Migrating to the cloud is hardly new or revolutionary anymore. But it may still feel that way at your company. Here are some criteria to help you gauge whether 2012 is the year you make a move.  

All the recent stats show that the majority of your peers are considering shifting at least some of their IT to the cloud. But remember what your mother used to say: “Just because everybody’s doing it doesn’t make it right.”

Or at least right for your organization.

So how can you tell, especially if  IT is bucking for it – hard?

Microsoft’s Mark Rowe recently spoke with a group of finance execs at the Current Financial Reporting Issues in New York to address this issue. And we were there to get the scoop.

Now … or later?

Rowe offered a slew of benefits from a move to the cloud, including significant cost savings to the ability to have the most current software and updates. But Rowe also acknowledged it’s not the right move for everyone just yet.

Here’s how to tell whether your business should take a now or later attitude. You probably want to sit down with not only your top IT person, but your CFO and other top execs to consider the following:

Your company is probably ready to embrace the cloud now if:

• Your business is growing rapidly, so you require the latest-and-greatest software offerings.
• Your software tends to be out-of-the-box, with little to no customization required.
• You need upgrades, new software, etc., up and running fast.

You may be better off waiting if:

• Other members of upper management are still skeptical. Top-down buy-in is a must.
• You have complex customizations, which isn’t an option in the cloud. (IT can clue you in on this one.)
• You want to build lots of custom apps. It is possible with a non-public cloud, but it’ll cost you.

Note: Mr. Rowe spoke at the Current Financial Reporting Issues conference, put on by Financial Executives International, www.fei.org