Gartner predicts that by 2020, more computing power will be sold via the cloud than what is deployed in customers’ on-premises data centers.
You’re surely utilizing cloud capabilities to some capacity already. But the cloud is complex. There are likely new, improved ways you could manifest cloud services to your company’s advantage; you just don’t know what they are.
To enhance your cloud smarts, you need deep visibility into your infrastructure, and to use this insight to choose (and actively manage) your cloud configuration.
This includes instance types, storage options, availability zones, and pricing plans. There are over 25 million cloud configurations available to choose from; configurations that are also constantly changing.
It’s time to think in the new “paradigm” – using the cloud to optimize performance and consumption in a dynamic manner. This is quite a shift.
Here are 4 essential things to ease your shift into the cloud:
- Bridge the Knowledge Gap
There is an underlying knowledge base required of your IT partner that is different when you move to the cloud. They need to know how to design, architect, and manage a new environment that runs differently from a traditional on-premises infrastructure. If you don’t have the expertise, maximizing cloud services will be impossible.
- Remove the Abstract
If you’re looking at the cloud, the almost endless cloud options available can feel overwhelming – almost paralyzing. On top of that, many people don’t even really grasp what the cloud actually is. A Customer Immersion Experience can help you get physically inside the cloud to understand how it can truly work your company, and define what specific cloud elements you need.
- Do an Infrastructure Analysis
An in-depth data analysis can make a huge difference for companies migrating to and optimizing the cloud. Running a detailed performance analysis on computer, storage, and network resources that includes metrics such as observed peak CPU utilization, storage capacity, and IOPS is essential for optimization. One such piece of the analysis is mapping to the right instances in the cloud and right-sizing them on an ongoing basis for the best performance and cost benefits.
- Pick a Cloud Services Partner to Manage Your Solution
This is where we go back to the paradigm shift. Cloud principles and architecture are unique compared to traditional on-premises practices. Traditional approaches often do not translate to cloud operating models. Internal IT resources may not necessarily have the understanding of the shifts and trends of today’s technology landscape. There’s quite a bit of business opportunity sacrificed by being unable to leverage true cloud expertise. Businesses can and do suffer downtime as a result of making the move to the cloud without having the on-staff experience to design and manage that transition.
If you’re choosing a cloud service provider, you can look to Nortec Communications.
Nortec Communications is a leading managed service provider, specializing in systems integration and infrastructure management. Since 1991, we have worked with businesses of every size throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, offering comprehensive cloud services, unified communications solutions, and network security solutions. At Nortec, we’re committed to giving each of our customers an IT advantage by streamlining infrastructure management and unified communications with cloud-based, on-premise, and hybrid solutions. For more information on how Nortec can revolutionize your IT experience, call us at 866-531-1990.