Cloud functionality increases flexibility and capacity in IT systems, but it also adds complexity and requires a combination of business, financial and technical expertise to make it work effectively. Moreover, organizations often confuse availability with capacity, and assume incorrectly that using cloud services reduces the need to manage these factors. In Availability and Capacity Management in the Cloud: An ITSM narrative, Daniel McLean’s fictional IT service management practitioner, Chris, faces the challenge of integrating cloud services into an ITSM structure. Based on the real-life experience of the author and other ITSM practitioners, this book tells the story of a cloud services implementation, exposing potential pitfalls and exploring how to handle issues that come with such projects. The end-of-chapter pointers give useful advice on dealing with the challenges organizations face when considering cloud services. Read this book and see how Chris meets the challenge of integrating cloud services with ITSM, and how you can do the same. Learn from the successes. Avoid the mistakes.