5 Business Applications You Can Safely Migrate to the Cloud

Many enterprises are starting to recognize the benefits of migrating legacy IT systems to the cloud. However with some organizations the concerns over security and privacy still prevail, especially when it comes to a public cloud environment.  Although this is a legitimate concern and one that requires a lot of planning on the part of the organization, there are applications which are suitable for the public cloud even if cloud hosting is located near your competitors. According to studies conducted by Gartner and others, more than three quarters of enterprises are currently using the public cloud for enterprise applications or they are planning to use a public cloud model in the near future.  The majority of these enterprises have more than 600 staff members and are using or planning to use public cloud environments for applications such as CRM, email, and other purposes.  Some of the applications are SaaS (Software as a Service) where others are not mission critical to company operations. Migration to the cloud involves many considerations during the planning phase. Meanwhile, there are enterprise applications which are fitting for a public cloud model regardless of your type of business. Pay as You Go Development Apps Development and testing can be a costly proposition for enterprises but at the same time it is a necessary application for business growth and expansion.  When it comes to business applications and SQL, the amount of server sprawl can be significant which results in under-utilization of server resources.  Instead, development and testing can be accomplished using a public cloud model which allows you to use a pay as you go model when using public cloud services.  This alleviates concerns over performance and storage when implementing ongoing integration and agile methodologies which are a necessary part of development and testing. CRM Apps Customer relationship management is typically delivered via a SaaS model which is not directly connected with other enterprise applications except for tools such as email and order tracking and management.  This allows a CRM solution to be easily migrated to a public cloud service.  It is important to note that this does not include customer data since there are compliance regulations which must be met to ensure data security and privacy. Message Archives Many enterprises face regulations in terms of being required to archive past email messages for a specified length of time.  These are daily correspondences which are typically managed on an internal server but in recent years have been moved to a cloud environment.  By using public cloud storage, message archives can be easily managed and stored at a much lower cost than an in-house infrastructure. Occasional Apps If you take a look at the many applications which are used for enterprise operations chances are you will discover that you have applications which are used infrequently or hardly ever.  These are applications which can be moved to a public cloud environment.  Since public cloud services are typically on a pay as you go basis you can save on costs while increasing space and improving the performance of mission critical applications which are accessed on a daily basis. Large Data Archives If you have a massive amount of data which must be placed in the archives within a relatively short period of time, moving it to the public cloud simplifies the process while saving your enterprise time and money.  If the amount of data is large enough it could potentially require as much as several hundred servers.  By archiving the data to a public cloud this can be accomplished within a matter of hours and without the exorbitant cost of procuring the hardware infrastructure to archive the data. Finally, any other applications which are supportive applications as opposed to mission critical are good candidates for the public cloud.  These include applications such as website components including PDF documents and images which are public information, customer support applications, training server applications, and other apps which can safely be moved to a public cloud service while utilizing the level of security which is offered by the service. Many public cloud services are deploying new technologies for security and privacy which is a sign that senior managers and IT professionals will be making more use of the public cloud in the near future. Meanwhile, a careful review of the purpose of different business applications and how they are used avoids a lot of the concern that surrounds security and privacy. As a result, these applications can be easily moved to the public cloud with a flexible payment arrangement which helps enterprises save on IT costs while increasing productivity.  

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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: Aeyne Schriber has more than two decades of accumulated experience in IT security, computer technology, and internet marketing, including technology education and administration field both on the public school and college level. She works worldwide helping companies establish an online presence from small businesses to large enterprises.  Her skills as a published copywriter and marketer also include consulting and training corporate personnel and entrepreneurs. Visit her site at www.digitalnewmediamarketing.com