Appirio Offers $1 Million Cloud Computing Guarantee

Appirio said Thursday that it will guarantee businesses that outsource their entire IT infrastructure to Appirio's cloud services will save at least $1 million a year or the solution provider will make up the difference.

The offer is designed "to really encourage people to think big about the cloud," said Ryan Nichols, head of cloud strategy and sourcing at Appirio, in an interview. "It's something we're very confident in offering. This is about [us] putting some skin in the game to help customers make that move to the cloud."

Appirio's cloud offerings include applications from vendors such as Salesforce.com and Google, as well as professional and outsourcing services. The solution provider is widely seen as a rising star in the cloud computing services industry.

To qualify for the offer, a company must have a minimum of 500 employees and annual IT spending of $5 million, Nichols said.

But Nichols acknowledges the cloud isn't for everyone. Some businesses may have complex, custom applications that can't be transferred to the cloud, for example, while others may face regulatory restrictions. "This offer is really targeted toward companies that are already thinking about adopting the cloud," Nichols said.

Businesses interested in taking Appirio up on its $1-million challenge will undergo an evaluation and work with the solution provider to develop a business case and road map for migrating to a cloud IT environment. Nichols said businesses generally take two or three years to make the transition and begin realizing the full savings cloud computing offers.