How To Deliver Services and Value Through The Cloud

Cloud computing has become a critical tool for businesses. The pandemic was a global wake-up call that shone a spotlight on the importance of systems resilience, agility, adaptability and scalability.

In a presentation at the recently held CIO Africa Cloud & Security Summit, Managing Director East Africa Region, Africa Data Centres, Dan Kwach highlighted the importance of cloud migration for organisations.

“Cloud is a catalyst for innovation and growth in the future. It is also the heart of business reinvention through the strategic use of data analytics and artificial intelligence. Cloud is a game-changer. It is no longer merely a convenient source of computing or storage resources and businesses that view the cloud this way are missing out on its true value,” he stated.

Kwach also advised organisations on how they can best deliver services and value through the cloud. According to him, for organisations to gain true value from the cloud, they should first come up with a good strategy.

“To gain true value, the first step must be aligning the entire enterprise. Any good cloud strategy requires a methodical framework for delivering and measuring the value to the organization both currently moving forwards, and this must delve into financials, operations and technologies,” he said.

According to him, “A business must realise how it will benefit from cloud migration. It also makes sense to prioritise the easy rewards first, which goes beyond mere cost savings,”.

He stated that entities can realise the following value by successfully implementing cloud in the business. According to him, the cloud will:

• Help to support business acceleration
• Maximize developer productivity
• Increase the efficiency of the infrastructure
• Enhance compliance and security.

When it comes to public cloud, Kwach said organisations should carefully choose the right hyperscalers to work with

“Any organization needs to look at the support it will get from a hyperscaler as well as how it can benefit in terms of innovation and digital transformation. When it comes to going greener, hyperscalers are also on the lookout for ways to increase their sustainability and lower their footprint,” he said.

Furthermore, he advised organisations on setting up the right team that will enable them to implement their cloud migration strategy.

“Nothing is going to beat a well-oiled human resource team. In as much as you can talk about scalability and agility on the cloud side, it is imperative on us to make sure that the teams we have in our organisations are working to the same kind of speed,” he stated.