Optimizing your migration to the cloud

Not every business owner who migrates to the cloud achieves great results. As much as the service is touted with words like “freedom,” “productivity,” and “collaboration,” realizing the full benefits of the cloud is not a given. So if you’re thinking about transitioning to the cloud, how can you ensure you optimize the technology for your business? Starting with the right frame of mind helps.

Consider cloud value over costs
When considering the cloud, many entrepreneurs are overly focused on the cost. Instead, as a business owner, think about how the cloud positively impacts your business and saves you money. Evaluate the cloud as you would any other investment to grow your organization.

To help you make the proper shift in thinking, ask your IT leaders just how the cloud will benefit your business. They’ll probably mention valuable benefits such as easier team collaboration and the ability for anyone in your organization to work anytime, anywhere.

Think “strategy” before migration
Once you’ve considered the value the cloud provides, you’ll likely come up with goals you want it to accomplish for your business. If you haven’t, we recommend doing it before signing up for the service.

Let’s say you want to gain the productivity benefits of letting your staff work remotely without sacrificing cybersecurity. Prior to rolling out the cloud in your company, have the specific goal of increasing the use of vetted mobile devices among employees.
Clearly define your cloud goals beforehand, then work with your IT staff to come up with the nuts and bolts of the plan for accomplishing that goal. A plan gives you a better idea of what you want to achieve, helps you recognize when you’re getting off-track, and prepares you to make adjustments if things don’t go as expected.

Learn to love the quickly evolving nature of the cloud
Compared to other IT tech, the cloud is still relatively new and subject to rapid change. New updates, features, and enhancements are rolled out regularly, so to get the most out of your cloud, it’s important to keep up to date.

Some cloud services make it easier than ever to keep up with changes. Let’s take Office 365, for example. Adding users and implementing new changes can take mere minutes. If you still have some bad memories of long and frustration-filled transition periods after updating your legacy technology, rest assured that updates to cloud-based services nowadays often only require a small learning curve. Most new features are intuitive by nature, making adjustment to these changes painless and problem-free.

One of the best ways to ensure your cloud updates go as smoothly as possible is to have a cloud enthusiast who stays up to date on the newest features and enhancements and can quickly tell you whether or not an update will benefit your business.

If you choose to adopt the cloud, it will become an integral part of your business, and you and your staff will likely interact with it on a daily basis. So be prepared for a big transition and a big payoff of higher productivity and connectivity for your entire company.

Are you ready to embrace cloud solutions? Give Roebuck Technologies a call to learn more about how we can help you migrate to the cloud and realize its full potential for your business.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Mary Francis Roebuck

Mary Francis Roebuck

Mary Francis is Vice President of Marketing at Roebuck Technologies where she leads all efforts in branding, communications, social presences and advertising. She possesses expertise in business analysis for mergers and acquisitions, valuations, market and feasibility studies, and the development of continuing education programs in both a live and e-Learning format. Mary Francis earned a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia.