Businesses of all sizes with private or hybrid clouds, and particularly smaller organizations, should automate provisioning and management of their cloud resources to increase flexibility and efficiency, writes Consultant Amy Bishop in “Maximize the Private Cloud with Automation Strategies“. Although she does not identify any by name, she writes that several good tool sets are available that allow companies to preset parameters for dynamic resource allocation as businesses grow or contract. These tools are particularly good for smaller businesses without the human resources to manage a cloud o a daily basis but that want to maintain control over their IT infrastructure and company data.

Private cloud automation tools can improve IT agility to respond quickly to changing business needs. It also can help control operating costs by decreasing staff time devoted to managing the cloud and the need for outside support. The automation system should include a robust dashboard to allow managers to prioritize resources and monitor the cloud’s operations and resource utilization. She cites an infographic by edCetera published in Learning Solutions Magazine showing that.private clouds improve end-user experiences 72% while cutting labor costs.