A Chance to Penetrate the Cloud

Since its first day serving the corporate finance community, nine months ago, CFOworld has been dedicated to helping clear up questions about cloud computing. But rather than asking the same tech-based questions that the CIO might ask, we’ve been putting ourselves in the shoes of finance chiefs.

Our work, represented by our “Both Sides Now” package of feature articles, has been geared not only to the economics of making cloud-based choices, but to security and compliance issues. Cloud questions remain serious for CFOs today, of course, and, in fact, continue to grow more complex.

In probing this topic we have figured we have a significant edge: The reporters who work for CFOworld are IT-savvy, and our sister publications at IDG Enterprise are tech-based. We’ve been working together to make the cloud a less fearsome place for finance.

Another organization that’s in that position — because finance and tech executives work closely together on issues of the day — is Tatum, best know to CFOs as a CFO recruitment shop, and a provider of part-time finance chiefs. It also has a CIO practice, and because of that, Tatum, too, sometimes tackles issues by putting the wisest heads together from both branches of the operation.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 2), Tatum is offering a webinar for CFOs and other finance executives that it says is designed to explore the significant corporate finance questions emanating from the cloud. Along with CFOs and CIOs, some CEOs will be participating, as well, Tatum says. According to its outline, the webinar will be exploring finance drivers of a move to the cloud; ways of evaluating the business case, depending on a company’s business needs; and an examination of the questions that CEOs will be turning to CFOs to answer.

Speakers are Frank Buckman, a Tatum partner and practice leader experienced in IT, and Ralph Presciutti, a principal in Tatum’s Technology Leadership Practice. To offer some field experience, Andy Lipman, a co-founder of Intersection LLC, a principal investment firm focused on the healthcare and renewable energy/resources sectors, will join the group. His firm, focused on the healthcare and renewable energy/resources sectors, has closed 30-plus acquisitions with companies that were not for sale, and raised in excess of $1 billion in equity and debt financing.

Watch this space on Wednesday. CFOworld will be covering it.