The fastest growing SMBs have embraced the cloud as a method to address four main IT challenges:
- High capital costs;
- Skills shortage;
- Scalability as the business grows, and;
- Innovation as the business matures.
The results are positive. Surveys indicate that:
- 53% of SMBs using cloud technologies are more likely to experience increased revenue.
- 85% of companies believe that the cloud enabled their business to scale and grow faster.
Organizations are finding that cloud computing provides immediate access to the tools needed to digitally transform their business and improve the customer experience.
Many companies are still reluctant to move to the cloud despite these advantages. The reluctance to migrate is particularly evident in Western Canada, where we have seen cloud adoption roughly 25% lower than the rest of Canada. So what’s stopping you?
security exposure
Security is cited as the top objection to the cloud for 49% of organizations (IDC 2017). Should you worry? The security investments made by the major cloud providers are significant and have created cloud platforms where security breaches due to provider error are rare. In fact, the cloud has proven to be more secure than most non-cloud environments.
network response
A key detractor from the cloud for customers in Western Canada is the concern that network connectivity may be insufficient to provide the kind of response time and security that end users are used to. With the major public cloud providers located in Eastern Canada, it is understandable that network connectivity options need to be well understood before proceeding. There are several network options to address the need for high bandwidth, security, and cloud connectivity, including Saskatchewan-based solutions.
service available
Service availability, including response time and user downtime, is a concern due to the perceived loss of control over the computing environment. To mitigate this concern, public cloud providers provide service levels for all of their products with financial credits provided if they are not achieved. The robust engineering of the cloud environment is such that high availability is consistently achieved. In the worst case, organizations can further protect critical applications by configuring them to automatically fail over to alternate data centers in the event that a cloud data center goes offline.
cloud costs
There is a general perception that Cloud services are more expensive than non-Cloud environment. This often arises when the comparison between cloud and non-cloud platforms does not accurately reflect all of the costs that make up non-cloud infrastructure.
Taking into account all the non-cloud costs in the table above, there is almost a 50% reduction in support and maintenance costs when choosing the cloud. When making a financial comparison or cloud ROI, it is also important to consider the increased revenue that will occur as you drive the results of your digital transformation using cloud services.
Starting
It can seem daunting when it comes to deciding how to get started. The best place to start is often to consult a trusted partner with experience in cloud migrations. Cloud migration requires skill and experience; Organizations tackling this transition on their own often find it difficult and time-consuming.
