A lot of small to mid-sized businesses have already made the plunge into Cloud Computing, or some form of Cloud services.
For those of you currently thinking about it or planning for it, we'd like to give you a realistic view of what moving your business environment to the Cloud could mean.
Unfortunately, it's not the most natural thing for your current business environment to transition to the Cloud. You'll need qualified support to get the process underway.
Let’s look at some of the commonly overlooked factors of moving to the Cloud – specifically, how it will impact your employees.
1. You’ll Still Need Regular IT Support – Even if Your Technology Is Cloud-Based
The most significant mistake is thinking you no longer need IT support if you move to the Cloud. You're still going to need IT people around because Cloud or no Cloud, business IT problems don't go away.
The Cloud may simplify your IT infrastructure, but it also makes supporting and troubleshooting that infrastructure more complex. So, don't be fooled by the notion that you get out of needing qualified in-house and/or outsourced technical resources.
The transition period can be uncomfortable for your staff. It's a pretty significant change to your employees and the way they view IT. They’re used to a certain way of troubleshooting, and that will have to be recalibrated.
In many ways, the dynamic of having your infrastructure in the Cloud separates your employees from their production environment, and this can be complex.
2. Expect 60-90 Days of Increased User Issues
Moving your data to the Cloud is NOT a push-of-a-button process – your staff WILL be impacted.
All things considered, plan on about 60-90 days of increased user issues. This won't be like riding a bike, at all. Moving to a Cloud service will be a significant change to you and to your employees.
Plan to give them, yourself, and your IT team time to adjust. (Another reason why getting rid of IT support would be a problem).
You'll all need to be retrained on troubleshooting issues and how to interact with your IT support team. The reality is, it's not a natural concept to any new users, so you’ll have a period of adjustment.
This is the biggest issue that decision makers and owners fail to understand and plan for, but it will likely cause the most commotion. So again, we recommend expecting a 60 to 90-day period to get things under control.
3. Success in the Cloud Depends on Internet Connectivity
Internet connectivity and bandwidth have a significant impact on the user experience when your data is in the Cloud.
The Cloud is great, but it puts a heavy burden on bandwidth. Connectivity has become the lifeblood of a successful Cloud rollout. It has the power to make or break the success of your Cloud migration. And it also has the keys to your employees’ frustration level.
The possibility of loss of production due to poor Internet connection, or the Internet being down completely, is now ten-fold.
You’ll want to make sure that you have good quality bandwidth before moving to the Cloud -- it'll save you time, money, and the headache of upset employees.
We always stress to our clients the importance of beyond adequate bandwidth, but also redundant or backup Internet connections. If you use the Cloud for business and don't have a second source of Internet, it's time to check in with your IT department or IT service provider to make that happen.
If the Cloud is in your future, make sure you spend some time factoring in these often-overlooked areas. Your employee experience can really make or break this transition. So why not jump in with a solid plan with their user experience in mind?
Have more questions? We're happy to chat anytime. Give us a call at 800-481-4369.
Related: 3 Things to Consider When Planning a Cloud Migration
