Microsoft CIO: before you go to Google, ask questions

The mounting pressure to move resources EN the cloud has added a level of complexity to an already complex work of CIO.

To tackle the difficult cloud migration, Microsoft has posted a blog listing five key themes that society is heard from IT leaders consider parts of their business on the move to a cloud platform. Two standout themes are the desire for a long-term commitment by a provider of cloud and the guarantee of security and privacy.

Yet another theme in the minds of CIOS, according to the blog writer Ron Markezich, corporate VP of Microsoft Online, is the definition of what should be a provider of cloud: a service provider or a business partner?

Businesses want to overwhelming majority a partner with a proven track record in enterprise which can establish a roadmap to long-term, writes Markezich. In a separate post for this week, Markezich goes a step further by calling out Google rival Microsoft cloud as a wannabe enterprise with commitment problems.

Microsoft is clearly feeling the footsteps of Google. Last fall the search giant announced that it has 3 million Google Apps customers.

Latest blog Post Microsoft wants to remind buyers that is "all in" for cloud and decades more business acumen than this Internet research company called Google feisty.

Microsoft apprehension is understandable. The software giant was winning cloud deals with government agencies and organizations to use its BPOS suite of cloud services for email, collaboration and productivity apps (now called Office 365). But in December, Google beat Microsoft to a whopper with GSA contract for 6.7 million in five years for the migration of 17,000 employees of Government out different versions of IBM Lotus Notes and Domino software to Google Apps.

In addition, Google has landed contracts with agencies of State Government, as the State of Wyoming and in November, Google has filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior, arguing that DOI bidding process for a contract worth € 49.3 million in five years benefited, unjustly, Microsoft.

So needless to say, there is a cloud of war going on between these giants tech and Google is winning a surprising amount of offers of Government. Undertakings may be far behind?

Blog Post deliberately targets Google Markezich as he lists five questions that CIOs should ask when negotiating with Google over its own cloud services.

You have a proven track record?

"Microsoft believes that the best approach is to help organizations move the cloud on their terms, not ours. Our track record in assisting corporate clients to achieve their goals speaks for itself. Does Google? "

How much it cost to get my people productive?

"Why firms resist fully deploying Google Apps? Because it means that users who are accustomed to Microsoft Office, accepting limited interoperability with other line of business applications, retraining and dealing with limited functionality of Google is expensive.

What are your privacy policies?

"Do a careful review of the privacy policy; You will always know where your data? Microsoft designs its solutions from the ground up for security and privacy and are supported by two decades of business needs.

What is your roadmap to long term?

"Google and others often surprise their clients unexpectedly by removing important features or adding new-which increases both headache and cost. We understand that you operate a business, not a laboratory for our newest experiment. "

You can support all of my people with what they need?

"Not everyone in a company is located on the campus of Silicon Valley with high speed Internet and not all of them don't even have a dedicated computer. What they need is access to business resources. Microsoft provides a variety of options for the different roles people play in your company. "

Click here for the full blog post from Microsoft.

Shane O'Neill covers Microsoft Windows, operating systems, productivity applications and Online services for CIO.com. Follow Shane on Twitter @ smoneill. Follow everything from CIO.com on Facebook and Twitter @ CIOonline. Shane email to soneill@idgenterprise.com

Read more about cloud computing in the Cloud Computing drill-down of the IOC.