intelligent

Jonathan Bridges , Chief Innovation Officer , Exponential-e

pandemic has caused three quarters ( 73 %) to accelerate these projects .

But with workloads spread across multiple environments , how do businesses ensure they are effectively managed ? This is where active cloud management comes in , which can be provided by a cloud service or a managed service provider , or as Softwareas-a-Service to enable independent management of the cost , reliability and performance of a cloud infrastructure .

With the help of third-party experts throughout the process , businesses can receive hands-on support for design , migrations and deployment . For example , gohenry , a prepaid Visa debit card and mobile designed exclusively for children , grew its customer base and needed to scale quickly and securely .

It migrated from existing private cloud infrastructure to Google Cloud with the help of Rackspace Technology . Now gohenry benefits from a custom multi-cloud environment – a hybrid set-up which allows it to connect its public cloud environment to private cloud to securely support its payments application .

Often benefit is found from expert third-party help and management which can help an organisation overcome internal hurdles and fill common skills gaps .

Flexibility of choice is also important , in particular for SMEs . We launched Service Blocks to enable a flexible and tailored approach to cloud management , allowing businesses to scale up or down their cloud services when required . This ultimately enables businesses to create their very own customised solution and address their unique cloud needs while maximising value . from adopting a holistic strategy to manage this complexity .

However , first things first . Any cloud management strategy must be built around a business ’ key objectives to be successful . That means assessing the business ’ wider ambitions and its Digital Transformation goals , and then envisaging how cloud helps fulfil them . Often this exercise will require IT teams to map out exactly how they use each of their multiple cloud environments , so they have a clear path both to achieving these objectives and seamlessly managing and optimising workload delivery .

This is where the support of a cloud management provider can be highly beneficial . They have the specific expertise to fill any gaps in skills or knowledge that may be present in-house . This means they can help with tasks such as improving cost optimisation , maximising performance and evolving the organisation ’ s cloud strategy in line with market and business fluctuations . Crucially , a trusted technology partner can also automate optimisation across multiple clouds and advise on future strategic decisions that might determine how the cloud supports the overall performance of the business .

Another benefit of a cloud management partner is that they will advise and support you through any migration processes . A lot of businesses considering cloud strategies have cumbersome legacy systems in place and it ’ s rarely advisable to ‘ lift and shift ’ everything in one go . For example , if data has to be hosted in a specific place for compliance purposes . This is one of the reasons why hybrid cloud strategies are becoming so popular , as infrastructure can be migrated in a phased way , mitigating a lot of these concerns and avoiding any disruption to BAU .

ANY CLOUD MANAGEMENT

STRATEGY MUST BE BUILT

AROUND A BUSINESS ’ KEY OBJECTIVES TO BE SUCCESSFUL .

Cloud management isn ’ t straightforward . It comprises a range of technical tasks . These include managing databases and servers , compliance and security and deploying applications . This can be challenging and timeconsuming , and most businesses will benefit

Cloud Management Platforms ( CMPs ) are best for ensuring true integration and optimisation . A CMP is a suite of software tools that supports the management of businesses ’ entire cloud estates through a single screen . This can be especially useful if your cloud footprint consists of a mixture of private and public cloud services . A CMP allows lines of business and IT teams to collectively analyse the productivity and usage of each of the company ’ s clouds , ensuring that it delivers on its potential .