Cloud computing promises to reduce IT capital expenditures and increase the speed with which applications and services are delivered. To reap all these benefits, however, organizations must do their homework and make good decisions up front. An excellent starting point is a cloud readiness assessment.

Here's a quick checklist to identify if you are ready for cloud: Determining whether your enterprise is ready for cloud services adoption comes down to how you answer these three questions:

1. Is it relevant to my business?

   Companies need to look at whether there is business value in adopting cloud services.

2. What are the barriers and risks and how do we overcome them?

   Many enterprises fail to understand the unique risks associated with cloud services and how these risks differ from traditional systems. This lack of understanding often leads to executives ignoring the risks – with potentially disastrous results.

3. Do I have a roadmap?

   There has to be a clear strategy around integration, aggregation and orchestration, else it’s nearly impossible to tie the process back to your business objectives.