The advent of cloud computing technology signifies a marked shift in focus away from hardware and on to the virtual world. Cloud technology has revolutionized IT. I believe one of the benefits of cloud solutions that may not be immediately apparent is how it allows an organization to free up entangled resources, and by extension improve core business practices and overall efficiency.
Adaptability is vital to modern business, but it’s important to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to new technology and market shifts. Cloud solutions eliminate a laundry list of humdrum tasks that cost time and money, two things your IT department would likely agree could be better spent on keeping your business ahead of the technology curve.
Trim Wasted Resources with Hybrid Cloud Solutions
One of the biggest draws of cloud technology is that it minimizes or reallocates resources spent on routine processes, thus driving strategic business decisions. In this way, the cloud offers a distinct competitive advantage. Agility is crucial in the modern business world; companies that fail to adapt to new technology and trends risk falling behind the curve very quickly. Investing in cloud computing reduces this risk by ensuring your organization can tackle new challenges, rather than wasting manpower and resources on dated storage and computing methods.
A common misconception about cloud computing is that it simply cuts IT costs and saves on onsite storage. While these are definitely perks, the true potential of cloud technology lies in its ability to allow businesses to move more fluidly toward digital transformation. It’s much easier to reshape a company or business model when IT is focused on driving your business rather than putting out fires.
Cloud solutions allow businesses to reevaluate how resources are used and what areas of the business need attention. The cloud pushes business toward the virtual realm. With the immediate tangible bonus of more available resources, the cloud becomes the gateway to a business mindset focused on the digital world.
Keep Businesses Competitive with the Cloud
Hybrid cloud solutions are a mix of onsite private cloud storage and third-party public cloud storage. Such a structure is incredibly beneficial for any company looking toward digital transformation. As I mentioned earlier, modern businesses cannot afford to fall behind on the technology curve – adapting to new tools and technology is paramount to staying relevant and competitive in your market.
When typical IT demands are no longer a concern, your business has better potential for collaboration and big-picture focus – essentially, IT can focus more on implementing organizational changes that drive business, rather than spending time and money fixing backend issues.
Implementing cloud technology also means that businesses have to change the way they approach and handle IT issues. Rather than bottlenecking such concerns by delegating them to the IT department, cloud technology can be a gateway to breaking down organizational walls and encouraging interdepartmental strategies. Once your business starts looking at IT differently and more resources are freed to pursue business strategies, it becomes much easier to reassess the business as a whole.
Use the Cloud to Drive the Digital Business World
Cloud solutions are built for the long haul. With business moving closer to virtualization every day, cloud technology is positioned as a major driving force. Cloud-ready applications are designed for virtual rather than physical spaces and are made with survivability and long-term viability in mind.
As a business owner, you need to build a company culture that embraces change and can handle drastic shifts rather than remaining reactive and falling behind your competitors. Moving to the cloud is not always simple. That’s why it’s important for your entire organization to understand what the change entails, why it needs to happen, and how the change will affect daily operations and tasks.
Moving toward a digital transformation requires collaboration and a reevaluation of traditional organizational models. Once you decide to pursue a cloud solution, stop thinking about IT as simply a support department, and consider it a major driving force for your business.
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Daniel Newman is the Principal Analyst of Futurum Research and the CEO of Broadsuite Media Group. Living his life at the intersection of people and technology, Daniel works with the world’s largest technology brands exploring Digital Transformation and how it is influencing the enterprise. From Big Data to IoT to Cloud Computing, Newman makes the connections between business, people and tech that are required for companies to benefit most from their technology projects, which leads to his ideas regularly being cited in CIO.Com, CIO Review and hundreds of other sites across the world. A 5x Best Selling Author including his most recent “Building Dragons: Digital Transformation in the Experience Economy,” Daniel is also a Forbes, Entrepreneur and Huffington Post Contributor. MBA and Graduate Adjunct Professor, Daniel Newman is a Chicago Native and his speaking takes him around the world each year as he shares his vision of the role technology will play in our future.