Cloud computing has become the buzzword for emerging technology in the business world. As an information technology (IT) infrastructure, cloud computing offers scalable hosting for your data and improves your business processes. Wherever you are, you can access your data and streamline necessary tasks across your organization in one click.
Before you jump into this bandwagon, you need to have a strategy. Having a strategy will create an IT environment aligned with your organization’s objectives. For example, you have to ask first why you want to use cloud computing.
Perhaps, you want to deploy cloud computing for big data analytics. Then, it would be important that you consider how you’re managing your data at present so you can integrate cloud computing with your methods smoothly. In such cases, consulting with IT experts in your location such as Seattle-based IT services companies can be of great assistance.
Certainly, you would not want a complex and expensive technology that won’t meet your organization’s needs. Thus, you have to intentionally create a cloud hosting strategy that will define the roles of this technology in the company.
Here are some tips to help you create your cloud hosting strategy and get you through the implementation:
Every enterprise has unique needs. You start your strategy by clarifying what technology problems you want to be solved. Often, people want to implement cloud hosting as a solution without analyzing what the problem really is. This isn’t a good idea because the tendency is for the organization to adjust to fit into the technology instead of the technology fitting into the organization.
This assessment will also help you determine whether cloud hosting is the right solution for your organization. For instance, people working at nfina.com suggest a hybrid approach when data privacy and security are crucial. At this stage, you should also determine what type of cloud hosting would work best for your business, such as public, private, or hybrid.
You may want to note the following details and include them in your strategy:
Does the company have an existing on-premise data storage? If yes, you may write specifically the system process and obtain inventory of the components. If the company is still using a manual process, know the location of the data and its size.
Take into account legacy technology you already have. Moreover, assess also if you have high-risk data you’re keeping. These data require extra protection so this may add another feature you will need.
The best people to understand hosting strategy are in the management since they’re familiar with the business process. Ask for their inputs since this will give you the bird’s-eye view of the whole organization.
Every organization has its own set of values. It’s important to note these values and consider how people interact within the organization. This information will help you in integrating cloud computing in a way that people in the organization can accept the technology.
Outside the company, there are also requirements you have to consider. First, you have to identify your customer’s needs. You may ask, how do customers interact with the organization? Are they visiting your website? What are their behavior patterns?
Second, aside from the customers, know what regulations are in your area. For instance, it will be helpful to read through existing policies on data privacy and security before implementing cloud hosting.
Having a list of providers and their capabilities will give you the idea which cloud hosting is appropriate for your organization. You can either go for multiple providers or a single provider depending on whether or not these providers can meet your identified needs. If you can’t find a single provider that can handle all your requirements, you can distribute your requirements across other providers. However, make sure you put into consideration security and data privacy.
When all the requirements are clearly defined, you can start implementing your strategy little by little. Implementing a cloud hosting is a journey of a thousand miles, so start with a single step. Remember, full adoption of technology often takes time since integration must not disrupt business activities as much as possible.
If this is your first time implementing a cloud solution into your company, you may start the initial phase with a single department first. Other method would be starting with the business processes that are more fitted with the cloud. Then, you can move to the next phase until cloud hosting is fully implemented.
While the implementation is going on, you can assess whether or not your cloud hosting strategy is achieving the desired outcome. You can evaluate its effectiveness by asking specific questions such as: are all the necessary requirements factored in? Does the phase-by-phase implementation followed as planned? If the answer is no, you can improve your strategy by incorporating new information you have gathered.
Embracing new technology may feel overwhelming at first. However, growth can only happen if you’re willing to invest your resources in innovative ways of doing business. With the fast-evolving digital economy, take cloud hosting as an opportunity to have that competitive edge.
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