Getting Clients Ready for an 88% Increase in Cloud Adoption
… considered or used before COVID-19. Since, COVID-19, Microsoft Teams has seen a 70% increase in users due to remote working restrictions, making it a tool that has clearly been taken advantage of to drive productivity, collaboration and communication during lockdown. This is where ITCs have a vital role to play in educating end-users on how to gain optimum value and productivity from their infrastructure.
Cloud Security Is Critical
As people work remotely they require greater flexibility and effective access to data. But, with this flexible access must come more stringent security control and business processes. Initially, though, security wasn’t front of mind for many firms at the start of COVID-19. The priority was to get remote working up and running. Since then, cyberattacks continue to steadily increase. Reinforcing the need for data security is that almost half of businesses have suffered a cybersecurity breach or attack in the last 12 months.
Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet to solve this problem. Small and large organisations need the correct security infrastructure and unique measures in place to suit their requirements. More functionality can be added to cloud networks, including virtual private networks (VPNs), single sign-On, and multifactor authentication (MFA) solutions to ensure a secure cloud environment. Just getting the basics right will put clients in a position to build their business and engage with staff and customers securely.
Flexibility, Agility Core Components for Survival
COVID-19 has acted as a catalyst for businesses that need to become more flexible and agile. Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive, has said that they’ve seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months, including remote teamwork and learning and critical cloud infrastructure and security. If companies are unable to respond to unexpected situations when they occur, such as the pandemic, then they could potentially face devastating effects. With discussions around the likelihood of future waves of the virus, it’s clear that we’re not out of the woods yet. More disruption is anticipated, let alone hurdles that we don’t see coming, so flexibility and agility become core components for business survival – all of which are key benefits of subscribing to the cloud, as it enables firms to scale usage as required.
Before the pandemic, 73% of organisations had a digital transformation strategy in place or were in the process of implementing one. COVID-19, however, has accelerated transformation for many firms and according to CIF we know that cloud service adoption will increase dramatically through 2021, too. As cloud adoption rockets, it raises further questions about whether firms are agile and flexible enough to grow, because 2021 will be another tough year.
For instance, do organisations have the right relationships in place with MSPs and can they support clients strategically and tactically on their cloud journeys? Investment in the cloud is a long-term commitment. So, ensuring effective partnerships are in place to deliver optimum value from cloud migrations is crucial.
Steve Law is CTO of IT-service provider Giacom. His previous experience includes stints with educational software companies, gaming and computer-aided software tools for business application development. His experience includes building, growing and leading engineering teams to create world class high-scale, mission-critical SaaS / cloud products and managing growth from start-ups to large corporates and the challenges that come with it. You may follow him on LinkedIn or @GiacomCM on Twitter.
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