How to Achieve ROI in the Public Cloud: Three Tips July 14, 2021 The use of the public cloud is on the rise. According to Gartner, worldwide public spending on public cloud services is expected to grow 18.4% in 2021 to $304.9 billion, up from $257.4 billion in 2020. The report also suggested that this growth in public cloud is expected to be sustained through 2024. If your organization is embracing the public cloud, how can you ensure that you’re achieving the return on investment (ROI) that you’re looking for? Here are three ways to get the most value out of your public cloud investment and achieve cloud ROI. Take Advantage of Hyperscaler Innovation When it comes to choosing a public cloud hyperscaler, the largest offerings from a global perspective are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud The benefit of choosing a public cloud is the ability to leverage their deep expertise, their global reach and scale, and the cloud services that they offer. Additionally, each of these public cloud providers is also heavily invested in innovation, whether it’s around digital transformation, engineering, or finding ways to streamline migration. To make the most of your company’s public cloud investment and achieve cloud ROI, make sure that you’ve tapped into your hyperscaler’s innovation cycle. Not sure how to do that? Find a managed service provider (MSP) to help you navigate cloud innovation and evolution. They can provide you with the insights needed to ensure you’re leveraging hyperscaler innovation to your advantage and how to leverage funding programs by the cloud vendors in their race drive market share. Manage Your Costs The 2020 IDG Cloud Computing Survey found that 94% of all respondents said it’s challenging to take full advantage of public cloud resources, with the biggest obstacle –– cited by 40% –– being the need to control cloud costs. The report suggests this could be the case because cost management was likely used as a selling point to justify cloud migration in the first place, without anticipating both growths of data and cloud management services. For organizations that haven’t yet moved to the public cloud, consider a cloud assessment to head this type of issue off before it makes an impact. By understanding what future overall cloud spend might look like, your organization can be better prepared to manage the financial realities after migrating to the cloud with fewer surprises. Those already in the public cloud that are struggling to achieve cloud ROI should consider partnering with an MSP. Working with an MSP that has deep cloud expertise will ensure you’re able to apply best practices, leverage industry experience, and effectively benefit from the flexible pricing models of the public cloud. Protect Your Assets The same IDG Cloud Computing Study found that concerns around data privacy and security issues (38%), securing and protecting cloud resources (31%), governance and compliance concerns (30%) and lack of security skills or expertise (30%) all played a significant role in not achieving positive cloud ROI. While the public cloud vendor you choose has an infrastructure security team to watch for threats, like malicious distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, or other unusual events, the shared responsibility model prescribes that it’s still incumbent upon you to ensure your company’s data and resources are protected. Essentially, the security of the cloud is the responsibility of the public cloud provider, but you’re responsible for what’s in the cloud. With the average total cost of a data breach hitting US$3.86 million and taking 280 days to identify and contain, it’s important to make sure that your public cloud isn’t only adequately secure, but that your critical data and assets are properly protected in order to achieve cloud ROI. To do so, work with a managed cloud company that builds security into its entire approach. Carbon60 takes a holistic approach to security in the public cloud and provides a robust set of managed security services. Find the Right Partner Overall, public cloud users are able to enable their businesses to meet both their goals and achieve cloud ROI. With the right support, organizations can leverage the public cloud for flexibility, scalability, and help enable digital transformation, while ensuring cloud ROI now and in the future. Carbon60 is an MSP dedicated to helping businesses maximize the performance and security of their core application infrastructure with an agnostic cloud approach using public and hosted private clouds. As a highly recognized AWS Advanced Consulting Partner, Microsoft Azure Gold Partner, Google Cloud Partner along with managed private cloud hosting solutions leveraging VMware, we have the experience and the expertise to support organizations wherever they might be on their cloud journey. Contact us to learn more.
