A cloud center of excellence (CCoE) helps organizations create structure around cloud adoption, governance, accountability, and long-term scale. In this panel discussion, experts from PTP and CloudCheckr explain how a CCoE can support both startups and larger enterprises, including life sciences organizations managing regulated data and research infrastructure.
Watch the discussion
Video: what a Cloud Center of Excellence does and why it matters
Watch the full panel discussion on cloud governance, cross-functional leadership, and practical CCoE strategies.
OK, so on the surface Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE) is another IT industry acronym and buzz phrase. In the cyber security domain the hot one is "zero trust" and in IT Operations it is "AIOps". Despite the catchy name, there is more to CCoE than marketing hype. As with other disruptive technologies, the move of core business applications to the cloud is not simply a systems and technology shift, it is one that requires a framework of people and process to keep the powerful force from going to the dark side! Our experience at PTP, along with industry data, supports the criticality of implementing a CCoE in order to extract maximum value and the minimum cost with cloud providers.
What you will learn in this CCoE panel
- What a cloud center of excellence is
- How a CCoE improves cloud adoption and governance
- Why accountability matters in cloud operating models
- How startups and enterprises use a CCoE differently
- What life sciences organizations should consider in regulated cloud environments
Why this matters
Many organizations adopt cloud services without a clear operating model. That often leads to inconsistent governance, unclear ownership, avoidable costs, and slower business outcomes. A CCoE helps create a more disciplined framework for cloud decision-making, technical standards, and cross-team alignment.
Key takeaways
What the panel covers about cloud centers of excellence
This session explores how a cloud center of excellence can help organizations accelerate cloud adoption while improving business outcomes. The discussion looks at both small startups and larger enterprises, with a focus on the practical challenges that appear when cloud growth outpaces governance.
The panel also covers how a cross-disciplinary CCoE can create structure, improve accountability, reduce common cloud adoption mistakes, and support long-term scalability. For life sciences organizations, these issues are especially important when infrastructure must support research, compliance, and regulated data workflows.
Cloudcheckr conducted an analysis regarding the implementation and use of a CCoE along with questions around operational and financial considerations. The graphic to the left illustrates several significant responses - the most alarming of which is that only 30% of those that responded say that do a good job managing cloud usage and costs. Notice I used the word alarming and not surprising. Alarming because the opportunity for runaway costs are high when the access to services and increased capacity is only a click away. Not surprising because the process requires the right visibility tools, the discipline to analyze the data, to make recommendations and then to implement them. With a CCoE, the DevOps team does not have to slow down their progress to ensure they are staying within budget, that is part of the CCoE charter. Also worth noting that 99% of those organizations that have implemented some type of CCoE have benefited. In order to achieve a result this high I would presume that the organizations that have invested in their resources to participate in the CCoE use it for true governance and business enablement, not for policing or delaying progress.
Monthly AWS Cost Trend Graph
This chart shows monthly AWS cost trends and helps teams monitor cloud spend, identify unusual usage patterns, and improve AWS cost optimization.
Speakers
Panel discussion participants
- Gary Derheim PTP, Moderator
- Mike McElaney PTP, Panelist
- Hong Pun PTP, Panelist
- Eric Zimmerman CloudCheckr, Panelist
Key takeaways
Highlights from the panel discussion
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0:08
Defining a Cloud Center of Excellence as a cross-functional leadership team that guides cloud vision, governance, and best practices.
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0:40
The critical role of accountability in cloud success. Without executive support, transformation efforts can stall.
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1:10
How both small biotech startups and large research organizations can benefit from a CCoE.
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1:32
Breaking down organizational silos to support cloud-first strategies across departments.
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2:01
How CloudCheckr helps right-size and right-type workloads for stronger cloud cost optimization.
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2:46
Why organizations need to shift from traditional IT thinking to dynamic cloud inventory and compliance-aware reporting.
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3:40
CloudCheckr’s support for 30+ compliance frameworks, including HIPAA and PCI DSS, for stronger life sciences compliance.
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4:10
Why collaboration between IT and development teams is a critical success factor, with PTP and CloudCheckr helping enable that alignment.
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4:19
The need for intentional, well-planned technology adoption driven by empowered teams.
Featured resource
White paper: a blueprint to successful cloud adoption
A Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE) is a cross-functional leadership team that champions cloud adoption, establishes governance, and aligns cloud strategy with business goals.
Using CloudCheckr’s framework, this blueprint explains how to build a practical CCoE model that helps organizations accelerate adoption while improving accountability, cost control, security, and compliance.
- Assemble a CCoE team across IT, DevOps, finance, security, and business functions
- Define a clear cloud strategy with executive sponsorship and decision-making authority
- Build a structured migration playbook aligned to cloud adoption best practices
- Establish KPIs for cost-efficiency, agility, security, compliance, and innovation
- Maintain oversight with compliance monitoring, inventory visibility, and workload optimization
Why it matters for life sciences and biotech
- Embeds HIPAA and GxP requirements into cloud governance
- Supports secure, cost-optimized research and computational workloads
- Helps IT and DevOps teams align around cloud-first, compliant operations
This blueprint gives regulated organizations a more structured foundation for scalable, secure, and cost-effective cloud adoption.
Build a stronger Cloud Center of Excellence with PTP
Talk to our team about creating a CCoE that improves cloud governance, accountability, and long-term business outcomes.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about cloud centers of excellence
What is a cloud center of excellence?
A cloud center of excellence, or CCoE, is a cross-functional team that helps guide cloud strategy, governance, best practices, and adoption across an organization.
How does a CCoE improve cloud adoption?
A CCoE improves cloud adoption by creating structure around decision-making, technical standards, accountability, and collaboration across teams. This helps organizations adopt cloud services more consistently and with fewer missteps.
Why is accountability important in a cloud center of excellence?
Accountability is important because cloud transformation can stall when ownership is unclear. A CCoE helps define roles, responsibilities, and executive support so cloud initiatives can move forward with stronger alignment and oversight.
Do startups need a cloud center of excellence?
Yes. Startups can benefit from a CCoE by creating better cloud governance earlier, avoiding common adoption mistakes, and building a more scalable operating model as the organization grows.
How does a CCoE help life sciences organizations?
A CCoE helps life sciences organizations align cloud adoption with governance, compliance, cost control, and operational maturity. This is especially useful when teams are supporting regulated data, research infrastructure, and cloud-first growth.