The cloud has evolved and no longer defined by an air of silence between those who implement cloud systems and their customers, who are mostly business users.
Today, as offerings evolve into more bespoke solutions, cloud vendors must deal directly with operations and business leaders.
This is according to Kevin Kevin Hall, national sales manager at local ICT solutions provider and leader in the development of cloud solutions.
Hall endorses the company’s message to the market which is that there is a lot more discussion involved when considering migration to the cloud, especially between cloud service providers and customers.
“In my view we can never do enough to offer peace of mind … our business directors have duties we need to be sensitive to, and learning from them how to mitigate their risk, and understanding the business better often gives one a better sense of how to develop the solution around the needs of the customer,” says Hall.
He believes it’s important to consider the client first and then the technology. “Once we understand the issues, it’s easy to find solutions in the cloud …somebody out there probably has a similar issue. Our problems and concerns are normally not as unique as we believe.”
Currently in the market the argument that hybrid provides the best of both worlds is gaining traction says Elingo. Companies with security concerns or looking for better redundancy opt for hybrid solutions quicker than their competitors.
“The hype is probably created because it is easier to sell, the objectives are easily dealt with,” says Hall.
Elingo standpoint is that cloud is already changing the way companies do business and deploy solutions – one only has to consider the adoption of Office 365 – a simple solution to many SME market players not wanting to invest in costly Capex services.
The prize is agility and flexibility, attributes that define differentiation in the market.
Hall says just because it is cloud does not mean it is future-proof. “Agility and flexibility can only be implemented in companies with an agile culture and approach to business. The culture shock of rapid change in other organisations can take time to realise … your business needs to tick all the right boxes.”
Elingo advises business owners who are considering solutions and relevant service providers that nothing beats a proven track record with customers.
Hall adds that it is best to visit customers on their site and do some market research to find out what customer experience has been like from the service provider.