Cloud services CAN save time on adoption and implementation, BUT…

For years, businesses have known that the cloud can substantially reduce the time and resources needed to achieve a desired business outcome. Do you want advanced security features? Email filtration that accommodates HIPAA requirements? These expert-level features require technical understanding, as well as instantaneous reaction to changes in the landscape of regulation and security. And the cloud brings them for a modest price point, particularly when compared to performing these services, in-house.

The major strategic benefits to taking business action in the cloud versus on-premise are cost, flexibility, scalability and time-to-execute. With these advantages in place, an individual or small business can turn on a dime and jump into a new line of business within days. Powering these maneuvers are Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), which can be setup and operational in a matter of hours. This allows businesses to take business ideas to market without incurring an upfront cost, and spend in accordance with the resources they actually use. Low risk, big potential payoff. Here’s the thing.

Innovators salivate whenever we talk about the cloud; they run after us like we have nirvana in our back pocket. So we always temper that vast potential with a grain of salt.

The practical application of the cloud is often more involved and messy than the theoretical applicability. Companies who jump into the cloud without outside consultation can experience unexpected costs when they adopt cloud services. It all looks so easy, but merging cloud functionality with business operations is probably trickier than you expect.

(Read about how 33% of enterprises run up unexpected adoption costs when they jump to the cloud in a recent international survey by KPMG.)

Enterprises lose some profits when they jump and miss. For small businesses, unexpected costs can cripple golden business opportunities.

That’s why we help our clients strategically set up their services. We can give them a reasonable expectation of the costs that lay ahead and customize the most appropriate solution for the project. Setup is professional, streamlined, and built for success.

Moral of the Story

The difference between the winners and losers in the cloud is made in a thimbleful of planning, and the ability to ask for outside help.