Cloud computing highs and lows continue to morph and modernize. Cloud conversations are historically complex, controversial, fear-laden, or all three. What started as a general lack of trust for a cloud environment, laden with security concerns, has morphed into significant increase in cloud adoption only to be sullied by the all-in cost of cloud.
According to Flexera’s 2024 State of the Cloud, “controlling (cloud) spend surpassed cybersecurity as the most pressing cloud challenge, cited by 84% of respondents.” This tells us outlooks on cloud usage continues to mature.
Cybersecurity used to hold fear of cloud center stage; those concerns have lessened. Ability to manage cloud spend is now top tier.
Comfort levels with the cloud are continuously morphing. With Capital One’s systems and services now residing 100% in the cloud, other businesses – given the bank’s stature in the world of finance and sensitive data – reassess their cloud stature.
While trusting the cloud might feel scary, there are some significant advantages that might get overlooked from time to time.
Cloud security
You might lose slightly less sleep over security concerns as you wade into cloud waters.
According to Spacelift.io, 94% of businesses noted improvements in their security after moving to the cloud. While that neither eliminates the risk nor the internal fear, by focusing on system configuration, access, and procedural response to compromised accounts, you will be proactive in chipping away at the today’s top security threats.
Cloud agility
Moving integral solutions to the cloud, as-a-service, and/or hosted models, if done correctly, significantly eases future similar moves and transitions.
In the late 1990’s, we were moving data from multiple non-collaborative storage repositories into thoughtfully constructed data warehouses. In the early 200o’s, we were moving data warehouse data into at-the-time-innovative softwares provided as a service. By mid-2010’s, we were moving much of that data into public and private cloud options. Today, with comprehensive solutions like Workday and Microsoft 365, we are consolidating and streamlining to tighten access, improve role management and empower secure collaboration.
When thinking of each stage of transition above, each move simply became easier. If a move needs to occur at some point in the future, the business agility in comparison to a decade ago’s agility is far less complex and time-intensive.
Simplicity and redefining use/staff
Once configured and ready for production, cloud solutions tend to run more efficiently and present as far more intuitive than non-cloud systems. That said, today’s established workforce has, over the years, lost touch with expertise as expertise has been replaced by learning workarounds to get to done in clunky legacy solutions. Do you still deeply know accounting or has learning to survive your current accounting system(s) overshadowed accounting basics?
Cloud solutions take many ‘back to basics’ – a time where knowledge of process overshadowed clunky on-premise technology solutions. In a nutshell, increased cloud use requires making actual knowledge great again.
With the good always comes mention of the less-than-good.
The sore spots of embracing the cloud?
Cloud spend
Managing cloud spend is reported as the main challenge facing cloud decision-makers. But what if you concurrently build a cloud management structure to monitor use and spend while also identifying ways to manage the outcomes? Bingo! According to Dara Warren of INE, “a well-architected solution running in the cloud can save a company money in the long run, as well as provide other benefits such as scalability and high availability.”
To reach those benefits, there must be thoughtful focus on managing the selection, build and future steps within any cloud solution(s).
Cloud integrations, baby!
But integrations don’t keep you up at night like former sore spots. With modern cloud solutions, all sales teams cry, “We’ve got an API for that! Just a click of a button!” As realists we know there is little simplicity in integrations, regardless of cloud stature. Is it simpler to integrate with a modern solution? Certainly. Is it simple to integrate with modern solutions? Never. Integrations certainly become easier with modern cloud solutions, but integrations are simply never simple.
In the end
Think twice, think fifty times. Transitioning to the cloud requires new learning and change management. While oftentimes the solution(s) are simpler by design, they still require time, training and patience. Cloud computing highs and lows will persist; however they will forever change and require continuous care and feeding. If a business is not willing to invest in those critical requirements, the possibly of improvement will be outweighed by confusion, criticism and standstill.