Cloud Computing technologies have been around for decades now as we practically live in the age of ubiquitous cloud hosting. The economic and technological benefits of having cloud-based data, software, and applications are fairly evident in the current day and age.
As more and more companies continue to explore the domain of the cloud to host complex applications and software, online hosted technologies are slowly becoming an integral part of most industries. However, there are still a fair amount of businesses that cannot decide when or even if they ought to have their data and applications hosted online.
Realizing cloud migration involves significant efforts from the organization, including employing the right people, implementing the right processes and of course the right technology. Throughout the migration journey, it is essential to bear in mind the company’s long term organizational benefits as the end goal. Therefore, making the decision whether or not to migrate to the cloud; ultimately boils down to the company’s plan for development.
Is Cloud hosting the way to go for your business?
Some businesses still do not prioritize IT as much as they necessarily should, let alone making updates to it. The advantages of cloud hosting, however, span more than just cost reduction, easy scaling, and ease of access. Thus transforming business processes into a completely virtual environment can give your company the necessary edge to move ahead in today’s fiercely competitive market. Having access to real-time data from anywhere and giving your employees the added productivity of the ability to access their system on the go, allows companies to efficiently enhance business processes more and focus less on the infrastructure that facilitates it.
Given that most companies are already hosting parts or entire infrastructures on the cloud, it seems obvious to head in that direction. However, opting for cloud migration can be a mammoth task demanding significant IT investments, appropriate planning, and involvement from the organization, key stakeholders, and dedicated personnel. Prior to setting aside the necessary budget and dividing workload priorities, a company must look into numerous considerations.
When is the best time to migrate to cloud technologies? Of course, each company has its own requirements, plans for future expansion, and business goals but these are the generalized scenarios when moving to the cloud is the smarter alternative.
When System Infrastructures need Upgrading
Technical infrastructures including hardware, system software, operating systems and applications have shorter and shorter life cycles with newer versions rendering them obsolete for long term usage. Upgrading system infrastructure can take a big chunk out of the budget, not to mention the added expense from expansion and relocations.
A smarter alternative is to shift to the cloud, reducing the cost overhead significantly. Migrating large portions of processing and data capabilities to the virtual world can reduce the load on existing infrastructure as well. Since cloud services are completely scalable, business expansion is greatly simplified. When it comes to newer upgrades and expansion, opting for the cloud can be much more economic and effective.
When Your Business Demands New Software
A favorable time to migrate to the cloud is when certain fundamental business processes demand software upgrades for compatibility issues or software support. Cloud technologies offer a “pay as you go” subscription and so companies can opt to migrate parts of the software as per their needs since cloud migration offers the flexibility of partial migration. Therefore, there is no need for an upfront payment of the entire migration, companies can simply pay for how much they use.
When You Need A Robust Disaster Recovery Plan
Having a business recovery plan to mitigate the effects of unseen and unfortunate events is almost mandatory now. A single instance of server failure, software mishap, or even human error can result in disastrous consequences.
Luckily, the cloud has your back. Businesses no longer need to spend long hours developing recovery plans and policies, implementing rigorous backup, additional hardware costs, and conducting regular maintenance. Cloud services offer great uptimes and a robust data recovery plan along it. When your company is dealing with incredible amounts of sensitive data with no margin for error in backup and failure, opting for cloud technologies is the smarter solution.
Benefits of Cloud Managed Services over the On-premise server
When the Competition Demands it
The era of information spares no one lagging behind and with thousands of businesses already transitioned to the cloud, it would be a huge let down to witness major competitors upgrading to the benefits of cloud computing while your business isn’t forging ahead with slower legacy mainframes. At times like these, the better option would be to not just use the cloud, but find ways to use it in a more innovative manner and enjoy the great benefits competitors are already exploring.
When you want your employees to work remotely
Employees working day shifts confined to their cubicles is a thing of the past now. Allowing employees to work remotely gives them flexible working hours, eliminates their travel to and from work and provides them the opportunity to be more productive and creative getting to work from the comfort of their homes.
As long as there is a reliable internet connection, employees can easily access system infrastructures from anywhere be it during the day or the middle of the night. This also gives businesses the opportunity to expand the task force from local employees to people from around the world as well, improving the diversity and skill set of the people working for the company and providing great value to the business needs and processes.
Why are businesses adopting Microsoft Azure for their cloud management?
When your Business can handle it
Migrating to the cloud is cost-effective in the long run, but initially, there is a certain cost associated with it. Your company needs to be able to set aside the necessary budget to go ahead with the initial investment. Companies also need proper information security policies to safeguard against misuse of data once it is easily available from anywhere and is easily accessible.
Finally, employees need to have proper training, education, and awareness since it’s them who will ultimately be operating the systems over the virtual platform. When your business is fully competent enough, the time is perfectly right to move to the cloud.
