We know information technology plays a vital role in the traditional business environment, and over the past few years, businesses are changing their approach to information technology. As a society, we’re starting to see information technology as an enabler for greater success instead of yet another necessary evil.
Most would agree that businesses are maturing, but the need to drive down costs is still there. How do we approach this? The answer is simple: the cloud. The cloud is a major buzzword that suggests accessing files from anywhere at any time.
But that’s not all the cloud is about. The reality is, the cloud is a physical infrastructure comprised of many computers in massive warehouses throughout the world. Whether it’s public, private, or hybrid, the cloud is a huge game changer that’s established its position in the technology industry.
In fact, it’s estimated that cloud spending will come close to equaling what’s spent on traditional information technology in 2020. In a recent survey of cloud users, 18% are using a public cloud, 71% are using a hybrid cloud, and 6% are using a private cloud.
However, regardless of the type of cloud, one thing is crystal clear: most businesses are looking to change how their IT teams work for the benefit of specialization. Over the next three years, there’s going to be a huge shift in the way IT teams are made up.
The shift will be focused on adopting the cloud and hosting, which means there’s less of a need for your IT staff to take care of things like patching, monitoring, and other routine tasks and more of a need for specialized IT staff to handle activities like securing against malicious activity and managing the integrity of critical information.
The cloud is truly revolutionizing the way businesses manage their IT, as well as the way they operate. Just take a look at the reasons why cloud users were motivated to make the change:
• 15% chose the cloud for cost savings
• 31% chose the cloud for balancing cost management and value
• 23% chose the cloud for value
When adopting cloud solutions, most people are considering a range of objectives far beyond saving a few dollars, such as flexibility to expand and make changes or ease of collaboration when outside the office.
The fact is, businesses in today’s ever-changing environment must increasing put their operational maturity at the top of their priorities – and the cloud is often the best way to go.
Contact me to find out more about the cloud and how it’s enhancing business maturity all over the US.
Read What’s the Secret Key to Operational Maturity? and the other informative articles in this issue of Soar to Success magazine.
