by Mark Sontz –
It’s one thing to deploy a cloud model to manage and run your business’s operations—it’s quite another to do so efficiently, effectively, and securely.
That’s where cloud strategy consulting comes into play.
Cloud strategy consulting refers to a service that experienced partners can provide to advise organizations on how to effectively leverage cloud computing technology to achieve their business and security objectives and efficiently manage their architecture.
As more internal and customer-facing services migrate to the cloud, cloud strategy consulting helps organizations effectively harness the power of their cloud computing resources to drive innovation, facilitate scalability to meet changing business needs, and achieve great cost efficiencies.
What a Cloud Strategy Consultant Could Do for Your Business
Whether it’s helping organizations better align their technology infrastructure to their overall business drivers or maximizing a business’s competitive advantage, cloud strategy can bring a lot of strong benefits to your operations.
Some of the most important include:
Assessing current application portfolio, IT infrastructure, and business goals.
Cloud strategy consulting is a powerful way to assess an organization's application portfolio and IT infrastructure and align it with its business goals. For example, an experienced partner can perform a comprehensive application rationalization to determine which cloud-based applications to retire, sustain, consolidate, or invest in based on overarching business goals and technology maturity. In turn, organizations can experience enhanced performance, reduced costs, and improved agility.
Developing a cloud migration and modernization plan.
Cloud strategy consulting can also help in developing a cloud migration roadmap that outlines the necessary steps for moving applications and data to the cloud while minimizing disruption to business operations.
Equally important, cloud strategy consulting can assist in defining governance and security policies as well as disaster recovery and business continuity planning to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and data protection best practices. This ensures that organizations can effectively manage and secure their cloud usage while adhering to industry standards and maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their data.
Advising on cloud vendor selection and management.
Cloud strategy consulting is also a powerful way to get tailored assistance in selecting the right cloud technology and services based on specific needs and budgets. This is especially important for emerging cloud technologies such as machine learning and big data analytics.
Once selected, the partner can provide personalized training and support to an organization’s employees to facilitate smoother change management and to achieve faster adoption of the cloud-based tools. This enables businesses to gain a competitive edge and drive innovation in their industry.
Providing ongoing support and monitoring.
Finally, cloud strategy consultants can help your organization to leverage cloud technologies such as machine learning, AI, and big data analytics to gain a competitive edge in your industry. Knowing how to use these advanced tools can give your organization the ability to better predict customer behavior, analyze market trends faster and more accurately, and offer integration and personalization across your platforms for a seamless user experience.
How to Find the Best Cloud Strategy Partner
These sound like a tall order for a consulting partner to deliver. But with the right partner, your organization will get more than just help with these elements; it will also gain a trusted advisor that is looking out for its long-term success.
So how do you find that proverbial needle in the consulting haystack?
Here are the must-have requirements to look for:
- Experience:
- Look for a partner with a proven track record of delivering successful cloud projects.
- Ensure they have relevant industry experience and expertise in implementing machine learning, AI, and big data analytics solutions.
- Approach:
- Choose a partner that takes a holistic approach to cloud strategy and can provide end-to-end solutions—from assessment to implementation and ongoing support.
- Seek a partner that understands your specific requirements, organizational values, and business drivers and can use this information to tailor cloud technologies to align with your goals and objectives.
- Partnerships:
- Look for a partner that has strong relationships with leading cloud platforms and service providers so they can recommend the best solutions for your business.
- Ensure they have a broad network of technology partners, enabling them to offer comprehensive and cutting-edge cloud solutions.
- Values:
- Choose a partner that aligns with your values and that understands the role of change management and training.
- Look for a partner that demonstrates a commitment to staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in cloud technologies, machine learning, AI, and big data analytics.
Bringing It All Together
Making the decision to partner with a cloud strategy consulting partner can be an exciting time that marks a milestone in your organization’s growth, agility, and maturity. However, given the importance of your cloud infrastructure in enabling and securing your business, choosing the right partner becomes crucial.
That’s why RCG—with a proven track record, a wealth of technical and industry experience, and a people-driven approach to innovation—stands out as an ideal choice. From initial cloud assessments to seamless implementation and ongoing support, RCG’s holistic approach to cloud strategy gives your team the peace of mind that your cloud infrastructure will be optimized, secure, and adaptable for the road ahead.
Want to learn more about how your team can future-proof your enterprise technology? Then be sure to download our comprehensive e-book, Be Ready for Tomorrow’s Tech Challenges with the Right Digital Services Partner.
