You’re excited about getting your company on the cloud, and now you want to get started. Here are 10 cloud service tips to help you jumpstart your cloud experience.
Ask Yourself the Important Questions
The first step you should take while getting started with the cloud is to ask yourself a few questions. Most importantly, how will your business benefit from using cloud services? What difference will it make to your operations? Is now the right time to make the transition? Starting with cloud services is a big change, so take the time to understand your motivations and goals for doing so.
Know Your Options
“Cloud services” is a broad term that encompasses many different things. There is platform as a service (PaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and software as a service, among other options. Knowing your options for cloud services is vital to choosing the right ones for your business.
Move Slowly
Once you decide it’s the way to go, it may be tempting to rush the process of adopting cloud services. That would be a mistake, though. Take your time to make sure everything proceeds as intended and you’re able to address any issues as they arise.
Determine the Transition Costs
The primary costs of adopting cloud computing (that is, the prices the cloud service providers charge) aren’t the only costs to keep in mind during this process. You should also consider moving costs including employee education and time spent moving applications to the cloud.
Calculate the Total Costs of Using Cloud Services
Armed with an estimation of the transition costs and the direct service costs, you’ll have a better idea of how much using cloud services will cost your business in total. That total cost number will make you better equipped to draft a budget and complete a cost-benefit analysis.
Choose What to Move to the Cloud
As part of your cost calculations, you should know how much you’d need to spend to move various business functions to the cloud. You probably won’t want or need to transition all your applications to the cloud. Use the cost-benefit analysis to decide which functions should go to the cloud and which should stay in-house.
Compare Cloud Service Providers
At this point, you should have a clear idea of what cloud services you need and how much you’re willing to spend on them. The next step is to start researching and comparing cloud service providers. It’s worth taking the time to do thorough research here so you can be sure that you’re picking the best provider.
Implement a Disaster Recovery Plan
Most cloud service providers have redundancies in place in case of a disaster. Still, you should have your own disaster recovery plan when you work using cloud services. Learn how to implement a disaster recovery process and don’t forget to put your own in place.
Look at the Big Picture
It’s easy to get bogged down in the details when you’re moving toward using cloud services. Keep an eye on the big picture, though, to stay motivated and work toward a set goal.
Consult the Experts
It’s certainly possible to implement cloud technology on your own, but why not work with experts to help the process go more smoothly?
If you need help getting started on the cloud, reach out to us! 911 PC Help is the expert on all things IT and cloud computing. We’re happy to help your business begin implementing our cloud service tips.