Moving to the Cloud? 6 Tips to Tap This Time-Saving Tech
It's easy to get bogged down in the details of IT projects, especially when you're handling everything on-site. From server maintenance to end user troubleshooting to VoIP or PBX systems oversight, technology experts are long on tasks and short on time to get everything done.
However, for many organizations, moving to the cloud changes the game. With more tedious tasks handled automatically or by trusted third parties, in-house IT leaders find themselves with an unexpected luxury: the ability to slow down for a minute and consider their next move. Given that it's such an unfamiliar sensation, you'd be forgiven for coming up blank on ideas for new tasks or long-term goals. Thankfully, you can get started with these six tips to help you tap the time-saving benefit of cloud tech.
1. Get Strategic
As noted by the Wall Street Journal, transitioning to cloud technology often shifts IT workers into business analyst and architect roles. While this comes with growing pains — IT experts are the best at what they do by virtue of specificity — it also offers big advantages. For example, moving to the cloud provides the ideal framework for implementing big data solutions to help manage and evaluate the huge volume of information generated by your organization every day. Less time spent on tedious tasks yields the ability to consider best-fit big data solutions.
2. More Time? Teach!
How much do front-line staff and executives know about new cloud workflows? Are they struggling with large conceptual issues or specific app-based tasks? With a break from typical IT maintenance and break-fix issues, IT can consider initiating a cloud learning program that helps end users discover how to maximize performance by leveraging cloud services and how to avoid potential issues posed by anytime, anywhere access.
3. Change the Conversation
What services has your business already moved to the cloud? What else is worth switching? For example, it's often worthwhile to consider upgrading your existing VoIP or PBX system to a cloud-based alternative after you've established a foothold in the cloud. Not only does this dovetail with many cloud-first mandates, but hosted VoIP solutions also let you easily connect mobile, desktop, and remote devices, in turn making more time for IT to focus on other line-of-business (LoB) objectives.
4. Get Schooled
Do you know everything there is to know about the cloud? Are you familiar with up-and-coming industry trends like software-defined networking (SDN), containerization, and hyperconvergence? With less chance of your internal IT environment crashing and burning at a moment's notice, this might be the ideal time to consider going back to tech school and picking up some new skills. That time provided by moving to the cloud offers the chance for IT pros to ramp up both organizational and total career value with training.
5. Go Big
According to Computerworld, the advent of reliable and ubiquitous cloud technologies has prompted a shake-up in many businesses. For example, The Weather Company — parent organization of The Weather Channel, Weather.com and Weather Underground — has tossed out the name "IT department" in favor of simply "technology." IT experts are encouraged to think like a next-gen startup rather than a legacy division. Instead of simply "aligning" with business goals, the idea here is to think big and discover ways to empower new business objectives and devise long-term strategies. It's part of the larger impact of moving to the cloud; the nature of IT is shifting away from a complete technology focus to include strategy and innovation.
6. Connect Everything
Of course, more time also means a chance to streamline existing processes and adopt new solutions that make your company more agile, robust, and adaptable. Here, it's worth considering business cloud services such as virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), which provides the ability to use any application on any device at any time, or cloud backup services that ensure your critical data is never in danger, even in the event of a disaster. Another option? Take things all the way with infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and leave the hardware management to someone else.
Are you moving to the cloud? Consider streamlining your tech environment and implementing new upgrades. Your calendar just might thank you.
Need a little help? Connect with a Vonage Business consultant today and make the most of your time.
