When’s the Right Time to Move to the Cloud?

The reality is that you’re not as behind as you might have thought you were if you’re not already in the cloud. Well… to be honest, you might still be pretty far behind in terms of modernization (as most organizations are), but at least when it comes to cloud adoption, your timing couldn’t be better.

There can be very good reasons to move to the cloud—but it’s not always the easy “I need to cut my costs” reason that most people lead with. There can definitely be cost savings, but they require rethinking your business processes and workflows to adapt to the new, refactored and modernized applications that were completely rewritten to exist natively in the public cloud. “Just take what I already have and move it to the cloud as-is” is usually a recipe for disaster and generally misses the point of cloud modernization.

I find most organizations are romanticizing their glory days of moving their physical servers to virtual machines. In that case, you had HUGE cost savings and VERY little disruption to the business because all you did was trick your existing applications into thinking they had their own dedicated hardware. But the applications themselves, and the business units that used them, had zero change. So, big technology modernization, and zero business modernization.

Does that mean cloud isn’t the answer? Not at all. It just means you have to be doing it for the right reasons. There are six main criteria that can help you find those right reasons: business goals, cost, scalability, features, reliability and security. Do they cover everything? I wish. But they are a starting point that can get you thinking about the real benefits and value of cloud. Here’s a high-level overview of each of these areas:

Alignment with Business Goals

To determine the right time for cloud adoption, it's crucial to align it with your long-term business goals. Consider aspects like agility, flexibility and the ability to support remote work and seamless collaboration. If your objectives revolve around scaling operations, enabling remote workforces or integrating communication channels seamlessly, the cloud can serve as a catalyst to propel your business forward.

Cost Considerations

When contemplating a transition to cloud, a comprehensive cost analysis is essential. Weigh the expenses associated with maintaining legacy infrastructure—including hardware, maintenance and upgrades—against the predictable subscription-based pricing models offered by cloud providers. Explore potential cost savings, particularly if your business plans to scale up or downsize in the future.

Scalability

Evaluate your organization's growth trajectory and your current solution's scalability. Cloud offers unmatched flexibility to easily scale up or down based on your evolving business needs. This eliminates the need for significant infrastructure investments or complex configuration changes, empowering your business to adapt swiftly in a dynamic market.

Advanced Features and Functionality

Take stock of the advanced features and functionalities presented by cloud solutions. Evaluate offerings such as virtual attendants, intelligent call routing, video conferencing capabilities, unified communications and seamless integration with other business applications. Consider how these capabilities align with your organization's communication requirements and future growth plans.

Reliability and Redundancy

Assess the reliability and redundancy of your existing infrastructure. Cloud solutions often provide robust redundancy measures, ensuring uninterrupted communication during outages or unforeseen circumstances. Analyze the impact of potential downtime on your business operations and embrace the reliability benefits offered by reputable cloud providers.

Security and Compliance

Security is of paramount importance in today's digital landscape. Evaluate the security measures and compliance certifications provided by cloud providers. Scrutinize factors such as data encryption, stringent access controls, comprehensive threat monitoring and adherence to industry regulations like GDPR or HIPAA. Ascertain whether a cloud-based solution can offer superior security compared to your current infrastructure.

Determining the Optimal Time to Embrace Cloud

Deciding to transition your collaboration and customer experience solutions to the cloud is a strategic move that can revolutionize your organization's communication ecosystem. By meticulously evaluating criteria such as business goals, cost, scalability, features, reliability and security, you can confidently determine the optimal time to embrace the cloud. Remember, each business is unique, so consider your specific needs and priorities while seeking guidance from experienced technology partners or consultants. Embracing cloud unlocks new levels of efficiency, collaboration and agility, propelling your business towards a successful digital future.

Here at C1, we have everything you need to create your roadmap no matter what your needs and intentions are.

• Need/want to stay on-prem? There’s no one better to help you design, install and manage your environment.
  
  
• Need to keep your existing applications to maintain your workflows, but really want to be out of the data center business and let someone else manage it for you? Our C1CX Private Cloud solutions are a perfect fit for you.
  
  
• Need to go to fully microservice-based native public cloud? We’ve got the modular, multi-vendor options to help you meet your needs.

Or, like most customers, you might find that you need a combination of all the above (what the industry refers to as a hybrid multi-cloud solution), and we’ve got that, too—along with the advisory and managed services capabilities to guide you to an end-to-end solution that meets your needs!