How to Create a 2020 Cloud Strategy for Business

Would you like to make your business more flexible and economical in 2020? Well if you don’t already have a cloud strategy, now’s the time to create one.

 According to some statistics, High-Performance Computing (HPC) in the cloud is going to increase by 40% in 2020. Whether you plan to contribute to that figure or you’re experimenting with other forms of cloud usage, you need to know how to create a strategy for the year ahead.

Detail the ways the cloud could benefit you

In order to create a cloud strategy, you need to understand what the benefits are. More specifically, you need to detail the ways it can benefit your business.

Key benefits to using the cloud more often include saving money on IT overheads, freeing up your IT team for other tasks, and creating a flexible workplace.

For every benefit, you make note of, decide how you’ll use it to improve your business. For example, could you spend the money you save on IT overheads elsewhere? Would you like to commit your IT team to enhance your network security? Having a deeper understanding of your benefits makes it easier for you to get others on board with your strategy.

Highlight your unmet IT needs

As with any other aspect of your business, the IT changes you make usually take place because you have an unmet need. Adopting the cloud should be no different. 

When considering your unmet IT needs, think about unmet needs in other areas of your business too. For example, you may find that you want greater inter-departmental cooperation. If that’s the case, you can use a cloud platform that promotes collaboration.

For every unmet need, you to discover, focus on how you’ll use the cloud to change it. Doing this is essential for creating a solid strategy. 

Select a cloud deployment model

It’s possible to roughly pool cloud models into four different categories. Each one comes with their advantages and disadvantages:

• Public is highly flexible but it comes with more security risks.
• Private is very efficient but also requires more capital.
• Hybrid keeps critical workloads close but requires a lot of hardware too.
• Community is excellent for resource pooling but needs a lot of governance.

By 2020, it’s estimated that 41% of those using the cloud will focus on public platforms and 20% will focus on private cloud usage. Try not to fall into the trap of following trends. Instead, look at what your business can budget for and the model that’ll match your needs.

Choose how to manage the service

Figuring out what type of deployment model you need is an excellent platform for choosing how to manage the service. Think about how much control you want to retain and then look at the service provider that meets your requirements.

Another factor to consider when choosing a service is how much support you’ll get from your service provider. If you’re new to using the cloud or if you don’t have an in-house IT team, getting as much support as possible is necessary. 

Perform a risk assessment

Although using the cloud comes with benefits, you can’t ignore the fact that it presents risks. From data compliance to access control, you need to focus on every element in minute detail.

One of the biggest risks that come with cloud usage is the way your employees handle it. You may need to provide them with additional training to ensure they don’t introduce risks to your business.

Creating a cloud strategy for 2020 does require some time and effort. But by putting some thought into the process, you could make your business more flexible while minimizing risks.