Are you still on prem? If so, you may have been hearing a faint call forward. That’s the cloud talking. If you’ve already answered the call and made the migration to cloud, it may be time to optimize or even reassess the vendors and solutions you have in place.
This article from the Wall Street Journal indicates that some cloud adoptees are still waiting to see ROI, citing Dell Technology’s global chief technology officer John Roese’s thoughts that “the primary reason for cloud budget overruns was that CIOs weren’t thinking strategically about how to distribute IT capabilities across different cloud providers, and how to make them work together.”
We disagree – CIOs weren’t acting strategically about multi-cloud environments, but not because they were ignoring the thought of strategy or were fooled – they didn’t know how to evaluate and understand their options. Their ecosystem failed them. Take into account how narrow engagement processes led by large enterprise consulting firms consolidate what people think of when they think about technology. It’s actually poor decisions and insight driving this lack of return, rather than cloud strategy issues – don’t blame the CIO or the Product, blame the lack of available insight. So, rather than avoiding the cloud’s necessity in your technology infrastructure or ignoring change, be a smarter decision maker.
Supporting the applications that run the business means providing an IT infrastructure that is fast, accessible, nimble, scalable, and operationally efficient. There are quite a few providers offering cloud services, close to 100 that we know of, but despite their (sometimes irritatingly) similar names, brands, and messaging, there are definitely worthwhile differentiators and standout choices. Don’t find out that there are better options and solutions after hiring a lousy provider. Complete understanding of the provider landscape and an honest understanding of your own use case is the only way to truly mitigate a poor decision – be informed.
Here are our top 3 things to consider when evaluating an IaaS provider.
- Flexibility.
Your business fluctuates in many ways. From your network traffic to your use of certain applications, no two days, months, or years look exactly the same. Your IaaS provider should have scalable services, giving you the option to dial things up or down depending on your needs and to have the cost model to reflect those changes efficiently. Does your particular use case require the flexibility of multiple providers working together? As we talked about in a previous blog post, flexibility is key to success, and the network and partners you choose to power your operations should be malleable to your circumstances.
- Security.
Ingrained security is one of the most-touted benefits of cloud, but when vetting providers, their security standards should be a make-or-break factor as well. And think beyond that, do they secure your data or just their own infrastructure, where does the service stop? The benefits of a more secure infrastructure mean little if the company running things doesn’t partake in best practices for your environment. The success of the security posture is dependent on the stability of the environment and those running it. Invest in a vendor who maintains industry standards that aligns to your security posture and is transparent about their practices.
- Intuitive design.
Don’t settle. The way your network operates depends on the way your business operates, and it should never be the other way around. A great IaaS provider will work the technology around you, aiding in seamless integration and offering supportive network architecture. You may choose private, public, or hybrid cloud services depending on your application and usage, and to find the right providers, you need to be sure that they have the ideal option on the table. Basic tenets of storage, security and operability must be maintained and applicable in a way that best suits you. You shouldn’t have to fit the mold– you should be the mold.
IaaS is considered by every IT leader. Since the early aughts, the industry has sung its praises, and we’re willing to bet that integrating cloud into your technology ecosystem will yield solid results. Its an aaS world.
TechChoice is here to evaluate your unique circumstances and help match you with a IaaS Strategy that fits you like a glove. We’re well versed in all IaaS configuration – public, private, hybrid and colo – and can help you determine and apply the technology that’s right for you. The power to innovate and disrupt starts with knowledge, and we can help to get you there. Contact us today to learn how IaaS can work for you.