One of the main conversations that we have with business is about moving to the Cloud, some of the key concerns of our clients have initially been about cost, downtime, disruption, key advantages and how long will it take to see the benefits from Cloud services. Each Cloud journey is different for every business, and – you’ll be pleased to hear – it doesn’t have to all happen in one go, you can ‘dip your toe’ into Cloud services, and then choose to transition to others when it best suits your business.
Whenever the timing is right to move to a more modern workplace, you simply can’t ignore the many business benefits of utilising Cloud services, let’s look at the top 7 advantages delivered by Cloud services:
Automatic integration
Cloud services will just… work! They’ll automatically become part of your solutions and are easily customisable.
Automatic updates and patches
There’s no need for continuous Cloud maintenance, patches and updates, as these can also be automatically installed.
Cost efficiency
There’s also no need to invest in any further tech as everything is in the Cloud, ready to use.
Effective collaboration solutions
With most of the apps able to integrate seamlessly with each other, collaboration is simple.
Flexible use and performance – to scale with your business
You can start small with your Cloud journey, then scale your services up, or down, depending on your needs. If you work with peak activity periods, your Cloud services can scale according to your needs.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery solutions
Your BCDR solutions are also within the Cloud, there’s no need to set these up on each individual device, the Cloud covers it all. With instant backups and mirroring of information, your data stays safe.
Clear CSR benefits, as Cloud services reduce your business carbon footprint
With applications in the Cloud, your energy and carbon emissions are reduced, plus you’ll no longer need to manage and maintain physical services and other hardware associated with backups and on-prem data management.
Cloud Service models
There are three main as-a-service Cloud models, and they are:
- SaaS – Software as a Service
Examples include Dropbox, HubSpot, Windows 10 and Windows 365
- PaaS – Platform as a Service
Examples include Windows Azure, Apprenda and Google App Engine
- IaaS – Infrastructure as a Service
Examples include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.
By working in advance with a Cloud specialist, the best Cloud solutions can easily be identified for your business model, budget and requirements.
A Typical Transformational Cloud Journey
Once you’ve taken the decision to move to the Cloud, there’s no ‘jumping in feet-first while holding your nose’ strategy for adopting Cloud services, your transition is easily broken down in to 6 stages:
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Business Evaluation of Cloud Services
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Application/Services Research and Consideration
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Selection of your Cloud Service Provider
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Planned, Staged Adoption
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Complete Cloud Migration
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Evaluation of Cloud Migration
How to Start your Cloud Journey
If you’re considering making the transition to Cloud services, ensure that you consult early with an expert, the Cloud Services team at CMI are business IT experts and well-versed in delivering strategic Cloud migration plans for all kinds of businesses.
With our simple, secure and reliable TheBigCloud solution, your business can reap the many rewards of Cloud solutions.
