Like most businesses, yours already uses cloud technologies, but there is great value in formulating a robust migration strategy.
The days of running business software and storing data exclusively on an on-premises server are long gone. Organisations are moving fast to modernise to keep up with constantly evolving customer demands, making the scalability, resilience, and agility of the cloud a business imperative.
That being said, migrating to the cloud remains challenging for a broad range of businesses. Established enterprises often grapple with legacy technology that must be adapted for modern cloud-based computing architectures. Smaller companies often lack the expertise needed to consolidate, govern, and protect their digital assets.
While it would be true that the cloud offers a solution to these problems, that does not mean it provides a quick fix. After all, businesses were already using an average of 110 software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications in 2021, an almost ten-fold increase over the preceding five years. Naturally, this significantly adds to the overall complexity of the software stack.
Bringing business management to the cloud
An integrated business management system (IBMS) helps overcome the problem of working with dozens (or even hundreds) of different applications and data sources. The goal of such a solution is to reduce duplication and enhance efficiency by having a single, integrated source of truth (SSOT) for the entire organisation. For example, different business departments, such as finance, sales, marketing, and human resources, can consolidate their operations to break down communication siloes and streamline interdepartmental workflows.
Bringing business management to the cloud through an IBMS offers many essential benefits that cannot be realised in full when using on-premises software alone. Here are some of them:
1. Enhance business agility
Cloud computing ultimately refers to the on-demand availability of computing resources, such as storage and computing power. If you run out of storage capacity, for example, you can simply add more to your subscription. If your team is expanding, you don’t need to buy more licenses; you merely need to add new users. In the case of cloud computing, this typically works the other way around as well, allowing you to scale back and forth as required. Moreover, instant access to real-time data via a user-friendly web-based interface eliminates the back and forth associated with manually sharing documents and data via email or physical storage media.
2. Facilitate remote work
Remote work exists because the cloud exists since it would be a practical impossibility without web-based software offering the means to connect teams and share information in real-time. This is why the cloud quickly became a business imperative during the lockdown mandates of the pandemic. However, despite the disruption of the past two years, remote work is here to stay, thanks largely to the morale, productivity, and cost benefits it offers. Migrating to the cloud fully ensures that all knowledge workers can access the applications and information they need to perform their roles, no matter where they are or which devices they use. With integrated mobile apps, employees can even work on the move.
3. Leverage new technologies
Organisations of all sizes and all industries are under constant pressure to innovate to accommodate evolving customer demands better. It has often been said that a computer is obsolete the moment it leaves the store shelves, and there is some truth. Organisations that rely heavily on proprietary software and legacy systems find themselves facing rising costs when it comes to maintaining and modernising their technology. Eventually, it becomes a substantial burden on the whole business. Cloud computing, however, provides access to the latest tech without the need to upgrade constantly. In the case of a cloud-based IBMS and other software, updates are automatically developed and applied by the vendor, so you never need to worry about upgrading or reinstalling your software.
4. Shift the maintenance burden
In most organisations, the bulk of the IT budget goes towards maintaining IT systems, including software and hardware components. As these systems get older and edge closer to obsolescence, they only become more expensive to maintain. Cloud computing entirely shifts that paradigm by placing the maintenance burden onto the vendor, typically in return for a monthly subscription charge. Subscription plans usually come with service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee maximum response times to support requests and the minimum levels of service availability you can expect. Compared to the traditional break/fix model, this approach is proactive and does not come with unexpected costs.
5. Reduce capital expenses
Moving your business to the cloud effectively means turning your entire technology stack into a software-defined environment where all the hardware involved is operated and managed by the vendor in a remote data centre. Of course, you still need an internet-connected device to access cloud software. Still, the hardware requirements are significantly reduced since computation and data storage are handled in the off-site data centre. Moreover, since cloud software runs in a web browser, it operates independently of the device and operating system being used to access it. This makes it far more viable to allow employees to use their own devices for work, thus reducing, if not eliminating, the need to invest in laptops or other hardware for your team.
6. Increase operational resilience
Operational resilience is a top priority for today’s business leaders as they struggle to navigate an evolving cyber threat landscape on top of the pervasive risks posed by natural disasters, human error, and hardware failures. Migrating to the cloud increases resilience to such threats simply because it prevents you from having to rely entirely on on-premises systems. Cloud vendors typically store customer data in at least three physical locations and maintain document histories spanning months or even years back. This gives you much greater control over where your data lives and how you protect it. Furthermore, most vendors offer a shared responsibility model to ensure accountability for protecting your digital assets.ContinuSys is a cloud-based integrated business management system that helps stamp out inefficiencies, reach your productivity goals, and build organisational resilience. Request your demo today to see how it works.
“The opinions expressed by BizWitty Contributors are their own, not those of BizCover and should not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice. Please read our full disclaimer."
