The cloud is being touted as the silver-bullet solution to everything from backup and disaster recovery to infinitely scalable mobile applications to inexpensive storage. Now that it is here, businesses will have to implement it, but that’s not easy. Their leaders need to consider all the angles before they start using it.
1. Have a Vision
The first step with any new technology is having a vision of how it can be used to improve productivity and lower costs. After all, the cloud is not a solution in and of itself; it’s simply a model for distributing and accessing applications, storage, and other IT resources. This is where a thorough understanding of your business and its needs come into play.
What are your primary pain points? How can the cloud fix those problems? How will you go about implementing those solutions? And, finally, how will you measure the results and tweak your plans if necessary? These are some of the questions your team needs to answer.
2. Find the Right People
The cloud is a complex, ever-evolving technology, so it’s important to have a project manager or team who can keep on top of all the changes and ensure that the business is using the cloud in the most efficient way possible.
3. Define a Roadmap
Having a roadmap will help you understand what you’re trying to accomplish and remain a constant reference point for your team. It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture when you’re working with a group of people who may not all have the same goals and long-term vision. A roadmap will help you keep strategic goals in mind, while still giving team members the flexibility to implement cloud-based solutions in various ways.
4. Think about Security
There are inherent risks no matter how much someone hypes the cloud as the hands-off solution to IT management and security. Security is key to any successful cloud implementation, and your team needs to understand the security issues, the cost of those issues, and how to mitigate those risks.
5. Budget
Many organizations are tempted to simply balloon their existing virtualization budget and send an opaque chunk of money over to the cloud provider. But the cloud won’t help you if you don’t know what your budget is and where it’s going.
You should also understand the cost of cloud services as they relate to on-premises solutions. Are cloud solutions more or less expensive than similar on-premises implementations?
6. Analyze Your Results
Every project should ideally include some sort of metrics and measurement process. You need to know if you’ve been successful in implementing the cloud and if your team has been able to accomplish what it set out to do. Without measurement tools, you won’t know if you should stay the course or change directions.
Getting Started
Implementing the cloud doesn’t have to be a complex, costly, or time-consuming process. But it does require some planning and a thorough understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish with the project. If you have a clearly defined vision and you start with your goals in mind, you can have a successful cloud project without the frustration.
TP Communications has been helping organizations navigate technology for over 25 years. Our goal is to find an optimal customized solution for each client, whether service, network equipment, cabling, training or business phones. Quite simply, we’ve got you covered when it comes to technology. If you need fibre optic cabling in Calgary, get in touch with us today!
