6 Challenges Businesses Face When Moving to the Cloud (& How to Overcome Them)

Moving to the cloud is an important yet best decision for organizations looking to stay ahead of the curve in today’s digitally driven world. With cloud computing, it provides several advantages to businesses, ranging from flexibility and scalability to cost savings and improved collaboration. 

If you’re a business owner with concerns about moving to the cloud, such as cloud costs, a lack of budget, or reliability, be sure to keep reading as we’ll go over the top challenges businesses face when migrating to the cloud and how to overcome these challenges to ensure a smooth and successful transition.

What business problems does cloud computing solve (and how)?

Cloud computing helps address some of the most pressing business problems in today’s digital landscape. What happens, for example, if your online store experiences a surge in web traffic? You might invest in physical hardware and software to handle a high spike in web traffic, which could be very costly. It also takes up extra time and money if you have a staff IT team rather than an outsourced team managing your infrastructure. This is more of a traditional approach.

On the other hand, cloud service providers can help scale your infrastructure by increasing server capacity, adding more storage, or implementing load balancing to distribute traffic across multiple servers. This also allows your company to buy resources on demand, which means you only pay for what you use.

Additionally, moving to the cloud is about moving from CAPEX to OPEX for the IT environment. Installing new hardware and software licensing on-premises often requires a high upfront capital expense, whereas cloud-hosted solutions are typically billed on a monthly basis on a pay-as-you-go basis, shifting them to an operational expense. This helps to avoid the high upfront costs associated with on-premise infrastructures, which is helpful for many small businesses.

Overall, cloud computing and on-premise are both reliable and secure solutions. But cloud computing is often more affordable than installing hardware and software that requires more maintenance and an on-site team to manage it all. 

Aside from website crashes and high traffic, here are a list of other problems that cloud computing can help solve in your business: 

• Productivity for remote workers: There are cloud computing tools that can help with data sharing, communication, and collaboration.
• Data security: By migrating to the cloud, your devices can be secured and handled appropriately. For instance, some cloud security features can delete data from a phone or a computer and block access if the device goes missing and if someone else has the device.
• Disaster recovery: If you store your data in the cloud, you can access it from anywhere. Plus, if your company somehow loses any important data, you can quickly recover your data using cloud-based services. Dropbox Business and Google Cloud storage are few common applications to store data. 

With cloud computing, your company can rest assured that these problems can be solved without having to make an expensive investment for on-site solutions.  

What challenges come with cloud adoption for businesses?

For businesses, adopting cloud technology can sometimes be a challenge. Some challenges that your business might encounter when switching to the cloud include data transfer, downtime, and cost management.

Data transfer and migration

When you transfer large amounts of data to the cloud, it can be time-consuming and costly if your company needs access to high-speed internet to transfer data. Here are a few tips to make the transfer process easier:

• Identify which parts of data are important to transfer to the cloud first.
• Reduce the amount of data your company has and only keep relevant information. (remove duplicate data files, archive old data, or compress large files).
• Contact your cloud services provider to guide you through the transfer process as they can provide best practices and answer any questions. 

Downtime and Compatibility

Companies may need to update their software and hardware, so it’s compatible with the new cloud infrastructure. For example, your computer may be running an out-of-date operating system that no longer receives updates or support from the manufacturer. This means it will be incompatible with new technology and more vulnerable to security threats. To make sure your computer operates smoothly, you can upgrade to newer software versions that are actively maintained and supported by the manufacturer.

Your company may also experience downtime which might take time for data to transfer and establish new systems. This can take hours or even days, depending on the process. 

If your business needs help resolving any of these issues, you can work with a cloud service provider such as The CORE Group. We can provide various migration and integration tools and 24/7 technical support to minimize downtime.

Cost Management

With continual cloud storage and service costs, adopting cloud technology can be costly but worth it in the long term. Evaluate the cloud service provider’s pricing and billing policies carefully, and ensure you understand the total cost of ownership. You can also consider a hybrid cloud strategy, which allows your company to combine the benefits of cloud technologies with the cost savings of on-premises infrastructure. 

Hybrid cloud strategy

Netflix is one example of a company that employs a hybrid cloud strategy to balance the need for scalability with the high cost of extensive cloud storage. By implementing a hybrid cloud approach, Netflix is able to save money on hardware and storage costs while still providing a seamless and reliable streaming experience to its customers. This is due to storing content in the cloud and using on-premises infrastructure to handle the processing and delivery of the content.

What is the major reason some businesses have avoided moving to the cloud?

Traditionally, many businesses have avoided moving to the cloud due to insufficient budgets and the cost in dollars and man hours of employee training on new technology. However, because cloud services are constantly evolving and improving, cloud service providers have various tools and strategies to help all sizes of businesses migrate to the cloud smoothly. This includes ongoing support and being open about their pricing and billing policies. By partnering with a reputable cloud service provider like The CORE Group, your company can be confident that its data is secure and will receive the assistance it needs to make the transition to the cloud as smooth as possible.

What are the problems associated with cloud computing?

If you’re considering cloud services for your business, you might have questions and concerns about the process and problems that could occur with cloud use. In fact, data security, privacy, and lack of visibility and control are two of the most common cloud computing concerns and solutions.

Data Security and Privacy

While data breaches continue to happen on the cloud and off, there are a few ways to help minimize this risk. For example, choose a cloud service provider with strong security policies and data protection protocols such as regular vulnerability testing and adding more security steps when logging into websites or accounts. By being proactive and thorough in your security and choosing a cloud services provider that prioritizes and practices strong security measures, you can help protect your business from potential data vulnerability and privacy risks

 

Lack of Visibility and Control

It’s important that you and your team know where your data is being stored and how it’s being used and protected. When you hand over your IT management to a cloud services provider or managed IT provider, it’s easy to lose sight of the day-to-day operations and maintenance of your data and technologies. 

But holding onto control isn’t as difficult as you might think. We recommend taking a deeper look at the management tools provided by your cloud service provider. Often, these tools will give you access to monitor and report on your data, technology, and security measures without the added stress of daily management. Another best practice is to create a guide that outlines how your data and applications are managed, as well as who has access to them. 

By taking these steps, you can have peace of mind knowing you can still manage your information in the cloud and ensure that your business maintains control and transparency of its IT procedures and data maintenance. 

Ready to move to the cloud? Let The CORE Group help your business scale and stay secure.

Moving your business to the cloud has many advantages, but it also has challenges. With CORE Group’s expertise and 24/7 support, we will work with your company every step of the way to ensure a secure, efficient, and cost-effective cloud solution that meets your specific needs. You can be confident that our team will support your company in the long run.