At Nexinite, we get the “I’ve migrated but now what”question a lot. Companies moved to the cloud because they heard it’s a better way to manage data. But, now they’re wondering how to use the cloud well.

Gone are the days of storing information on floppy disks and flash drives and hoping you can find it later when you need it. With cloud computing, data is stored on large servers, often at off-site locations. Data is secured on these servers and then accessed digitally when its needed.

Gartner, a research and advisory company, estimates almost$400 billion (yes, with a B) will be spent on cloud computing in 2022. And according to Leftronic, a “middleman” of sorts for people seeking tech jobs, about 90% of companies utilize some kind of cloud services already.

Obviously, a lot is happening “in the cloud.”

But just because “everyone’s doing it,” doesn’t mean it’s being done well.

Below are two ways to make sure cloud computing is truly amore efficient way of doing business for your company.

(Side note - If you haven’t migrated, please reach out to us.Our process for moving companies to the cloud includes the migration phase +the “now what” phase. We won’t leave you wondering about the benefits and uses of the cloud.)  

Use Your Licenses Well

CoreView found in a large-scale global study in 2020 that over 50% of Microsoft Office 365 licenses are misused. CoreView surveyed five million enterprise workers and discovered Office 365 licenses are often underutilized, oversized (i.e., more access is given to the user than needed),unassigned or not reassigned when an employee leaves.

So the first step in answering “now what” is to look at your licenses.

It’s the initial step we take for a company when it asks us about cloud strategy or cloud migration. This step shouldn’t be skipped.

For example, we recently worked with a client who had lots of oversized licenses, employees with access, for example, to Power BI, but who had no need to use this specific Microsoft product. When we pointed out this issue, we saved the client money, as well as restructured licenses in a useful manner to the company.  

The step can be a daunting task, but it’s a worthwhile one.It gives you clarity about the cloud products your company has purchased and how they’re being used. Plus, it helps with finance conversations and budgets too.

Some questions to get the ball rolling:

What licenses are you paying for?

Do the license levels match the needs of the workers using them?

Are you paying twice for the same service that’s being provided by two different companies? Is there overlap in services?

Plan to Educate

Buying a new appliance or a new car comes with a learning curve we all can relate to. We confidently used the old one. But for one reason or another, we needed to get that new microwave or vehicle. Suddenly, we find ourselves unable to warm up our food without a struggle or shivering as we drive because we didn’t account in our morning routine for the extra 10 minutes needed to learn the control buttons. So, we freeze and shiver on this maiden voyage to work.

A learning curve is to be expected with new purchases.Buying licenses and then migrating to cloud services are no different.

One of the most powerful ways to answer the “now what”question is to plan for it!

Expect for there to be a learning curve.

It’s for this reason we revamped several years ago how we offer cloud migration. Part of our process is now “implementation and training.” If team members don’t know how to use cloud services, company leaders will get a lot of “now what”questions. If these are left unanswered, a company often experiences low adoption rates and high frustration levels. (And those are good for business.)
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Have You Migrated?

Is your company already utilizing the cloud? Are you confidently using it? Seeing the benefits? 

If you’re asking, “Now what?” reach out to us. We’re passionate about answering this question because we’ve worked with a lot of customers who come to us frustrated and confused.

But after we helped them get clear on licenses and create a plan for educating frontline workers all the way to the C suite, these clients see the advantages of cloud computing.

It’s a win-win. They’re happy in the cloud, and we’re happy that they’re happy. Basically, we’re all on cloud nine. (Forgive us. We’ve been itching to use that phrase this whole blog.)

Sources

CoreView. (2020, April 7). 56% ofBusinesses’ Microsoft Office 365 Licenses are Not Fully Exploited, CoreViewResearch Finds. Business Wire.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200407005154/en/56-of-Businesses%E2%80%99-Microsoft-Office-365-Licenses-are-Not-Fully-Exploited-CoreView-Research-Finds

Gartner. (2021, April 4). Gartner Forecasts Worldwide Public Cloud End-UserSpending to Grow 23% in 2021.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021-04-21-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-public-cloud-end-user-spending-to-grow-23-percent-in-2021

Leftronic. (2021, January 8).28Captivating Cloud Computing Statistics. https://leftronic.com/blog/cloud-computing-statistics/