What is the role of a Cloud Broker?

The role of a Cloud Broker is to manage relationships between cloud providers and consumers, which involves acting as an intermediary that helps organizations navigate the complexities of cloud services. This involves understanding the needs of the consumers and matching them with the appropriate cloud services offered by various providers. By doing so, a Cloud Broker can facilitate the decision-making process, optimize resource usage, and potentially lower costs for users by finding the best-suited services based on their specific requirements.

This role is critical in the modern IT landscape where organizations often use multiple cloud providers, each offering unique services and features. A Cloud Broker not only assists in selecting the right services but can also provide value-added services such as integration, management, and governance of the cloud resources, thus streamlining interactions and improving overall cloud strategy for consumers.

In contrast, providing direct cloud services pertains to cloud providers themselves, while replacing traditional IT services implies a broader shift that does not align with the specific intermediary function of a broker. Furthermore, while providing security for cloud data is essential, it is not the primary responsibility of a Cloud Broker, as security is typically managed by the cloud service providers.