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Cloud Done Well: Your 3 Steps to Success

Just try to find a company today operating without the help of cloud capabilities. Whether it’s your email, data backup, accounting or line-of-business software application, cloud computing now represents a critical component in the future of organizations in any industry.

Companies continue to shift workloads and key applications to cloud environments. According to Forbes, nearly half of all IT expenditures were devoted to cloud initiatives last year, and by 2020, this will increase to as much as 70% of all technology spending.

It isn’t a question of if you’re moving to the cloud; it’s when. From both a financial and a product perspective, it will make more sense for you to run most applications, manage hardware and software and, of course, maintain security best practices in an off-premise environment.

Silverado has successfully moved over 40 Tucson businesses to the cloud, including professional services, nonprofits, medical practices, schools, manufacturers and more. Here are the 3 steps to start, or continue, your move to the cloud.

3 Steps to Move to the Cloud

1. Assess

Every successful business technology strategy shift requires a baseline evaluation. We recommend an unbiased, expert assessment that takes into consideration current and anticipated variables such as:

Business and industry health

  • Revenue growth goals
  • Number of employees (full-time, part-time, seasonal, remote and on-premise)
  • Infrastructure age and number of workstations
  • Status of key IT warranties
  • Internet speeds

The key to an actionable assessment resides in the evaluator’s ability to balance your business goals with your technology needs. This will most likely include a partial or a full migration to cloud services in a timeframe that best fits your company’s growth plans.

2. Conduct a Proof of Concept

Once the assessment is complete, review the recommendations and ask for a proof of concept for any software applications where you have questions or concerns about how it will operate in the cloud.

Begin with a comprehensive look at all costs. This involves a look at the bottom line and your monthly fee, as well as a careful review of what is included (and perhaps not included) in the cost. A key benefit of the cloud includes predictive expenses. A solution that does not take into consideration all costs associated with your business processes will fall short of expectations.

Now is also the time to ask for a demonstration that the plan will work for your business. Silverado utilizes real-life scenarios to test your plan. That way, you aren’t caught off guard with unexpected upcharges or less-than-ideal productivity outcomes.

3. Prepare and Implement

Upon reaching a decision on how to move forward, it’s time to plan, execute and implement your new cloud-computing system across the organization. In this last leg of your road to success you should:

  • Create roadmaps and timelines designed for your unique business goals
  • Identify and deploy KPI’s and key business processes
  • Strategically execute the cloud migration process

All these initiatives should minimize the impact on the end user and make their experiences better.

3 Keys to Choosing Wisely

The decision to move to the cloud requires expertise, planning and communication. As part of your decision-making process, we suggest you keep 3 best practices in mind.

1. Choose the right IT partner. Your choice of partner for your cloud migration may be just as important as the chosen solution. Don’t feel pressured into a decision that doesn’t align with your business goals. There are always many questions when you are considering moving to the cloud. Be sure the IT partner you select will take the time to fully answer them.

2. Expect some additional costs along the way. A reputable cloud business partner will be able to help you to anticipate these costs and minimize them.

3. Ensure continuity of service and viability of data. Your migration should be on your schedule; not your service provider’s schedule. Here at Silverado, if a customer cannot afford to be closed on regular business days, we will schedule services to be completed on nights and weekends. We know change is hard, and our objective is to make it as painless as possible.

Choose Silverado

We invest in our managed IT team. Our team is invested in your success. From our sales professionals who take time to listen to our technical team who ensure things work right the first time, our exceptional client retention rate illustrates the drive and strategic approach we take for every client we serve in Arizona.

Cloud Services requires expertise to do it right. Our best practices represent 175+ years of combined know-how. Call Silverado at (520) 903-1580 or contact us online and let us help you achieve a successful move to the cloud.

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