05-22-17 | Blog Post
According to RightScale, lack of resources/expertise was cited as the No. 1 challenge in enterprise cloud adoption, with 32 percent of those surveyed naming it as their biggest concern. While that number fell in 2017, resources (or lack thereof) still remain a high priority for organizations looking to move to the cloud or who are already using it.
If you’re experiencing rapid growth or a need to become more agile, you’re probably looking at the public cloud or already in it. But do you have the experts you need to manage it for you? As you know, the cloud offers many benefits, including increased efficiency and growth, coupled with decreased maintenance and CAPEX spending. A hybrid cloud furthers those benefits by giving you the added ability to place your workloads where they fit best. This could be in a public or private cloud, a data center, or even a bare metal server. Determining which applications and where all of their components (databases, dev environments, etc.) belong can be tricky though, as well as finding people properly trained in public and private cloud architecture, so it’s critical that you have a solution that lowers your costs instead of adding to them. Does your current provider offer support and bench depth that’s cost effective? If you’re unsure, it’s time to clarify that with them or seek a new provider. If you manage your own cloud, consider whether you’re using your people to the best of their ability. Could they be working on other projects that drive revenue or grow the company instead of allocating server components?
One aspect you’ll want to be extra careful with in your cloud strategy is managing its costs. If lack of resources was 2016’s No. 1 challenge, 2017’s is cost management. It’s absurdly easy to swipe a card and buy cloud servers, which not only could lead to Shadow IT and put your data at risk, but mean paying for more support from your cloud provider or, if you’re handling the cloud yourself, putting undue pressure on your own operations teams to manage those extra servers. Consider a managed cloud provider who will automate server upgrades and other security measures for you, offer the public cloud expertise you need, and keep your data secure and protected.
While the cloud highlights how much faster you can move in the market, it again shows how important it is to have enough expertise readily available to help with rapid business growth or new projects. Lack of resources/expertise was the biggest challenge in 2016, and it still remains a very high priority. A managed cloud can alleviate the strain of redistributing your people to manage your cloud servers by providing experts who will professionally manage your cloud for you. This can help with cost management, which is now the biggest concern facing mature cloud users. A managed cloud provider can ensure you’re maintaining control of your environment and don’t go over your budget.
Our virtual private clouds are fully managed and integrate with the public cloud, giving you a secure, hybrid solution and freedom to assign your team to other projects as needed. Schedule a demo of our virtual private cloud today to learn more.
