Moving to the cloud requires a “change in the business mindset”

25.06.2020 1,743 3

Martin Deshev

Competition in the cloud computing field is ramping up. The pandemic boosted what we already know about the cloud – it’s a segment with vast capabilities that while already quite big, it’s not even close to fulfilling its full potential.

We can expect that over the new decade cloud computing will continue to evolve and attract even more companies. The cloud will conquer large and small scales, various industries and a lot more. But that will also require some changes. Big changes in the mindset of businesses.

What’s the difference

Traditional business models, especially when it comes to IT, are not always suitable for the cloud. For example, if a company decides to host its own site or data, it will need servers, network infrastructure, bandwidth, IT specialists. All of this requires a lot of investments upfront and then on a constant basis. Especially when your company grows fast.

The cloud offsets a lot of these costs over time. And eliminates a sizeable amount of them completely. For example, companies don’t have to pay big sums for infrastructure, hardware and so on. The rest is spread over the monthly payments which usually work out to less than buying the stuff. And it also means the company has constant access to the best hardware and services.

That difference does not come without a price. It means that companies have to change their mindset. Usually companies think that they just buy a server or a platform and use it for years and years before they upgrade it. This is a bit too slow for the usual pace that technology progresses at. It means companies constantly use older tech and this makes them vulnerable. But constant upgrading is not realistic, so it’s a price companies are willing to pay.

The cloud is different. It evolves constantly and keeps its users and clients on the edge of technology. While this is great, it can also be confusing for companies, especially ones that are not IT-focused. They can go into the cloud thinking it is business as usual, only with fewer upfront costs. As a result, the upgrades and new features often go unused. Thus, the companies are missing out on potential gains and paying without taking the full benefit of the service.

What to do

Companies that are forging a path into the cloud need to build a new business mindset, too. It requires them to be agile, flexible and quick to react. They need to understand the fact that the cloud means they can (and should) use the latest tech and have to be able to adapt to that.

Business will also have to realize that they are dependent on external providers and thus choose them carefully. The main priorities should be compatibility with their current platforms and the openness of the provider towards other services. Also, don’t neglect the security.

Long story short, the mindset change also requires companies to do more due diligence towards the providers they want to use. It also means that businesses have to consider staff training to allow employees to learn and understand more about not only the new services, but the nature of the cloud in general and the changes it brings.

This may sound daunting and time-consuming, but it’s just like anything new – it looks and feels difficult at first, but once you gain the experience, it’s a process that you can get done with relative ease and it will be routine for your IT team. This will allow a company of any size and budget to actively use a suitable cloud service and gain the most out of it.