5 Strategies to Get The Most From Your Cloud Implementation

Businesses face a number of common challenges when considering cloud implementation. With a well thought out strategy, taking on the task will be more manageable. A recent survey of 6,159 executives, conducted by IDC found that overall, nearly 68% of all the organizations in the survey are using cloud to help drive business outcomes, up from 42% just one year ago. Challenges of security, integration, network limits, big data and best practices to get the most from your move.

Understanding Your Current Infrastructure

You need to know where your company is now, and where you want it to go in the future. To do this, you need to understand what cloud services are already in place at your company. It’s important that you turn to your own IT department and not outside vendors when discussing what you already have in place, what isn’t working or is a waste of time and money, and if your current solution is scalable enough to adapt to the future.

To maximize cloud effectiveness, you should focus on a sourcing strategy that delivers flexibility to meet business needs and the agility to quickly adapt to an evolving business landscape. This will help you decide if you should build a new custom platform, buy a cloud platform from a vendor, or both.

Hybrid cloud platforms

Store more sensitive data with private cloud, while storing less sensitive data on a public cloud. When utilized correctly, hybrid clouds offer you a way to complement existing resources without additional costs while freeing up staff time to focus on other things.

One of the most important things to think about when looking for a cloud platform solution is, what will your company look like in the future? The solution needs to address your immediate needs while being flexible enough to respond to growing business conditions. As your company evolves, your cloud platform should grow with it.

Solid Security

Security remains a top concern for any organization considering a move to the cloud. Some companies delay adoption until they’re confident off-premises security solutions can measure up to local defenses while others charge ahead and hope providers are ready for the challenge. However, according to CIO, while security remains a “universal concern,” there’s no single solution capable of handling the breadth of cloud concerns. Smooth security implementation in the cloud means leveraging a provider with significant security investment and experience, that isn’t locked into a single solution.

 Network Limits

Networks also pose a problem for cloud integration. Why? Because companies are often hyper-focused on cloud resources as the end goal, but may forget that in order to effectively access data analytics, disaster recovery or collaboration tools, their network connection must be ready to handle the bandwidth. This is a challenge you want to avoid rather than mitigate after the fact, so it’s worth taking the time to test and upgrade your network connection before rolling out a new implementation.

 Enhancing Task Automation

The final implementation challenge? Developing a set of best practices to govern this new environment. CIO Insight recommends that companies start by targeting the “five essentials” of cloud computing: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity and measured services. In addition, companies must develop practices aimed at enhancing task automation, and communicate this benefit to employees. Time is also a critical factor: Ideal cloud implementations happen in measured stages, not fits and starts. Slow and steady always wins the cloud race.

Check out the free Solutions Review Cloud Platform Solutions Buyers Guide to start looking for the right solution.

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