In today’s world, cloud solutions are a constant and relevant topic for businesses. There are many reasons why businesses decide to move to the cloud. For many of them, moving to the cloud means that they can get access to the best enterprise-level technology without having to pay for the high costs of maintaining and managing the underlying infrastructure. For smaller businesses, the flexibility and scalability of cloud services to respond to changing and unpredictable economic conditions and demands are also one of the leading reasons to transition to the cloud.
No matter the reason, every business that moves to the cloud must have a clearly defined cloud implementation strategy in place to operate smoothly and profitably in this environment.
In the following post, we will take a closer look at the 3 steps when building an effective cloud strategy for your business so you can seize new opportunities.
What Is a Cloud Strategy?
A cloud strategy is essentially a business plan that defines a business’ overall approach to migrating, organizing, and managing its data and applications in the cloud. The purpose of the strategy is to define how the organization will use cloud technology, how it will benefit, and what risks it may come across.
The strategy you use will differ depending on the stage of your business and its needs. If you’re a startup, for instance, your goal might be to move fast and increase your customer base. On the other hand, a well-established business might have other expectations.
A cloud strategy is supposed to specify the cloud models that the enterprise will use, such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Containers as a Service (CaaS), Data as a Service (DaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). The most important aspect of a good cloud strategy is to identify the cloud providers that will deliver the services. If you are, for instance, a company that is expanding into the Argentinian market, search online for a good cloud server Argentina-based provider to host your organization’s infrastructure or connectivity and manage its valuable data and computing services.
Identify Your Goals
Companies that have still not made the transition to the cloud should first consider if they need to make the move. A company should never adopt cloud services just because they’re popular. You might not even need to do this if you’re not part of an industry or business where your products or services need to change quickly or if your system scales well and doesn’t need to operate in the cloud.
Ensure to outline your business objectives and goals and see how cloud computing can help you meet them more effectively. This can be anything from launching new business functions, consolidating data center facilities, or any other goal that can be supported by the cloud. Thereafter, explain how the outlined objectives can further be used to assess the cloud’s performance.
Consider the Current Infrastructure
Before migrating data into the cloud, you should have a good understanding of where you stand today. This will help you identify which areas of your business will most benefit from moving to the cloud.
Answering questions such as whether you are using outdated equipment, do any of your applications require more memory or processing power, or whether you are using too many servers in a single location, will help you gauge what capabilities are necessary for the new environment. For this reason, look closely at everything from hardware to software requirements for each application you plan on moving into the cloud.
Assess Risks and Implement Cloud Strategy
It is crucial to define the possible technological challenges and understand the risks associated with the cloud. A risk assessment will help you to determine possible issues and it compiles the appropriate mitigation tactics. There’s no foolproof method to identify business risks but organizations can rely on their experience to assess what could happen.
Implementation is the final step in the rollout of your cloud strategy. Create a plan that will detail how you’ll carry out this implementation, including a realistic roadmap with milestones and timelines for each step of the process.
Keep in mind that every new service you select will necessitate ongoing support. With a well-designed plan, you and your team can manage and customize your new set of tools while benefiting from your vendor’s support and knowledge without increasing your team’s workload.
Final Thoughts
Getting your cloud journey right requires a solid assessment and many considerations. Therefore, setting up an effective cloud strategy is essential to get the full benefit of your cloud investment. It’s easy to move to the cloud, but without a proper strategy, plan, and structure, costs will most likely skyrocket, so make sure to create a clear cloud strategy to avoid stumbling over obstacles and reach new successes.
