Make 2015 the year you adopt a cloud strategy
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the inaugural NexGen Cloud Conference and Expo in San Diego. The conference brought together information technology solution providers and vendor executives to discuss how cloud computing is changing the way companies conduct business today and in the future. It was three full days of content, a bit like drinking water from a fire hose, and much of what I learned has direct application to the work we do with our clients.
The biggest take-away from the event for me was that the future of IT for many of us is something called hybrid cloud computing, where some services are relocated to hosted cloud services while others remain on servers in our offices and datacenters. We are already working with our clients to deploy just such solutions, with many of you having already migrated your email services, for example, to Microsoft’s Office 365 platform as a first step.
In general, cloud-based services represent a number of advantages, including savings on acquisition and operating costs, improved maintenance and support and ease of deployment. Cloud-based services are also designed to be pay-for-use; that is, you pay for the number of licenses or the services you need as you need them so there’s no major upfront cost.
The biggest concern most people have about moving information and services into the cloud is security. There is a largely unfounded fear that cloud providers are less safe than hosting those same services on servers in your office. The truth is, on premise servers are more likely to be vulnerable to compromise than cloud-based servers because the cloud providers are more focused on security and preventing breaches than the typical small business. Our experience working with cloud services over the last few years has reassured us that security is an insignificant factor when deciding whether to migrate to the cloud or not.
As I took part in panels, listened to industry speakers and participated in vendor workshops during the NexGen Cloud Conference, it was gratifying to learn that Alvarez Technology Group is on the right track and, in many cases, at the leading edge of cloud adoption. We have a very clear cloud strategy for our clients and we have partnered with leading vendors in that space to provide best-of-breed products across the board.
If you are interested in learning more about our cloud strategy and offerings or if you are ready to develop you own strategy for implementing cloud services, give us a call or contact your Client Care Specialist. Hybrid cloud is the future and it’s important you understand how it can help your business grow and succeed.
