If your cloud journey hasn’t already commenced (or perhaps it has and you’re unaware), you should be paying more attention. What’s more, you’re likely missing out on many opportunities for growth and innovation. The typical business can ill-afford to be left behind in digital transformation. The impact of such transformation is spreading fast, yet most businesses don’t fully know at what point along the path they lie.
The cloud journey is underway
ITWeb, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, recently conducted a cloud survey. They polled a large number of both public and private organisations. The results of the survey make one thing abundantly clear: we have a very mixed bag out there right now.
Do the asking yourself and you’ll find almost everyone tells you that yes, they are part of the cloud. Their definition thereof, however, tends to include only a few core functions, such as hosted email and storage. What’s more, they are usually unaware of the potential for many more uses of the cloud, and they almost always associate them with undesirable levels of costs.
Clearly, then, both the local private and public sectors need a little more cloud journey encouragement. Even with international industry giants such as Salesforce punting an open-and-shut case for cloud services, it’s important for providers to advise accordingly and both manage client expectations and assist towards outcomes. Potential clients, on the other hand, should do their due diligence. Consider your choice of cloud partner just as carefully as the scope of your requirements.
Making sense of all the intricacies
We’ve expanded on the notion of creating a partnership, and not just a business relationship, in a previous article. This concept is just as vital when choosing a cloud solutions provider. Moreover, beginning the cloud journey as a partnership means that your provider will be just as invested in its success.
This key element is what drives the best solution providers to perform from the very start. A good example is the undertaking of an internal audit w.r.t. your current systems and infrastructure. Based on this, your provider should leverage their existing offerings into a custom solution just for you. Should their offerings not be anything more than a “best fit”, thoughts should immediately turn towards sourcing the ideal requirements. Finally, they should explain all of this to both your decision-makers and your technical personnel. This is to make sure that everyone is on the same page and understands the extent of the offering in full.
For situations where the client has yet to experience the full benefits of cloud services, a prospective provider should take the lead. This entails not only sourcing exactly what is needed, but also breaking it down into easily understandable components. This makes it far easier to translate requirements into solutions using the proposed cloud resources. Furthermore, unlike a solution prospectus, the final communication, usually containing the dotted signature line, should make use of regular terms and language as much as possible.
Making sure the cloud journey shows its mileage
Once everything is in place, you need to chart progress and returns from the very beginning. A good way to do this is to work with your solution provider directly. Mention the metrics and performance you’d like to track, and let them help you establish a baseline for these from your previous iteration.
What you’ll probably also want to do is get some advice on the costs versus the projected returns. Despite the sometimes obvious cost advantages, there are many cases where the benefits of the cloud can outweigh a jump in operational expenditure. In these cases, it often takes a knowledgeable group of professionals to point out why this is not only necessary, but ultimately beneficial to your organisation specifically.
Adept is a premium provider of not only cloud services, but also fully tailored cloud-based solutions. These are designed to drive a business forward, gaining competitive edge and helping to future-proof its returns. Chat to us about the ideal solution for you!