Getting started

Of course, cloud solutions bring great benefits, however, we cannot ignore the fact that introducing any type of new technology into your business may put you at great risk, but with cloud technologies, the risks and barriers can be turned into a positive. 
Before you decide to adopt cloud solutions in your business, it is crucial that you have an in-depth understanding of the cloud and how building your business in the cloud can benefit you and your business. 

You need to evaluate the business capabilities to move to the cloud, your industry, and what your competitors are doing to ensure you gain a competitive advantage. It is, therefore, crucial to work with the right partners to gain much-needed knowledge and minimize risks and enjoy the benefits. 

Moving to the cloud

Tarsus On Demand CEO, Anton Herbst shares his thoughts on factors SMBs and SMEs need to consider before moving or starting a cloud-based business. 

“As a small business you need to understand where you are in your journey of moving your business from analog, old school industrial model to a more digital modern business”, says Anton. 

He notes that if your operations are still paper based, rather get those processes digitized before you start moving the whole business to the cloud. 

“Sometimes if you do not have well-defined processes and try to move your whole business to modern technology like the cloud, you will get into trouble fast.”, he adds. 

Here are a few factors SMBs and SMEs need to consider before moving to the cloud:

1. Clear policies of security and compliance – You need to draft a clearly defined plan on what security measures you will take to make sure that your operations are secure. Security is one of the biggest considerations to make but is also the easiest to forget.
2. Your workload – SMBs and SMEs need to understand the nature of their workload and classify them according to predictable and unpredictable. The predictable workload is when you are doing the same thing month in month out. And unpredictable is when you don’t know when you will need to advance your technology. 
3. Connectivity – Will you have sufficient connectivity when you connect to the cloud? It is pointless to saving save money by adopting cloud solutions only to install low-quality connectivity which will not fully support your business operations.
4. Company culture – If your company culture is highly commanded and control based, then moving to the cloud will be an issue as this requires employers to trust their employees. To succeed in the cloud, you need a flexible culture that allows people to be innovative and have the freedom to learn and grow. 

A final word

Anton notes that technology is advancing at an exponential level, cloud computing is only going to get better and faster with services and solutions to make running a successful and sustainable business easier for SMBs and SMEs, he says.   

“Do not run the risk of being irrelevant because you are hesitant to introduce new technology to your business. Always remember that somewhere someone is looking at your business offerings and thinking there is a better way to provide your solutions using technology”, he says.  

For more information on how to effectively migrate your business to the cloud contact us today our team is ready to assist you.