Since the days of early astronomy man has been looking for ways to view distant objects more clearly. This desire is what drove Hans Lippershey to assemble what is generally accepted as the first set of binoculars back in 1608.
If only there were a similar device that would allow us to clearly see what challenges we might face when moving our data to the cloud. There are many obstacles to overcome when deciding on a move to the cloud. Cost, security, ease of access, reliance on vendors and changes in workflow are just a few of the challenges you may face.
The fact is, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for companies moving to the cloud, and the challenges you face may be unique to your organization. The size of the datasets you work with, for example, will drive some of your decisions. A company that works mainly with relatively small Microsoft Word documents and spreadsheets will not use the same solution as a company that works with extremely large graphics or design files.
Security will be another concern for those making a move to the cloud. While most cloud vendors have many safeguards in place to keep your data secure, some of these security protocols will need to be weighed against ease of access for your users. After all, what good is keeping your data so secure that you can’t access it when you need it.
While we are talking about access and security of your data, you should think about what happens to that data if you decide you want to change vendors. How do you get your data back or migrated to a new platform? This is something you should ask going into a relationship with a cloud vendor—not afterwards.
Cost is another challenge. In many cases, a move to the cloud will change the way your company pays for service. Trading the more traditional, up-front capital expense of servers and software purchases for the ongoing operating expense of cloud services and licensing.
As you can see, there are many challenges you may face when moving to the cloud. Contact IT Radix today and let us help you see those challenges clearly. Much like those binoculars did for Hans Lippershey so many years ago.
First published in our April 2020 IT Radix Resource newsletter
