Product Management for Cloud Adoption
When we talk about cloud maturity, there’s one aspect that often gets overlooked: the importance of product management.
“Why do I need a product manager when my internal cloud team is just managing infrastructure?”
The reality is, the cloud team functions much like a project team, where the clients are internal facing. It’s often that most company’s forget to treat internal end users as customers, leading to blurry lines between product requirements and deliverables. That’s exactly where product management principles come into play.
In the context of SRE teams, it’s easy to fall into the trap of treating everything like a technical problem. But here’s the thing—SREs are problem solvers, yes, but they’re also service providers. Their clients are internal departments, and every project within the company that relies on the infrastructure or services the cloud team provides. By adopting a product management mindset, the cloud team can shift from simply “managing infrastructure” to delivering value. It’s like seeing your internal team not just as troubleshooters but as enablers, partnering with other departments to meet their objectives.
Now, when we apply product management to the cloud team, one immediate benefit is the potential for horizontal efficiencies. Think about it—if you’re consistently using the same technology stacks across different teams, the potential for streamlining operations increases significantly. Rather than having every department or project use its own set of tools and processes, you can create a consistent and unified approach across the board. It’s like building a highway system instead of a collection of isolated roads—smoother transitions, fewer barriers, and more streamlined operations. And when teams can work together seamlessly, without having to reinvent the wheel, the cost savings and productivity gains become undeniable.
Beyond the immediate efficiency gains, there’s another advantage to applying product management principles in this context: it allows the SRE team to scale vertically as well. As internal clients mature in their cloud needs, the SRE team can begin offering more specialized and tailored services. One department might need advanced monitoring capabilities, while another requires custom SLAs. This kind of vertical expansion means that, rather than being stuck in a one-size-fits-all mode, the cloud team can grow with the organization, offering deeper, more nuanced services as needs evolve. It’s not just about doing more with less—it’s about doing more with precision.
By treating the cloud team as a product team, and using product management principles to align technologies across the company, you’re not only driving horizontal efficiencies but also unlocking vertical growth opportunities. The cloud team, in this context, becomes a vital partner for other departments, enabling them to achieve their goals faster, with greater consistency, and at a lower cost.
At the end of the day, product management isn’t just for external products—it’s a key driver for internal success. When applied correctly to an SRE team, it can transform the cloud team from a back-office function to a strategic partner, one that’s capable of delivering significant value both horizontally across departments and vertically through more detailed, specialized services. And in an industry where efficiency and innovation are everything, that shift makes all the difference.
