One of the key problems contributing to failed attempts at private cloud is the assumption that IT has a better understanding of user needs than users themselves. This legacy mindset is one of the biggest reasons for user dissatisfaction with internal IT, initial cloud service deployment failure, and why public cloud services increasingly encroach on the territory of IT. The good news is that just a small amount of collaboration will go a long way toward increasing satisfaction and success rates. Business-driven initiatives, best-of-breed technologies and the inclusion of service consumers and key stakeholders are all recipes for success in cloud service deployment. With that in mind, here are seven proven strategies for CIOs to employ that will launch companies past legacy shortcomings and into a brand new world of cloud innovation.

Many organizations that were early adopters for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) have come to the realization that a successful BYOD program isn’t as easy as installing hardware and software or executing a plan, no matter how carefully that plan was put together. BYOD 1.0 may not have met expectations, but there are ways to optimize your policies and procedures so they support new technology, increase ROI and satisfaction. In this case, “new technology” means next-generation portable devices that employees want to use, but it also means new evolutions of infrastructure components like cloud servers, storage devices, security measures and network infrastructure.