All cloud players have seen a sharp increase in demand from businesses. Once the Covid-19 crisis is over, there's a good chance that many organizations will opt to migrate to this type of cloud infrastructure. The benefits are manifold. But be careful not to become too dependent...
The Covid-19 pandemic revealed, among other things, the extreme dependence of Western companies (and thus of society in general) on Asian countries, particularly China.
It also revealed that many companies had no plan B when forced to work in "degraded mode". More or less in a hurry, they set up telecommuting.
But many businesses were unable to continue their activities in an optimized way. In the eyes of many decision-makers, this crisis confirms that the cloud must be considered a fundamental pillar for all businesses that have become, de facto, hyper-connected.
IDC predicts a 3.6% year-on-year rise in cloud spending, to a total of $69.2 billion. Spending on non-cloud infrastructure, on the other hand, is expected to fall by 9.2%!
According to a study by Technology Business Research (TBR), published in March 2020, SaaS and IaaS are among the few IT segments that could see an increase in demand in the first half of 2020.
In this favourable context for the cloud, it is worth presenting its main benefits:
Take advantage of unfailing flexibility
One of the main advantages of migrating to the cloud is its unrivalled flexibility. Many companies are faced with bandwidth fluctuations and/or peaks in activity that are more or less easy to anticipate (Black Friday, sales...). Cloud-based platforms make it possible to meet these challenges very quickly. It's impossible for legacy systems to be both efficient and flexible!
Reduce costs
Another reason to opt for the cloud is cost reduction. Instead of paying a fixed price every month, you can reduce costs and improve the overall productivity of IT processes. But as we explained in our blog, having a comprehensive view of your costs in the cloud quickly turns into a headache...
Focus on development
Cloud services not only reduce your operating costs, they also enable you to focus on what matters most: product or service development.
This is particularly important if some of your partners demand a fast turnaround, and won't accept delays at any stage of the project. Generally speaking, a customer experience is increasingly optimized when services are brought to market quickly AND can be improved very quickly and without errors (hence the need for a DevOps culture).
Better storage management
This advantage seems obvious and straightforward. You can use it if you run out of capacity to meet internal needs. But controlling the costs of cloud storage is no simple matter.
Enhanced security
This benefit is the most debated, as it is double-edged and still too often poorly integrated. There is no perfect cybersecurity system that guarantees 100% security for your data.
Nevertheless, cloud providers maintain a very high level of security and protect their infrastructures around the clock. But as we've already mentioned, companies need to put in place various procedures to reinforce the confidentiality and availability of their data, whatever the medium!
Benefit from automatic upgrades
Many teams find it hard to keep up with and update server software, because it's so time-consuming. By using SaaS solutions, for example, you benefit from automatic updates, backups, maintenance and more.
But all these advantages don't mean you should migrate 100% to the cloud. These technologies and infrastructures should be seen as growth gas pedals, and should not jeopardize (or have a negative impact on) your business. Hence the need to avoid "putting your eggs in one basket". Multiplying providers is a wise precaution.
Some very sensitive data should not be put in the cloud, or only with infinite precautions (encryption, strict access control...). What's more, not all "legacy" applications can be transferred to the cloud.
The cloud is not a magic solution. Simply invoking the cloud is not enough to take advantage of its benefits. Successful migration to the cloud requires a thorough understanding of your current situation, a clear strategy, and a willingness to question existing habits and exploit new tools.
