Is The Cloud Right For Your Business?

Is the Cloud right for your business?

This is a common question nowadays, sadly many do not even ask this question before adopting or taking the action of moving into the Cloud.

Before even answering this question which is broad and open ended. You should ask yourself the reasons for bringing up this question:

·        Are you moving to the Cloud because everyone else is?

·        Is there a legitimate reason you are considering the Cloud for your business?

·        Have you considered the impact of moving to the Cloud on your: Clients, Processes, Personnel?

By now, you are most likely wondering why all these questions. Furthermore, why should you care about the topics listed in the questions above. Well, while this list is not all inclusive it does touch quite a few items that will impact your business if you have not taken them into consideration.

Let’s go ahead and analyze a few scenarios for the questions listed above:

·        You are moving to the Cloud because:

·        You read an article of how great the Cloud is. It is great that you keep up with trends in the industry but have you researched what industries that article was intended for?

·        It is a trend that similar companies are following. While other companies might be doing it are they an exact match/template for what you would go through for the process of moving into the Cloud?

·        Would your clients follow you into the Cloud? Have you considered how this might impact the data you hold on your clients? Maybe legally they might have to sever ties with your company because of this move.

·        Will your current business processes match exactly when you move to the Cloud? Will costs be less or more? Do you have a: Plan? Detailed Cost Analysis ( a true comparison not an study not a template that you found via Google )?

·        Will your current employees have the expertise already for the move to the Cloud? What will you need to do to compensate if they do not have experience nor the knowledge?

·        Has a pilot been considered on a smaller scale to determine the viability of moving to the Cloud?

This posting is not an attempt to discourage anyone from moving to the Cloud. Instead, it is a call for moving with a proper analysis and preparation. Maybe the mentality of try and buy has been forgotten as of lately, nevertheless it is a reasonable alternative in all of business cases that are considering their move towards the Cloud.

All things considered, a plan should be formulated of how to compare the current infrastructure against the cloud version; a few topics should be: costing, resources, expenses, etc. 

As with any initiative it is essential to “Plan, if you do not plan you are planning to fail”. This is a key first step before considering any action.

So, now the question for you is: Is your Business right for the Cloud?