If your organization is just beginning to explore the cloud there are a number of mature cloud services that can be considered "low-hanging fruit," such as e-mail services. But in addition to looking outside, you may want to evolve your internal infrastructure toward a more cloud-like model.

That will likely mean determining what role IT will play in enabling the business models required by today's economy. How will you improve speed and agility? How can you support your business operations with fewer fixed expenses? What will you do to engage a new generation of professionals?

You should define opportunities and work with your customers to understand what services can best meet your needs or fill gaps in your existing IT portfolio.

The first step is to assess your ability to assist in contracting for cloud services. Your job is to make the process simple, repeatable and beneficial to your business.

Second, you need to identify which services can reside in the cloud and which should be internal. Determine what systems and services are core to your business or store your crucial intellectual property. These should be categorized as high risk and not considered cloud opportunities in the near term.