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Digging Deeper Into The Cloud – The Psychology Behind Cloud Adaptation

Sometimes I get worried when I read about the hype surrounding cloud computing. It looks as if everyone is compelled to climb on to the cloud whether they need it or not. In a way it is a ‘Damned if you do and damned if you don’t’ kind of situation. Needless to say, there are many failures out there. There are also many success stories. Here are some reasons why you are likely to savor success in your endeavor to adopt cloud technology.

Don’t expect an ‘open sesame’ result – managing expectations

This is perhaps the biggest hurdle to be cleared while migrating to the cloud. Corporates either expect miracles to happen or wait with their fingers crossed while making the move to cloud technology. Either option will certainly lead to disappointment. There may be benefits in terms of flexibility in deploying cloud infrastructure. The costs may seem attractive. But there may be other hurdles which stop you from going full steam ahead. The initial sluggishness usually deters many hardened professionals.  Sometimes you are likely to hit a wall and then hurriedly decide that cloud is not for you. We arrive at these abrupt critical decisions because at the back of our mind we have already concluded that cloud is impossible to handle. To avoid this trap you must start with an open mind. You must not expect results, by which I mean tangible returns, immediately. Remember that it takes time for a tree to give fruit. If you take a long term view, small glitches in implementation will iron themselves out over time.

It’s possible that you may not face any issues while moving into the cloud. For this you need to plan well and not expect too much right from the beginning.

Take it one at a time

By this I mean taking graded approach to migration. Every enterprise has critical and non-critical applications and process which run online. It is always recommended that you first experiment with non-critical processes. Once you have learnt from this experience you can start migration of your critical parts into the cloud.

There are two kinds of migration known as hot and cold migration. These kinds of migration can be carried out to meet the needs of users.

A hybrid cloud scenario is best suited for initial cloud deployment. By this I don’t mean private-public cloud. Here I refer to in-house infrastructure running parallel with cloud. This permits us to experiment, fail if inevitable, learn our lessons and finally get up and get going. You are playing safe as also taking your first baby steps into the cloud.

In my experience, every cloud migration is different and unique. The problems you may face cannot be determined in advance. The only way forward is to practically experience change. We all know how important and difficult it is for us to manage change. Taking it one at a time can lead to peaceful resolution of issues and pitfalls.

In my following post I will discuss factors which you must take into consideration while migrating to the cloud. Meanwhile you can think about what I have said here. I look forward to reader’s opinion on the subject.

Costs involved in change -Training staff

Expect pain and pangs

It’s about changing mindsets 

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Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Guest Author:

Sankarambadi Srinivasan, ‘Srini’, is a maverick writer, technopreneur, geek and online marketing enthusiast rolled into one. He began his career as a Naval weapon specialist. Later, he sold his maiden venture and became head of an offshore Database administration company in Mumbai. He moved on as Chief Technology Officer of one of the largest online entities, where he led consolidation of 300 online servers and introduced several Web 2.0 initiatives. He holds a Master’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication.

Do Technology Companies Need Cloud Cover?

‘We know cloud technology. You don’t have to teach us.’ This is the typical answer you are likely to get from a technology company. But many just don’t understand the primacy of cloud computing and simply stick to the old and tried.  Here are some very good reasons why technology companies must look at cloud more closely.

The clients want cloud

Throughout my career there is one thing which has been hammered into me – The client is always right. Let’s look at it this way. Clients are becoming more tech savvy and the buzz around cloud technology is too loud to be ignored. Everyone wants to be in a cloud. As a tech company you have to accommodate the requests of clients. I am not saying that every situation demands cloud presence. But I don’t see a situation where cloud is a liability. In fact, every brick and mortar hosting service can easily be shifted to the cloud without any problem.

Scalability

It’s almost embarrassing to talk about scalability in a cloud. The issue has been so widely discussed that everyone knows about the advantages. But a technology company needs to look at scalability as an important factor.

Say for example you have hundred clients using your software. The mix may contain some big players and a lot of small businesses. There is bound to be fluctuation in overall traffic. This may be daily (heavy during day and tapering off in the night), annually (peaking during certain months) or seasonal (during Christmas and New Year or Valentine’s). The problem is that the traffic is mostly unpredictable. As a result if a technology company, due to any reason, doesn’t cater to actual demand, the entire service bouquet may collapse due to insufficient resources. This means hundred clients will face disruption in their services. This is unacceptable.

The cloud server instances can be added or removed at will. This enables technology companies to optimize their resources without compromising the availability of their services. Remember that not all tech guys are loaded with money. The money you save by optimizing resources can be passed on to clients making you more competitive. This means you attract more clients.

Client satisfaction

Faster downloads, nil disruption in services and quick resolution of problems are some factors which lead to client satisfaction. Retention of customers is probably more difficult in today’s competitive environment. As a technology company you will save loads of money by retaining customers. Cloud infrastructure permits or enables clients to enjoy superior services and the overall experience is much better.

To further help clients reduce downtime and fluctuation of traffic, GMO Cloud America, Inc. designed and built a network that focuses on uptime, and created an aggressive Service Level Agreement (SLA). We provide the highest possible resiliency in the flow of data to and from our data centers, we partnered with multiple global network providers. This way you’re not losing opportunities, revenue and the confidence of your users and visitors.

Extending the learning curve

Learning the ropes and nuances of cloud computing takes time. Technology companies cannot think that migration will be easy and without problems. Moreover, eventually everyone has to move into the cloud. You have a definite advantage over your competitors if you are already there and have mastered the cloud technology. You will be in a better position to provide suitable services if and when your clients demand that they be in the cloud. Or else they will shift their loyalty.

Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation

Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Guest Author:

Sankarambadi Srinivasan, ‘Srini’, is a maverick writer, technopreneur, geek and online marketing enthusiast rolled into one. He began his career as a Naval weapon specialist. Later, he sold his maiden venture and became head of an offshore Database administration company in Mumbai. He moved on as Chief Technology Officer of one of the largest online entities, where he led consolidation of 300 online servers and introduced several Web 2.0 initiatives. He holds a Master’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication.

Do Startups And Entrepreneurs Need Cloud Cover?

Having started a startup myself, I have a soft corner for entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, I was looking for venture capital when there was not a cloud in sight. If there had been, I would have managed to get venture funding. How does cloud computing enable entrepreneurs to launch new products and services?

Cloud infrastructure does not constitute capital expenditure

Here is how a venture capitalist works – first he looks at the projected balance sheet. He then strikes down anything which looks like capital expenses. For example, if you plan to buy office space. Instead, venture capitalists prefer leasing of office. Buying online and offline IT infrastructure also falls within the ambit of capital expenses. Earlier we never had the option and therefore venture capitalists had to bear the initial cost of servers and related equipment. A few years back the cost of hardware used to be high and therefore, people like me could not attract venture funding.

With cloud infrastructure the entire scenario has changed. All online hardware can now be easily hired. This means that expenses on this account need not be put under the capital account. Venture capital firms are happy that they don’t have to spend on idle infrastructure. Moreover we have flexibility in deploying server instants as required. Scaling is a fantastic opportunity for startups. In fact, it’s now possible to launch an online venture without any financial assistance. We can start with a single server instance and scale up as the demand increases.

Reduction in staff requirement and associated expenses

The beauty of cloud infrastructure does not stop with funding. We can cut down drastically on expenditure which we would otherwise incur for employing technical staff. The cost involved in maintaining technical staff had gone up dramatically. For every technical hand you employ, you need someone to look after backend work. This adds to the working expenses. With managed cloud services you can whittle down your technical staff to nil. I would consider this as the most important advantage of cloud services. With a bit of tech savvy, an entrepreneur can now start a business without any capital expenditure and with no employees. You just need an idea and you are up and running. What a miracle!

There are different types of professional managed services offered by GMO Cloud America. Outsourcing your resources with us does not only reduce your burden of server administration and costs  but gives you more time to focus on your core business.

Uncertainty in startup businesses

I don’t blame venture capitalists for being extra careful. It’s a fact that for every successful startup, there are a hundred failures. Even if you are fully confident, there is no surety that you will be successful. Earlier, a few years back, if your business went down you went down along with it. You never got another opportunity. With cloud computing things have changed. You can put your ideas into practice without risking your life and savings. You can begin your venture with a single server instance and scale up as you go. In case you don’t find an audience you can always wind up and give another idea a go. This is really great for startups.

Conclusion

Cloud infrastructure is the way to go for startups and entrepreneurs. It’s a boon which must not be ignored. I wish the situation was the same a few years back. I would have been a millionaire now. Grab this opportunity and join the cloud bandwagon. Happy journey!

Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation

Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Guest Author:

Sankarambadi Srinivasan, ‘Srini’, is a maverick writer, technopreneur, geek and online marketing enthusiast rolled into one. He began his career as a Naval weapon specialist. Later, he sold his maiden venture and became head of an offshore Database administration company in Mumbai. He moved on as Chief Technology Officer of one of the largest online entities, where he led consolidation of 300 online servers and introduced several Web 2.0 initiatives. He holds a Master’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication.

What Should Established Corporates Move Into The Cloud First?

In my last post I discussed whether established entities should move to the cloud. In this post I will talk about what should be moved first into the cloud.

Email servers

This is an activity which can easily be moved to the cloud. Usually enterprises have in-house or local email servers which need to be managed, upgraded and maintained. This means a server technician to be available all the time. This adds to the cost of maintaining email servers. Hardware crashes, though not that frequent, can disrupt normal day to day functioning. Moreover if you have offices spread over the globe, it does not make any sense to have such an arrangement. Probably, there was a time when in-house email servers made sense when bandwidth was a limitation. Emails in those days clogged the internet pipeline. Now things are totally different. Bandwidth doesn’t cost much and internet and intranet have become one and the same – in terms of cost. Migrating email function to the cloud has therefore become an economical alternative. Moreover, with unified communication becoming the norm in many enterprises, local servers have become redundant.

The choice is between servers located in a data center or in the cloud. The second alternative has all the advantages of the cloud including flexibility and scalability. That’s the reason why I recommend that you move your emails to the cloud first.

Test servers

IT staff is always busy. People always wonder what they are up to all the time. Testing software on a server and moving the code to production servers is an unending activity. Testing is a great opportunity to experiment and learn about the cloud. Even if you make a mistake (in fact making mistakes is a welcome activity while testing) your production activities are not hindered. Moving your test servers to the cloud must form a big part of your migration strategy.

Backup and storage

Cloud storage is economical, stable and also secure. You can quickly access your backup in case of need.

Disaster recovery

Accidents happen. The best of data centers face blackouts. Servers crash. This is the reality. In such a situation we must plan for disaster recovery. In my opinion, the time taken for resuming normal activity is critical while designing disaster recovery systems and processes. If you have your backup in a cloud, this time can be reduced considerably. Moreover, you can get hundreds of servers operational in a cloud in no time, which is not possible in case of a traditional server setup. Remember that you have not yet migrated fully to the cloud.

With GMO Cloud America’s high availability features, you can create the environment that will suit your needs. Reliable and resilient to any disaster at hand and is yet to come.

Unplanned workload

This is something which you cannot plan for. Sometimes you may face high traffic which may overload your servers. In such a situation you can always utilize the cloud.

Conclusion

Once you have moved the above activities to the cloud, it will give you ample opportunity to experiment and learn about the cloud environment. I am sure there would be many issues which will crop up. Your technical staff would have a long learning curve. In due course of time senior management would be mentally prepared to migrate all your activities to the cloud.

Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation

Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Guest Author:

Sankarambadi Srinivasan, ‘Srini’, is a maverick writer, technopreneur, geek and online marketing enthusiast rolled into one. He began his career as a Naval weapon specialist. Later, he sold his maiden venture and became head of an offshore Database administration company in Mumbai. He moved on as Chief Technology Officer of one of the largest online entities, where he led consolidation of 300 online servers and introduced several Web 2.0 initiatives. He holds a Master’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication.

Do Established Online Entities Need Cloud Technology?

I think this is the foremost question in the minds of many chief technology officers. Should you tinker with your web infrastructure when everything is working fine? Do you need cloud technology at all?

The future lies in the cloud

I personally think that online infrastructure will completely move into the cloud and it’s going to happen sooner than we all think. This move is inevitable because of several reasons. The most important factor is efficiency. Traditional infrastructure has built-in inefficiency. Most web servers work at around 30% capacity most of the times. This is an overwhelming amount of inefficiency. As cost of maintaining data centers goes up, the traditional servers will have to give way to the cloud.

Cloud technology, on the other hand, is beautifully designed for better efficiency. Here we talk of server instances and not server hardware. Cloud infrastructure service providers will therefore enjoy better margins which they can pass on to customers.
Assuming that the cloud will occupy the entire online space; do you think it makes sense to remain with traditional technology? I think it’s time you start getting used to the cloud.

Learning and migrating

Established companies have an inherent advantage. They can pick and choose what they want to move into the cloud and when. For example, you can begin with your emails. Let me say that email management may look simple, but it’s quite a process. If you have a chat feature built-in, the memory it hogs can be enormous. Moreover, the bandwidth requirement increases tremendously when hundreds of your staff and customers are on chat simultaneously. Getting these applications into the cloud can ease out your existing traditional online infrastructure.
The biggest advantage of shifting step by step is that you can enjoy a long learning curve. Make no mistake – you will falter along the way while you step into the cloud.

Tooth to tail ratio

The bigger your infrastructure, the more the staff required to maintain it. This adds up to overall increased load on staff. Technical staff can be costly to employ and this expenditure can be cut down drastically when you are in the cloud. This is called the tooth to tail ratio. For every ten operational employees you need one staff for managing them – salaries and meeting government and statutory requirements etc. If you have a thousand employees you have hundred who are working to maintain them. Now you can imagine the saving when you cut down the tooth to tail ratio.

To help you further cut down on expenses, GMO Cloud offers professional managed services to increase efficiency in business operations

Flexibility

This is another important reason why established entities must migrate to the cloud. Flexible infrastructure means benefits beyond saving money. When in the cloud you can add server instances or reduce them as desired. This is not possible with traditional infrastructure. Established entities must look at their existing traditional online infrastructure and re-evaluate the assets. I am sure they will find redundancies which they never knew existed. Do a cost analysis and you will always come to the same conclusion – that the cloud is economical.

Conclusion

Established entities do require cloud technology – if not now, then certainly in the very near future.

Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation

Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Sankarambadi Srinivasan, ‘Srini’, is a maverick writer, technopreneur, geek and online marketing enthusiast rolled into one. He began his career as a Naval weapon specialist.Later, he sold his maiden venture and became head of an offshore Database administration company in Mumbai.He moved on as Chief Technology Officer of one of the largest online entities, where he led consolidation of 300 online servers and introduced several Web 2.0 initiatives. He holds a Master’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication.