Cloud computing has made major in-roads in the business world over the past few years with software as a service (SaaS) becoming a particularly popular solution. Moving to the cloud offers many benefits for businesses, including reduced costs and improved productivity. Before adopting cloud solutions, companies should carefully consider what effective cloud computing will look like at their organizations.
There are seven key cloud migration considerations to keep in mind before making the switch.
1. Should You Enable SaaS Applications?
Enabling SaaS applications offers numerous benefits, but it also poses some potential problems. Here are some key questions to answer:
- How long will it take before SaaS-enabled applications become profitable, and what is the potential return on investment?
- How will SaaS applications benefit clients and customers?
- Will using an SaaS model improve the company’s competitive edge?
- Will SaaS applications open up access to new clients, customers, and markets?
These SaaS-related risks should be carefully evaluated:
- Moving to SaaS might require organizational changes and additional staff training.
- SaaS models are typically not profitable for customized or highly specialized applications.
- Pay-per-use SaaS structures make it easier for customers to change vendors; this could be a benefit or a risk, depending on the vendor chosen.
2. Private vs. Public Cloud
Here’s one of the most important cloud migration considerations: should your business choose a public or private cloud? Private clouds offer enhanced security features and customizable infrastructure, but they also usually cost more. Public clouds, on the other hand, come with greater security risks – although those risks may be mitigated. In addition, public clouds are generally more affordable and are subject to fewer regulations.
3. Will SaaS Models Help Build Business Cases?
Carefully conduct market studies to ensure that SaaS-based applications offer a favorable number of product variations and user features. It is also vitally important to obtain accurate cost projections and revenue potential estimates. Finally, be mindful that brand recognition is key to SaaS service businesses. Vendors that transfer existing brands to the cloud sometimes face marketing challenges in retaining current customers and clients.
4. What Technology Blueprint Will Be Used?
When you choose a cloud solution, you need a comprehensive plan that takes the following factors into account:
- Cloud architecture and setup
- Application re-engineering requirements
- Availability and bandwidth requirements
- Chargeback systems
- Security features
These factors have a major influence on the later performance of the SaaS-enabled system, so it’s crucial to get them right at the outset.
5. Implementation and Optimization
Beta testing should be conducted prior to full implementation to test the system for performance characteristics. You’ll want to know whether the system operates as it is designed to operate. Additional testing should be geared toward identifying any technical glitches and with a goal of determining if users are able to access all system features as intended.
Future scalability, load management, user support, and client on- and off-boarding should also be thoroughly tested and evaluated.
6. Launching the System
Final evaluation to prepare for launching your system is a key cloud migration consideration that shouldn’t be overlooked. Before going live, perform tests to ensure the following:
- All impactful problems are resolved, and the system infrastructure is fully stabilized.
- All backups and recovery features are working properly.
- User experience has been optimized.
- Services are functioning within pre configured limits.
7. Maintaining a Successful SaaS System
Once your SaaS system is up and running, take the opportunity to review the overall plan and anticipate next-level challenges and opportunities. Your system should be capable of incorporating future product variations and changing branding objectives.
A final cloud migration consideration to keep in mind is ongoing user experience factors. You can monitor this by conducting regular, thorough reviews of all applicable data, and by being proactive in solving and addressing both current and possible future problems. For a successful cloud migration, contact the experts at Enterprise Visions.