The move from traditional IT to Cloud Computing is a massive opportunity for an IT department to add value to the organization it serves. As with any major technology shift however, this change also introduces challenges that need to be proactively managed.

When management is faced with a shift to Cloud Computing, there are three areas that need to be assessed to ensure they are ready for the opportunities and challenges that accompany the move, which are identified in this paper.

- Planning for Shifting IT Responsibilities - Developing New Skills - Recruitment, Training, Hiring and Retention of Cloud Professionals

Armed with the information in this paper, management will be sufficiently aware of specific areas to look at and should be able to greatly lessen the problematic business impacts of a move to the Cloud.