Change is constant. That’s why many organizations are reimagining their business models by migrating to the cloud. Some are migrating to innovate and re-engineering knowledge work. And others simply want to save costs and boost efficiency.
Regardless of their objectives, every organization is migrating while the business needs are ever-changing. And the juice is worth the squeeze – many are realizing impressive results from cloud migration.
Although cloud has been in the limelight for decades, it is the pandemic that has given the much-needed boost to cloud adoption. Now, the cloud isn’t just about on-demand computing power and storage, as it was during the pre-pandemic period.
Instead, it’s an innovative platform for discovering opportunities and options for meeting the ever-changing needs of the business. Moreover, the cloud is no longer a single, static, siloed technology. Instead, it’s a dynamic continuum of capabilities and features, termed as ‘Cloud Continuum.’
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So, What Really is Cloud Continuum?
Cloud Continuum is a seamless integration of various types of cloud capabilities and services, including data center, private cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud, and multi clouds. These capabilities are unified and supported by advanced connectivity such as 5G and SDNs. This aspect enables access to the cloud from virtually anywhere and eliminates the silos among services from public to edge.
How Cloud Continuum Benefits Businesses?
A recent global survey of about 4,000 business and IT leaders by Accenture found that around 12-15% of respondents are benefitting from their continued cloud engagement. These businesses are gaining an edge even amidst the global crisis as they embrace the cloud as an innovative platform for discovering new ways of operating.
Organizations working in this Cloud Continuum are termed as Continuum Competitors as they are leveraging cloud not just as siloed, distributed destination but as a seamless operating model. The continued cloud engagement transforms the way businesses engage with customers, employees, and partners, develop and deliver their products and services, and operate their IT systems. In a nutshell, the Cloud Continuum is reimagining the way businesses operate.
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Cloud Continuum empowers organizations to gain an edge over their competitors on many fronts. Some substantial benefits are:
- 2-2.7x more cost reduction than typical cloud migrators
- 2-3x more likely to innovate and re-engineer operating models
- 3x more likely to realize sustainability goals through cloud
Cloud Continuum also enables organizations to choose the appropriate types of cloud technologies and services and harness the full potential of those technologies. This technology foundation strong-arms the organizations to reimagine and reinvent their business altogether through continuous innovation.
However, Cloud Continuum success is easier said than done. While Continuum holds massive potential to bolster businesses, making it work for you is a tough row to hoe.
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What are the Impediments for Cloud Continuum Adoption?
Key challenges that are bogging down companies from rapidly expanding cloud adoption and leveraging the Continuum are:
- 42% Changing business and operating models
- 42% Security and compliance risks
- 35% IT and business gaps
- 34% Complex legacy systems
- 32% Data concerns and regulations
Then, how can organizations overcome these obstacles to derive maximum business value from the Cloud Continuum? Read on to know the leading practices for Cloud Continuum success.
5 Key Practices to Unlock the Potential of Cloud Continuum
Before you get started, however, the first step is to understand the nature of the Cloud Continuum: Speed and change are its fundamental facets. Continuum practices that can harness the continual improvements and expansion of cloud capabilities are crucial.
Firstly, before getting started, one must duly understand the nature of the Cloud Continuum. Speed and change are its USPs. Moreover, one must know that it’s imperative to have agile practices that can leverage continual developments and expansion of cloud capabilities. With that in mind, here are five crucial practices to achieve Continuum success:
1) A Real Vision
To start the Cloud Continuum adoption journey, the organizations must know where they want the voyage to take them. Given the continually expanding nature of Continuum, its imperative to hammer out clear priorities which would act as guardrails for the organization to move in the desired direction.
A right Continuum strategy encompasses the following aspects:
- A vision that clearly defines the core objectives
- Competitive vulnerabilities and shortcomings
- Present capabilities of the organizations and future aspirations
2) Enhance Your Technologies
Cloud migration is not a destination. It’s an ongoing journey. Migrating and sitting back to enjoy the ride will take you nowhere. After the migration, organizations must work on extra steps such as using edge to develop on the cloud, leveraging PaaS services to realize new capabilities, or adopting AI/ML to glean insights from your data and processes.
Otherwise, you fail to realize the full potential of the cloud that your competitors enjoy. Organizations ought to establish cloud practices that bolster their existing technologies. This aspect enables you to improve your non-technological areas on par with the computational amendments.
3) Prioritize People and Culture
Continuum competitors pay heed to people and culture as part of their cloud transformation. The use cloud to improve customer experience, employee productivity, and organizational agility and innovation. To achieve so, one must align, invest, and adopt.
Organizations are ought to align C-suite executives, shareholders, and partners to promote a combined understanding of the value and potential the Continuum adoption brings forth. Then, one must invest in improving cloud skills and digital fluency across the organization. The last piece of the puzzle is adopting new operating models to improve ways of working, eliminate bottlenecks, and better innovation.
4) Embrace the Hybrid
The Cloud Continuum offers limitless opportunities. However, organizations can adopt a set of cloud services from multiple platforms across the Continuum to optimally fit their business needs. To achieve so, one must shift from siloed cloud models to integrated platform strategies that embrace multiple clouds and new technologies.
5) Reinvent on the Continuum
Migrating critical systems and data to the cloud is the crucial step of a successful cloud journey, but it’s just the start. No matter where you are on the cloud, continuous improvement is possible.
Companies must ask themselves how they can leverage cloud and cloud-based technologies like AI/ML, edge, 5G, and PaaS to position their business for sustained growth in the years ahead. One must be ever ready to exploit every opportunity that comes their way with the Cloud Continuum.
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In Conclusion
Though Cloud Continuum holds massive potential to bolster business, it’s imperative that organizations balance their Continuum objectives with strategic priorities that drive the business. Organizations must define business objectives, establish feasible levels of risk-taking, and promote a culture of agility and innovation. This is easier said than done.
As Cloud Continuum is still unchartered territory, it’s practical to say that complexities and challenges are lurking at every corner, which could potentially bog down the organization’s Continuum initiatives. This is why one must seek help from Cloud Managed Services Providers Like Veritis, for they are well-versed in navigating the cloud challenges.
Veritis brings in deep domain knowledge and industry expertise to chart a course for every organization looking to advance on the Cloud Continuum. As a leading Cloud Services Provider, we help you unlock the full potential of your business in the cloud. Partner with us and plug into future potential.
Tags: cloud continuum, veritis blog, cloud services provider, cloud journey, cloud transformation, cloud migration, cloud technologies and services, private cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud, multi clouds, cloud services, cloud solutions
Additional Resources:
- Future of DevOps: Top 6 DevOps Trends in 2022 and Beyond
- Waterfall Vs. Agile Vs. DevOps- Which Production Method Should You Take?
- Criteria One Should Consider Before Choosing an Managed Services Providers
- Continuous Integration: The DevOps Approach Which Fuels Productivity
- Google’s Anthos: The Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Platform That You Need