Are you making the most of your managed cloud services? In today’s digital landscape, you’d better be. As important as technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), or augmented reality (AR) might be, they all have one thing in common: they rely on cloud technology to fuel them. In that sense, you could say managed cloud services drives digital transformation by allowing companies to innovate and advance in ways they never could have imagined or orchestrated on their own.
In the past, cloud may have looked more like a flat road that could support one’s path to digital transformation. But as the tech environment has continued to grow in complexity, it’s become more of an active adventure. That’s why it’s now essential for businesses to maintain a real and meaningful relationship with their managed cloud services providers. They need to rely on their expertise—of tech and industry—to keep their companies moving forward. I’ve written in the past about how wise it is to turn to managed security solutions to boost in-house support. Managed cloud services are no different.
Managed Cloud Services Drives Digital Transformation
- Facilitates Your Company’s Growth
A true managed cloud services provider drives digital transformation by acting as a partner in transformation—not just another line item on your tech budget. Indeed, the best managed cloud services companies will offer advice, counsel, maintenance, and optimization—things that can help grow your company every single day. As part of the white paper referenced above, nearly 70 percent of those surveyed felt their managed cloud services providers enabled them to provide better service to their customers. Better customer service? One of the best ways to keep your company growing. - Provides Agility
In today’s ever-changing marketplace, companies can’t afford to be bound by a single platform, software, or direction. In that sense, managed cloud services drives digital transformation by allowing companies to scale their workloads; adopt new technologies as soon as they become available; upgrade on the fly; and take a sharp left if needed. Indeed, managed cloud service providers can actually help guide and direct companies in new directions they never even knew existed. Having the freedom to change is just as important as having the latest technology in the digital landscape. Managed cloud services provide both. - Allows Companies to do More with Less
In the past, companies were hamstrung by their ability to hire technical experts—or hire short-term expensive contractors—if they wanted to utilize a specific technology. Today, even smaller companies can harness the power of things like machine learning without ever having to interview a technical expert. In a sense, managed cloud services drives digital transformation because they enable every company—small and large—to be in on the process. - Allows for Big Data and AI
As flashy as they may be, big data and AI would be nothing without cloud technology. The cloud offers a place for the vast amount of data being gained from customers to be churned and processed so that businesses can make meaningful decisions based on it. No cloud, no digital transformation. Period. I repeat: managed cloud services drives digital transformation.
Indeed, I’m going to go ahead and toss out a bonus benefit of managed cloud services providers. They support the ultimate purpose of digital transformation—improving customer experience. By being able to process data faster, you’ll have a better idea of what your customers need and want. By automating services, you’ll be able to answer questions faster and you’ll be able to keep your customers more engaged while you’re at it.
No, managed cloud services aren’t the sexy hotshot of digital transformation. For now, I’ll leave that title with blockchain or machine learning. But managed cloud services drives digital transformation by making these technologies possible and allowing every company—regardless of size—to get in on the excitement. That’s the kind of driver every business needs.
The original version of this article was first published on Futurum.
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.