Still, there are pro-cloud and anti-cloud extremists that you have to watch out for Infrastructure and operations leaders should focus on a cloud-first strategy, Gartner advises in a new report. However, they should do this on an application-by-application basis. The report, called “Flipping to Digital Leadership: The 2015 CIO Agenda,” surveyed more than 2,800 CIOs and found that the public cloud was an option for IT projects, but a priority only for a small minority. This news is encouraging. Companies should always consider the use of cloud computing, but in the context of the business case, business requirements, and purpose of the application. And that’s what most CIOs seem to be doing. But there are still the minority extremes that do it wrong. On one extreme are those who push cloud at every problem, and won’t take “no cloud” for an answer. I admire their forward-thinking view, but they are wrong in many cases. The cloud is not always a fit. On the other extreme are those who push back against the cloud for silly, outdated, and/or disproven reasons, such as security concerns. There aren’t as many of these people around these days, but they are still out there — they’re just hiding. Although a small minority will push cloud no matter what, and a small minority won’t consider cloud in a million years, most IT pros will put the use of cloud-based resources on the radar screen as a potential. And that is healthy. My best advice to those who are considering cloud computing is to learn all you can, then create a pilot project to see what all the fuss is all about. You’ll find that cloud-based platforms are sometimes a fit, and sometimes not. Find out where it is, and where it isn’t, right for your needs. Cloud ComputingCareers