Published on 07/06/2017 | Operations
The IT Landscape is undergoing a massive transformation and the world out there is competitive like never before. If companies aren’t efficient, productive and agile, chances are they will be driven out of business very soon. With the IT transformation being on the lips of all CIOs, it puts the tech fraternity at a spot- Is cloud the answer to all my present and future datacenter worries?
In this post, I will be discussing the significant aspects that enterprises should consider before choosing a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) for the cloud business transition.
The Confusing CSP menu cards!
Working with a CSP will certainly help enterprises to deal with a lot of heavy-lifting tasks which are cost intensive. However, many CSPs just extend their services to a build a catalog of offerings but do not attempt in augmenting technologies to help enterprises derive business value. The cloud market is highly fragmented with numerous technologies and service providers. Finding the right CSP to vet and align business objectives can indeed be a daunting task.
Crux of the Cloud Conversation:
Building an effective and efficient cloud strategy is truly more about carving a new cloud operating IT model which drives business process efficiency and transparency resulting in increased productivity.
All of us have seen various waves of technology that created huge buzz ranging from mainframes, client server architecture, PCs and now its cloud. With the lingering economic uncertainty, cloud is indeed a liberator for many.
Working way back in 2009, when cloud was picking up momentum the substance to me really was all talking to customers about - Are you getting the cloud concept, Do you relate PaaS, SaaS besides IaaS, the potential of a mission critical and complex application to be placed in cloud and operate reliably, how does security work in cloud et al?
Fast-forward to September 2015 and now my substance of conversation with enterprise customers has gone way beyond - "In a world of diverse clouds with crazy numbers of players for cloud services, the conversation is all about advising which player works well for you". I say this because one of the most fascinating aspects of cloud is the amount of freedom it gives. In this tricky and enticing situation in a world of many clouds, the diverse forms of existence is solely governed by its provider.
The New Cloud Frontier:
The cloud has arrived with a bang and is here to stay. Enterprises are becoming "cloud active", progressing very rapidly from being reactive to proactive and have now begun the march to be innovative. The huge potential of cloud has emboldened organizations of all sizes to think out of the box to be the leaders in the race for innovation.
Cloud has been advancing rapidly in our lives making significant improvements. Cloud is being driven by the increased number of devices, users, consumption of -storage, network, compute and power. As the cloud adoption gains more and more momentum, we are also witnessing a sudden sprawl of CSPs. With multiple delicate intricacies that a cloud strategy needs to be worked upon, it becomes all the more critical to choose the right CSP. While we head towards an As-A-Service-Era, consumers too want everything-as-a-service. In this marathon of transforming everything into a service, enterprises are often caught in mayhem to plan their journey to cloud.
Cloud Is Not Equal To Virtualization:
Cloud is not virtualization. Virtualization is just the first step towards cloud, which is more about amalgamating people, process and technology. In its truest sense, cloud means user empowerment thru its features like on-demand scalability, automation, business agility and integrated dynamics.
The biggest hurdle for many organizations is to integrate their legacy infrastructure with cloud. Some crucial factors that enterprises should consider for a CSP are technical expertise for executing your IT transformation from an "asset centric to a service centric" organization, security standards, audit options, Application Programming Interface standards and architecture, performance window dashboards and service level agreements.
In order to benefit from all the cloud capabilities, enterprises need a CSP who can offer a single point of accountability for all their cloud needs and shields them from the burden of having to deal with the commercial, technical, and legal barriers that impede cloud adoption.
Factors To Consider For Choosing a CSP
To Conclude:
Certainly the future of enterprise business is all about analytics. Having said that, the critical underlying infrastructure to make that happen lies ONLY in cloud.
Cloud is the perfect platform to reach beyond the sky. As we head towards "As-A-Service-Era", garnering a winning streak is only possible by visioning an appropriate strategy that befits specifically your needs in the long run with the right partner.
This article was originally posted on LinkedIn.
