SaaS

Many companies are actively implementing cloud technology in order to take advantage of the opportunities it presents. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has made it clear that cloud technology allows for more convenient, on-demand and ubiquitous networking. The cloud allows for the connection of various technological aspects of a business’s entire computing system, including applications, services, servers, storage and networks. Businesses no longer face the conflict in choosing to move to the cloud as much as they need to figure out what specific parts of their business need to implement the technology. Creating an effective cloud strategy can help make migration much simpler.

Creating a Cloud Strategy for Business

Businesses will want to know how they can easily move to the cloud, which vendors they can invest in without worrying about scams, which pieces of their computing systems can move to the cloud and more. In order to make a smooth transition to cloud technology, it’s important to keep these requirements in mind:

Businesses should allow for virtualization, giving their companies the opportunity to run in a virtual environment that prevents the need for unrecorded operating system calls and other issues that can normally arise.
Computing layers should remain unaffected by the transition to cloud technology, such as applications that anticipate messages through IP/TCP interfaces and display information on screens.
The function requires a modular design that doesn’t rely on other modules. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is more ideal for cloud transition, but legacy systems that rely on other applications or business logic can present issues.

Factors Involved in Cloud Strategies

Businesses should take several elements into consideration when coming up with an effective cloud strategy, such as scalability, cost, portability and overall agility. Businesses will want to save money on cloud services, but the other factors are just as important to look at. The highest level of cloud service is optimal, of course, allowing companies to thrive using this technology. Software as a service (SaaS) is considered the top level of service, with platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) following it.

When transitioning to the cloud, companies should also seek outside providers rather than considering in-house cloud technology. External providers cost less and require less resources than in-house operation. With external providers, companies can choose cloud services that are scalable, flexible and agile.

Many cloud providers offer a hybrid approach to cloud services that allow you to run applications with cloud technology using their own technology. One of the ways to avoid complications when moving to the cloud is to segment the company’s levels of technology, allowing for cost effectiveness and efficiency of operation. Cloud service providers are ideal for cloud services, with the expertise needed to provide quality services without incurring expenses seen with in-house operation. Once companies have a good idea about which parts of their systems can function effectively on the cloud, it’s much easier to consult with providers and discuss specific system requirements when making the transition to cloud technology.

One of the most exciting technology advances for businesses today are unified communications services that facilitate communications among employees and clients. For companies that don’t have the capability or desire to operate UC services in house, third-party solutions are available that offer UC as a service, or UCaaS.

UC services offer dramatic benefits to enterprises in terms of creating efficiencies and simplifying communications throughout the operation. Services can include video conferencing, VoIP telephony, instant messaging, chat capabilities, and even data sharing. UC tools allow for a seamless and consistent experience despite potentially different access devices. In additional to operational efficiencies, UC tools can help reduce costs by eliminating travel for on-site meetings and can allow employees to work more easily in the field, or from a remote location.

But UC tools, like any new technology, can be challenging for companies to deploy, particularly if they don’t have the necessary personnel resources in house to deploy and support the technology. UCaaS offers a tidy alternative for companies that would prefer to outsource their UC platform to a third party that can manage and maintain the tools for them.

The growing popularity and availability of cloud services further simplifies UCaaS, as many UC tools and services can be hosted via the cloud. The benefits of delivering UC services via the cloud are numerous. This deployment model allows UC services to be accessed any time, anywhere, which creates significant efficiencies for enterprises.

As with most services hosted in the cloud, cost efficiencies are created by eliminating in-house infrastructure requirements while increasing the effectiveness of business processes. Updates and maintenance of UC tools hosted in the cloud can be undertaken remotely, which creates further efficiencies and cost savings.

An additional benefit of hosting any technology, including UCaaS, in the cloud is that a company can enter the service at a level they are comfortable with, but then scale larger or smaller to meet their changing business needs. Deploying UC tools in house requires a fixed investment and a level of commitment that many businesses and enterprises aren’t prepared to make.

In today’s fast-paced business market, some companies don’t have the time or resources in terms of capital and personnel to build technology systems, such as a UC platform, from the ground up. UCaaS providers have worked to become experts in providing such services to a variety of companies of various sizes and with different requirements.

Once the decision has been made to delve into UC services, companies should take a careful evaluation of their in-house capabilities to deploy and support the platform and also consider the alternative of a third-party deployment. For companies that have hesitated to deploy UC services because of the complexity of building the platform in house, UCaaS might be the open door they’ve been looking for to bring UC services to their operations.

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