The decision to move from on-premise data storage to cloud storage is something that needs to be considered in close detail with all advantages and disadvantages weighed out.
For nearly all enterprises, the advantages of cloud implementation outweigh the disadvantages hugely. However, it’s easy for the “yes” to be lost amongst a head full of worries.
We want more decision makers to say “yes” to the cloud and by understanding how to overcome the challenges you could face as an enterprise when on your adoption journey we’re hoping these worries will be put to bed.
Here’s what we believe are the common challenges of cloud implementation and how to go about them:
1. IT DECISION MAKERS NOT ON BOARD
For those who manage IT within their enterprise, the idea of completely reinventing infrastructure may not sound too appealing. By moving to the cloud, the IT director can feel like they’re handing over control to the unknown.
Traditionally if a hard drive fails, it’s the IT department who are responsible for resolving the issue. For them, this allows for full control of IT, knowing that their set up is suitable for those who work within the organisation. However, what they need to consider is how they would deal with a huge outage or potential data loss- both of which are something that could easily occur in any enterprise.
However, despite CIO’s representing the IT front, it is no longer individually them who consider and decide the best option. Employees from all industries; marketing, sales, HR, accounts etc are now being introduced to IT decision making.
It’s likely that each of them will have individual knowledge of the most popular and well-known cloud services available on the market. With this now being the case, it’s important to determine who is really making the decisions with your enterprise’s IT.
In larger enterprises, it’s clear that the role of CIO will not be going anywhere instantly. These people have a strong understanding of the cloud options available such as; private, public or hybrid cloud versus on-premise solutions, and are often the best people to evaluate these.
For small to medium businesses, however, the role of a cloud service provider has never been more crucial. Many of these businesses solely rely on cloud service providers to offer all IT needs and support within their budgets.
To determine who will be making the cloud adoption decision in your organisation, you need to consider how each individual would be impacted by the change in technology.
2. RESTRICTED BUDGET
When decision makers within businesses divide their budgets, the one thing that they know will take up a large percentage will be IT requirements.
From purchasing a full office worth of hardware to having to remember to annually renew application subscription, it’s obvious why businesses view IT as a burden rather than a benefit. With this vision of IT already circling their minds, it’s easy for the likes of CEOs to believe that the cloud will just cause even more added costs with no possibility of actually saving money.
With traditional IT, if an employee leaves you would be left with unused hardware which could’ve been invested into something more useful. The same goes for if a new employee started, you would then have to purchase a full IT set up. With the cloud, you can opt for less or more kit depending on what you need, simply pay for what you use with pay-per-user subscription pricing, saving you both time and money.
3. NOT ENOUGH CONFIDENCE IN SECURITY
Many decision makers fear the cloud rather than embrace it due to the false image portrayed by the media in terms of cyber security and hacking. In addition to this, it’s easy to think that because your data is physically in front of you are at less risk from theft, damage or any general IT threat such as data loss.
What people need to realise is that cloud service providers must follow compliance processes, they must demonstrate this with an established set of security controls in order to offer their services.
In addition to this, the cloud can offer Disaster Recover otherwise known as DRaaS which means that with a cloud-based solution, retrieval, delivery and replication of data is automatic. There is essentially no need to ‘recover’ data as it is already there! Also, as important data is secure and accessible off-site, employees can continue to work from alternative locations in the event of an on-site disaster. This differs from traditional IT, as once your data has gone… it’s gone.
If you need help in tackling the challenges you could potentially face with cloud adoption, do not hesitate to contact us.
