Background
This article and advice was written by Prism Solutions for the IT for CEOs and CFOs publication, an imprint of Credit Control (www.creditcontrol.co.uk). The article was aimed at delivering advice and guidance around the migration away from traditional on premise IT to Cloud technologies.
Abstract
As business technology continues to evolve, many companies, of all sizes but particularly Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME’s), are currently in the midst of a large scale migration from local IT services into Cloud computing. There are a number of advantages to be gained from the Cloud but there are also pitfalls. In this article, we outline some of the issues each business must consider to ensure that their individual requirements are met.
Introduction
There are so many considerations to make for any SME embarking on a migration to Cloud computing, and yet most of the Managed Service Providers who are advising them seem more fixated on the ‘land grab’ opportunity of new business and not their individual client’s needs.
SMEs are keen to move their IT into the Cloud for a variety of reasons; for example, they can see that there are financial savings to be made, or they might fear being left behind by their competitors. However, the most important consideration for any business to make is that its IT systems are in the best possible shape for their particular needs in a local environment before migrating into the Cloud.
Migrating to the Cloud
CEOs and CFOs need to be very clear on why they are migrating into the Cloud and must fully understand exactly what it is that they are trying to achieve.
In particular, the following points must be considered:
Conclusion
For most large organizations, the move from a traditional IT operation to cloudbased business solutions will be the product of evolution rather than revolution. In order to be successful, this evolutionary journey to the cloud requires a proactive and thoughtful approach that combines a technology roadmap with a financial roadmap. Users of cloud services typically see lower capital expenditures, and the CFO must be able to model new impacts on revenue, profits, and operating margins, as well as the risks of exposing services in the cloud. For both CEOs and CFOs, developing an understanding of cloud and its implications will allow them to make the best decisions for the company and maximize potential benefits.