The takes an in-depth look at cloud computing and how enterprises can derive the greatest business benefits from its potential.

The publication is part of the ongoing work of The Open Group Cloud Computing Work Group, which involves customers and suppliers working on delivering cloud security, scalability, business agility and financial benefits. The Open Group itself is a consortium of suppliers, including SAP, IBM, Oracle, Capgemini and HP.

The book is aimed at senior executives, business managers, IT and marketing departments and business architects.

Chris Harding, director for interoperability at The Open Group, said: "The book pays special consideration to an organisation's technical and business requirements, and aims to help readers gain the greatest value possible from their cloud projects."

Key themes include "establishing your cloud vision", buying cloud services, understanding cloud risks, building ROI, and other cloud challenges.