Cloud complexity has made it harder for businesses to work efficiently without the right foundations. Leading technology provider ALSO urges businesses to reassess their current cloud setup.
In 2020, cloud migration was a top priority. But this rush for digital transformation has resulted in long-term issues that businesses are now grappling with today.
Recent research from Dark Reading highlights that 20% of professionals are now experiencing severe challenges with cloud system maintenance and fortification, with 36% placing system reliability and performance as the issue that concerns them the most. 58% of organisations have at least five corporate-wide SaaS applications deployed, which is only compounding the suboptimal cloud performance.
“Once high on the agenda, businesses scrambled to implement the most cutting-edge tools for cloud transformation,” says Mark Appleton, Chief Customer Officer at ALSO Cloud UK. “Now, they’re struggling to manage the unorganised, complex and inefficient cloud environment they rushed to create.”
“Common problems created during the initial stages of migration are now being identified too late, resulting in a major loss of money, time and resources trying to fix broken foundations. Poor business alignment has led to muddy cloud execution, missing uniform cloud transformation goals and creating separate, inefficient infrastructure, difficult to both work in and across.
“Known as ‘lift and shift”, businesses migrate applications as they are rather than adapting or updating them for a new environment. While it might seem like the most convenient option, the infrastructure created won’t be flexible and scalable. Expansion plans that propel the business can end up on hold because your IT environment wasn’t designed to be agile.”
Legacy systems lead to inoperable environments
“The effort becomes even more prevalent when dealing with legacy systems which bring up compatibility issues. Inconsistencies and quality issues within the cloud are more likely to occur and even render some of your older systems completely inoperable, risking workloads that become impossible to access.”
“But cloud adoption and optimisation shouldn’t be stressful. Businesses need to shed the weight of outdated technology to optimise their cloud environments and develop an effective optimisation strategy that continually updates their software to match business growth. When your systems can adapt on demand, organisations have more bandwidth to innovate and outperform their competition.”
Expert guidance can clear your business for cloud take-off
“While it might be tempting to revert to data centres and other IT solutions, turning around a cloud migration that has veered off course can be achieved with small fixes and changes to strategy. If done correctly, IT leaders can refocus the organisation’s effort and get maximum value out of their cloud environments.’
“Constructing the right IT infrastructure is all about using the right building materials. Businesses need the right cloud solutions and tools for their business, which often requires specialised knowledge and expertise. With access to a wealth of technology options, the right IT partner can identify where your setup struggles, uncovering risks and opportunities for improvement. With the right expertise, businesses can overcome common hurdles and build an infrastructure prepared for growth.’
Appleton concluded: ‘Businesses need to design and build their cloud foundation to provide a reusable, scalable platform that supports all the IT workloads. Investing in fixing and future-proofing your cloud foundation ensures an agile and cost-effective foundation that can adapt to the ever-changing digital landscape and thrive in the years to come.”