider has adequate security controls and processes in place to protect the enterprise's data.

However, requesting a right-to-audit clause in the provider contract and reviewing the vendor management framework are also important actions to take to ensure the success of the initiative. A right-to-audit clause allows the enterprise to audit the cloud provider's security controls and processes periodically, while reviewing the vendor management framework can help ensure that the enterprise has adequate controls in place to manage the relationship with the cloud provider.

In summary, while all of the given options are important, the MOST important action for the CIO to take to help ensure the success of the initiative is to require a vulnerability and threat assessment to identify and mitigate potential security risks associated with moving business applications to the public cloud.