It’s 2024: Give Your Server the Swerve?

It’s a new year, and the future’s that bit closer. So, why chain yourself to the relics of the past? On-site servers were also the future, once, but no longer. Some commentators believe a move away from on-site servers and IT infrastructures to virtual platforms is inevitable. Industry analysts IDC offer a more quantified measurement, predicting that the cloud adoption market will be worth $1 trillion this year.

That may (or may not) be the case. The problem is that most vendors will often promote cloud migration whether it matches the profile of the company or not. At Sprint, we build partnerships rather than just find customers. We believe that it’s a better long-term strategy for both parties.

The extra commitment gives us the opportunity to better understand what it is our customers do, how IT can support their business goals – and how Sprint’s deep understanding of IT can deliver them. Whether that’s enabling cloud migration or setting up more prosaic infrastructures such as IT support, hardware and software, cyber security and disaster recovery, your cloud journey is only as good as the driver.

In our first blog and tips and tricks for 2024, with a fresh financial year on the horizon, we look at the opportunities – and potential pitfalls – of the big move.

1/ It’s not for everyone.

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for every business. There are many profiles among the 5.5 million businesses registered in the UK, while a full 99.9% are SMEs, they will not all be IT companies. The owner of a taxi firm, for example, won’t read this. Check with an expert before committing yourself further.

2/ It’s not all or nothing.

If going ‘all in’ and migrating your full IT infrastructure to the cloud seems daunting, consider a hybrid, or multi-cloud strategy. That means a mix-and-match approach of on-site and virtual environments or buying cloud services from more than one provider. Forbes predicts the latter profile to rise from 76% to 85% during 2024.

3/ Think about your priorities.

While many vendors promote the benefits of cost and flexibility when promoting the cloud as a platform, the transition itself isn’t a simple flick of switch. Including cloud means adding complexity, at least in the short term. Talk to us about overcoming initial data governance and legacy system integrations to reach your business goals.

4/ Imagine the possibilities!

In the coming year, customer information is going to be more important than ever – and the fresher the better. Only the up-to-the-minute insights that data streaming offers will deliver what you need to make your customers happy (and get you more of them). And it’s only the cloud that has the digital efficiencies you need to get there.

5/ AI as friend – and enemy.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t going away and it’s going to take new forms. Axios predicts that the high profile events slated for 2024, including worldwide elections and the Paris Olympics will trigger a new raft of cyber-attacks, and in AI, hackers have a new tool. But in the cloud, you have constantly evolving security and resilience solutions at your disposal.

6/ Prepare for growth.

While there are challenges with any new(ish) technology, and particularly something as dynamic as cloud computing, the benefits outweigh the downsides for most. It’s certainly a platform for growth: industry experts on the Infosys Cloud Radar estimate that many companies can expect 11.2% growth.

7/ Check your connections!

Imagine your entire IT infrastructure is moved to the cloud. Solutions, applications, software, hardware, data – all of it. Then your Internet fails. The lesson here is that cloud computing is only as good as your access to it. So, before you go to the cloud, speak to us about creating a rock-solid connection to it.

8/ Think about innovation.

While efficiencies and savings are top of mind for most companies, the potential for adding value to a company’s value proposition is worth adding to the list of cloud benefits. Artificial Intelligence as a service (AIaaS) offers companies the opportunity to experiment with AI and expand what they offer their customers.

In summary.

Cloud computing offers almost limitless potential for expansion and innovation. There are opportunities for any IT company to improve what they do already or create new offerings for their customers.

However, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to migrating to the cloud and it’s not the right move for everyone. So, if you think the cloud is for you, or you’re not sure – speak to Sprint about accelerating into 2024.