4 Critical Questions Every Business Needs to Answer Before Moving to the Cloud

Over the last two decades, cloud solutions have become an integral part of modern IT strategy — and for good reason. The cloud offers businesses greater flexibility, scalability, and efficiency compared to hosting on a local server.

The Covid-19 pandemic has only increased the need and adoption of cloud solutions. Between school closures, social distancing, and work-from-home, data center are experiencing massive surges in the usage of compute resources. Shifting societal norms have resulted in greater dependence on technology that makes data accessible from any location.

With 94% of enterprises already using a cloud service, companies that are not embracing the cloud are sure to be left behind in 2021. Not only are customers demanding it, employees need it to effectively work remote.

Types of Cloud Solutions

When selecting and implementing cloud solutions, there are many different options available depending on an organization's unique needs.

Public cloud: computing infrastructure is located on the premises of a third-party provider that offers a cloud service to a variety of users. Public clouds can be free services, or require that customers purchase a certain amount of usage (CPU cycles, storage, or bandwidth).

Private cloud: a cloud computing model whose resources are provisioned over a dedicated, private infrastructure that is solely used by one organization.

Hybrid cloud: a combination of private and public cloud to meet an organization's needs. For example, public cloud can be used to interact with customers, while sensitive data is secured on a private cloud.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): a form of cloud computing that hosts its resources over the Internet. Examples of IaaS companies include Amazon, Rackspace, Flexiscale.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): a service that provides a platform for consumers to develop, run, and manage applications in the cloud without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure needed.

Software as a Service (SaaS): a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet.

Custom Software as a Service: a custom built software designed to meet the unique needs of an organization delivered over the Internet in a subscription-based model.

Selecting the right solution for your business

With a variety of options available, choosing the right solution based on your needs and budget can be a difficult task. To help organizations select the right solution, we have compiled 4 questions to help you calibrate your mindset in order to determine which solution is right for you.

1. What are my business goals for the cloud?

It is important to first understand how the right cloud solution will align with your business needs. For example, some organizations may be looking for a solution that will be revenue generating. Others might be looking to support their business from an operations perspective. Some businesses will want a solution that will help them to scale and grow, while some are more focused on cutting costs. With different goals in mind, each business would require a different solution to meet their needs.

2. How can my current network and infrastructure support cloud offerings?

While moving to the cloud might mean a smaller IT footprint in-house, it would likely demand additional network capacity. Understanding the current state of your network and infrastructure will allow you to set a baseline for what you may need to support cloud adoption.

3. What is the structure of your technical team?

What is the size of your technical team? Who is maintaining your technical resources? Is your team internal or external? These are all important questions to think about when selecting a cloud solution. Depending on the expertise you have in-house, you may require additional resources to manage your solution.

4. What problems can the cloud solve for your users?

This is the most important question of all. At Foxbox, we are always focused on first identifying your users and how we can meet their needs through cloud solutions.

Where do you users access the application? Is it in your office? Is it at home? Are they online or offline? Do they like the application? Would they prefer to use a public platform/known technology? These are some of the questions we may ask to dig deeper into how we can craft a solution that would be most beneficial to your users.

If your users come first, let's connect

Taking a user-centric approach is what we at Foxbox Digital do best. If you would like to learn more about our cloud consulting services, let's talk. We would love to help you find the right solution to meet the needs of your users.