Pitfalls of running business processes on cloud.

1. What we don’t ask about BPM on Cloud - Pitfalls
What we don’t ask about BPM on Cloud - Pitfalls
Earlier this month we discussed the Implications of putting business processes on the Cloud - with this
post we continue the thread with a discussion on potential pitfalls of BPMaaS.
With cloud adoption for BPM Software rising at a significant pace, it is clear that not just mid-market
companies but Enterprises are looking to consume cloud based processes despite potential problems
with delivering Business Process Management as a Service (BPMaaS).
Here is a quick rundown of top 4 concerns of running business processes on cloud:
 The primary concern today is that the core strengths of Cloud based delivery models – elasticity
and scalability may not meet expectations. However, as Gartner’s Michele Cantara points out,
“That can be ok because most buyers don’t need all the attributes of Cloud. So it’s less
expensive to buy a business process as a contract for 100 users than it might be to buy on-
premise software, and while it’s not purely pay-for-use, it’s still a saving”.
 Security: Another obvious issue is of course related to data security and IP rights. In a multi-
tenant Cloud environment, it is important to be vigilant about information security. It is a simple
fact that no security system is infallible (think Google and Sales Force.com). Data security laws
also vary with geographies and jurisdiction becomes an important issue in this case. One needs
to be aware of where exactly the BPM application or process related data will be hosted. Also,
when it comes to process governance on the Cloud, the vendor needs to have a robust
exception monitoring system in place.
 SLAs: Any vendor offering solutions delivered on Cloud is evaluated through hard bound SLAs
and vendors delivering BPM applications on the Cloud are no different. However, apart from the
usual parameters such as Uptime and Security which are the cornerstone of a successful
delivery, SLAs need to be stringently evaluated for actual process performance. Does the
process achieve the business aim it was meant to? Accessibility and Mobility are not concerns
limited to on premise solutions and need to be evaluated for processes that rest on Cloud.
 Pricing: Although there are several hybrid pricing models available, typically, Cantara says, Cloud
service providers price their services based on a range of users; the customer pays for services
whether or not they’re being used. That is subscription-based, per-user pricing. The Process Café
blog summarizes this well Costing models for BPM in the cloud will need to be carefully
scrutinized to ensure that they will not inhibit the future development of the processes
themselves. As such the owners will need to understand how the costing is done and what will
be the impact of making a change. This will then need to be made transparent and matched
against the cost of implementing such a system as an in-house cloud system rather than a
purchased SaaS operation.
A BPM Pilot that is tested on a critical process and modeled for the long term is definitely an evaluation
best practice. Our next post will discuss which processes could be on Cloud vs On-premise.

2. What we don’t ask about BPM on Cloud - Pitfalls
About Skelta Business Process Management
Skelta Business Process Management (BPM) provides enterprises with a strong and collaborative
platform that automates the sequence of human, system and document centric activities that are
required to complete specific business goals. Skelta BPM’s rich features provide tools for graphical
modeling and improving end-to-end business processes.
Apart from being used as a stand-alone BPM software, Skelta BPM is utilized as an embeddable OEM
solution and also as a Business Application Platform to build BPM enabled horizontal solutions such
as Accounts Payable, Document Management, Enterprise Risk Management, Leave Management System
and Human Resource Information System for various industries ranging from Aerospace and Defense,
Automotive, Retail, Government, Healthcare, Banking and Finance and many more.
Skelta BPM enables application composition providing access to functionality from legacy IT assets using
advanced built-in capabilities. Skelta BPM offers a well integrated BPM platform and includes processes,
forms, user management, task management, dashboards, custom controls and queues. In addition,
Skelta BPM provides a wide range of connectors such as BizTalk Connector, SharePoint accelerator.
Extensions include Microsoft SAP LOB Adaptor and to the entire stack of Microsoft Office.
For more information on Skelta BPM, visit www.skelta.com