The Ultimate Guide To Cloud Technologies: 8 Tips for Businesses New To The Cloud
In 2022, over 60% of global corporate data was stored in the cloud, indicating a significant growth rate in cloud adoption over the past few years. This trend reflects businesses' recognition of the cloud's benefits, such as improved agility, security, and reliability. By using cloud infrastructure, growing businesses can enhance their technology and operations, enabling their teams to achieve more than before. The cloud offers a powerful, cost-effective, and convenient alternative to traditional content and data management approaches.
As a first-time cloud user, you may have concerns and questions. Moving large-scale operations requiring various computer resources to a digital environment can be intimidating. This guide offers essential tips to help you make informed decisions for your team and ensure a smooth migration to cloud computing for your business.
8 tips for businesses that are new to the cloud
If you are considering a company-wide move to the cloud, it's essential to understand how to use cloud computing and plan the migration carefully. Implementing cloud technology involves several complex components that must be taken into account to ensure a successful transition. As a result, it's crucial to consider the following tips to make a seamless and successful migration to the cloud. While you may be aware of the benefits of cloud computing, it's important to prepare adequately before making the transition.
1. Educate yourself beforehand
It's crucial to invest time in learning about cloud services before implementing them in your business. Whenever you adopt new technology, especially if you're migrating your entire business to a new platform, it can be intimidating. Even if you and your team are familiar with the cloud, you may not be aware of all its capabilities and how it works. Therefore, it's essential to understand the various tools and features available before jumping in to ensure a smoother implementation experience.
You can take short courses online or hold meetings to discuss the basic terminology with your team to understand how the cloud can benefit your business and improve productivity. Failing to prepare adequately can lead to wasted hours resolving migration issues due to incorrect implementation, which can be avoided by familiarizing yourself with the cloud's capabilities beforehand.
2. Take it slow
It's important to recognize that adopting a new business model takes time. Attempting to transform your entire company overnight can cause problems and overwhelm your team members. Rapid and drastic changes can also make it challenging to cover all the necessary elements, such as transferring paper documents to digital ones and enabling security features like encryption to protect your data.
When migrating to the cloud, it's advisable to move slowly and allow everyone enough time to get accustomed to the new features, tools, and services before shifting entirely. You may consider starting with one area of your business at a time and making adjustments as necessary. By taking things slowly, you can effectively utilize the cloud's features and functionality.
Cloud security varies significantly from regular cybersecurity, and it's essential to develop security guidelines beforehand. When transitioning to the cloud for the first time, it's important to take note of security and privacy concerns. With the right tools from a suitable cloud computing solution, you can establish a framework that helps prevent most data leaks and breaches, such as malware and ransomware.
It may also be necessary to establish new guidelines for your team members who will have access to the cloud. These guidelines provide your team with an understanding of how to securely manage documents and business files to safeguard sensitive company data. When discussing these guidelines, it's crucial to include hybrid or remote workforces, whose processes may differ slightly from those of your in-person team.
4. Prepare your IT team for tech support
Migrating large volumes of data and physical documents to the cloud can be a tedious, but necessary process. It's crucial to surround yourself with ample tech support that can handle complex issues and alleviate stress during the migration process. Your in-house IT team should be familiar with the cloud service you're adopting to provide on-site tech support to your team members.
This on-site support can make dealing with large electronic files more manageable and prevent slow downloads and transfers during the initial stages of cloud migration. It's important to remember that every new technology has its strengths and weaknesses. By conducting appropriate research and identifying suitable solutions, you can avoid headaches in the future.
5. Encourage collaboration
Collaborating becomes effortless with the help of the cloud. Whether your teams work in-person, remotely, or a combination, they can benefit from easy, secure, and consistent access to essential content.
Maximizing the potential of the cloud involves encouraging your team to explore and utilize all its available features. With cloud computing, your team can easily interact and communicate with one another. It might even be the primary motivation for your shift to the cloud.
The cloud acts as a centralized and easily accessible hub where teams can work on, manage, edit, and share files in real-time, eliminating the need for sharing and storing outdated versions of files. Before deploying the new cloud system, hold a meeting with your team to discuss the improved ways in which departments can collaborate.
6. Be careful with BYOD policies
Using personal devices is made convenient with the cloud. However, implementing a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy requires caution, as it can result in issues with IT and security. If a BYOD policy is preferred, it is crucial to ensure that every device has adequate security measures like encryption and threat detection enabled before granting access to the network.
Moreover, it is important to consider that when these devices are used outside of the workplace, particularly with remote or hybrid teams, they may connect to less secure networks, which can pose a challenge if your cloud storage contains sensitive business data. It is essential to plan thoughtfully how team members will use their devices and connect to networks both in and outside of the office.
7. Stay on top of maintenance and updates
Maintenance of cloud-based systems is much simpler compared to on-premises servers and hardware. Depending on the chosen cloud platform, the maintenance management system can be accessed either via the internet or through a third-party provider. Reputable and thorough cloud providers offer full maintenance and update services to their clients, relieving them of the burden.
Knowing how frequently to monitor cloud maintenance and updates can prevent unplanned downtime during peak business hours. Utilizing a cloud content management platform that goes the extra mile to handle these tasks can free up your time and your team's energy to focus on more pressing tasks.
Furthermore, a robust maintenance system provided by your cloud provider can send alerts about potential security threats or necessary updates, ensuring that you are informed of any important developments.
8. Have a plan for your cloud usage
Cloud services offer several advantages for your business. However, without a clear understanding of what you want from the cloud, you may not be able to make the most of it. It is essential to know your cloud service requirements.
Before migrating to the cloud, it is necessary to develop a plan for accurately naming, organizing, locating, and archiving your files. Select a few team members from each department to manage access permissions and upload files.
Cloud computing was developed to increase visibility and efficiency in businesses. Creating a plan in advance for how you will use your cloud services can prevent a disorganized and chaotic transition. By designating a few trusted team members to monitor and manage access to your cloud environment, you can avoid liability and security concerns and maintain a consistent document management system.
