How has the cloud transformed your IT organization over the past decade? Most businesses today make use of the cloud in some way, whether it’s for data storage, for running software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, or as an integral part of the organization’s overall IT infrastructure. The cloud has helped organizations streamline processes and boost data protection strategies, and it has contributed to the overall digital transformation of business in a wide range of industries. At the same time, many organizations have been challenged with unexpected costs and increased IT management complexities.
In a recent survey, Quest and ActualTech Media asked IT professionals how they feel about using the cloud, both public and private. Many have come to understand that while the cloud is a great resource, getting optimal value and performance from cloud technologies requires proper planning, as well as the right tools. For example, it makes no sense to migrate over- or under-utilized systems to the cloud. Use a trusted solution to optimize existing data center systems first. Plan your future cloud resources using true, historical data — and not just during peak periods. Check out this infographic illustrating four other ways to maximize the value of the cloud.
The survey revealed that even though we’ve been discussing cloud for more than a decade, many organizations use the cloud for only a portion of their workload while others have jumped in with both feet. The results show not only how IT pros are making decisions around cloud adoption and workload migration but also how they are managing overall spend in their cloud environments.
Another interesting finding was that many organizations use cloud technologies in some way as part of their disaster recovery processes. Backup and recovery are often the first services that make their way out of the local data center and into the cloud. That’s because using the cloud negates the need to stand up secondary data centers for disaster recovery. It’s a significant cost savings with serious time-to-value and CapEx advantages, not to mention the ongoing operational benefits, including reduced maintenance, fewer patches and a whole lot more.
Using the public cloud as a part of a backup or disaster recovery strategy allows organizations to more quickly adopt such services because the cloud, unlike a secondary data center with adequate infrastructure, is immediately available. The natural geographic segregation from on-premises data centers provides organizations, particularly small ones with only regional footprints, the opportunity to better protect their data. Also, cloud-based disaster recovery often allows organizations that suffer a disaster to quickly recover in the cloud, even if the primary data center is no longer available.
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