Adopting the cloud is now your business

Vishnu Bhat

Cloud has become more comprehensible among the enterprises that are innovators and have crossed the acclimation line. They are in stage of ideating strategic engagement plans with Cloud. Enterprises are actively leveraging solutions from a holistic point of view.

To be honest, if you are a part of a global organization and do not have expertise of an IT professional, then chances are likely less for you to adopt Cloud in your work culture.

In recent years, there hasn’t been any company large or small, who did not utilize the power and potential of Cloud to streamline their operations. Those legacy systems – rows and rows of mainframes in air-conditioned rooms that needed constant attention – are a thing of the past for any enterprise that has moved its business to the Cloud.

Like any other successful technology, cloud has also become successful and is now available everywhere. Whether you are in IT or Non – IT department, Cloud has become an important part in a company’s work culture, which cannot be avoided. In a recent survey done among 300 global executives titled “Simplify and Innovate the Way You Consume Cloud”, nearly 77% of respondents have agreed that agility is the most important reasons for Cloud adoption.

Till now, Cloud was known for saving organization’s time and money. The fact that most CEO’s are now focusing on agility, is the proof that Cloud has spread across every facet of the modern organization. Example, if a portion of an enterprise’s budget can be used for right cloud adoption rather than maintaining a huge in-house IT staff, then an organization can focus more on important projects and save time and money.

Cloud gives an ability to an organization to address a broad range of business needs. The time frame, to implement a Cloud program depends on the organizations size and sector. According to a study, the two cited time frames are above “36 months” and “3 to 6 months.” Example, if your organization is implementing a robust Cloud program with a clear focus, virtualization and consolidation of infrastructure required then the time frame taken to build a complete private Cloud would be around 4 months.

If one looks at a survey conducted on the importance and time frame taken to implement Cloud in an organization, 66% of the respondents have agreed on the importance of Cloud, but couldn’t understand as to huge time taken to implement the same. The answer is very simple, Cloud has become more comprehensible among the enterprises that are innovators and have crossed the acclimation line. They are in stage of ideating strategic engagement plans with Cloud. Enterprises are actively leveraging solutions from a holistic point of view. An era, which is ruled by customers, one should evaluate the business scenarios within the company, and align their cloud strategy accordingly.

There is a very famous saying “There is no innovation without collaboration.” Well, I think it’s true. The latest trends indicate that companies can access a wider ecosystem of solutions around a core SaaS application. Even in this scenario there are still challenges to be faced even by most mature Cloud innovators. In a recent survey on this has proved that 83% of respondents said they are struggling to bring together all their Cloud services: from IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS and from public and private Clouds to traditional IT. Despite those challenges, being part of a wider ecosystem, translates into having a higher level of innovation and communication within your enterprise.

Being as open and communicative as possible is essential while going forward. As companies break down its technology silos, they have discovered that the Cloud not only helps in making strategic decisions but also what business actions to avoid. Around 70% of organization wants to implement Cloud in their business because it provides them with a single point of accountability.

If your company isn’t one of the innovators, then it’s part of the mainstream, which means you are behind in leveraging the power of the Cloud for your business. The latest insight demonstrates the importance of using a Cloud implementation provider to become one of the nimble, up-to-date innovators. That decision no longer rests deep within the IT department. It rests with you.

The author is senior vice president & global head, cloud & infrastructure services, Infosys