In lieu of depending on a service provider, enterprises are creating their own cloud services for new opportunities. Cloud has the ability to make sure better supply chain integration, customer service improvements, and the ability to charge a fee for access to parts of valuable information systems.

Before you take the leap, there are three things you should consider before launching your own commercial cloud.

 1. Determine your cloud service purpose

As simple as it sounds, map out your basic use cases. According to David Linthicum in a recent article, you need a good foundational design or plan to take on the same responsibilities as a larger public computing provider. Therefore, “don’t be afraid to splurge on the design and planning cycle for your initial projects.”

 2. Choose what information will be shared externally

This includes where the data exists, how to get it, and any security issues. One of the top cloud complaints is the issue of security. Security in the cloud is undefined and heterogeneous across lines of business. However, finding a resolution to this issue is on the top of many agendas and currently the Open Data Center Alliance is working towards ending the ambiguity.

 3. Create an API/Service Management Strategy

In the third step, you need to select the best externalization path and service management. Typically, providers offer API management technology. API’s, or Application Programming Interface, is essential to the application build process.

According to ComputerWorld.com, API’s are “a set of standardized requests…that have been defined for the program being called upon. Almost every application depends on the APIs of the underlying operating system to perform such basic functions as accessing the file system.”

According to Josh Walker, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc., “the API for all computing purposes is how you open the blinds and the doors and exchange information.”

However, the most significant issue is how you will manage the service in production. Questions like, how will you validate user access? And how do you guard against service saturation? These issues can be managed by service governance technology.

Naturally these steps describe a very simplified process. When building your own cloud, it will require much more in-depth planning and decision making; however, they’re three fundamentally important first moves to creating your own cloud space.