The Blueprint for Start-up Cloud Mobilization
A Thought Leader Guest Post from James Lloyd-Townshend, CEO of OCSC Member company Jefferson Frank:
Jefferson Frank’s AWS white paper sets a blueprint for start-up cloud mobilization.
Recent changes to the way we work have made cloud technology more in-demand than ever, with many start-up businesses now doubling down on a ‘cloud first’ growth plan.
Modern workforces need to be able to operate remotely—we’ve seen recently how devastating it can be for businesses that don’t have this commodity. That means implementing processes and software to facilitate communication and collaboration when working outside of the office, as well as giving staff remote access to key systems and databases; permissions that would previously have been reserved for on-site access, where security is a lot easier to administer.
As a specialist AWS (Amazon Web Services) recruiter, the conversations we’ve been seeing with cloud customers over the past few months have centred primarily on digital transformation. Unfortunately, many businesses have found themselves unprepared, and are now more desperate than ever to migrate to the cloud.
With fewer issues around legacy systems and data silos, start-ups are in the fortunate position of being able to grow into the cloud, ensuring their systems are futureproof and, perhaps crucially, that they can revert to a fully mobile workforce if and when required.
Using insights from cloud experts across the globe, we’ve put together a white paper on cloud mobility: what you need to know, what issues to look out for, and what best practices can be used to ensure a smooth and fruitful cloud mobilization. Here are some of the highlights:
Data security
Allowing remote access to your business data means you need to be conscious of both internal and external threats. Many cloud providers take responsibility for security of the cloud, but generally the onus is on you, the user, to take responsibility for security in the cloud.
Understanding this distinction could be crucial, which is why our white paper includes a section about the AWS Shared Responsibility Model. There are plenty of options, so you should learn which is the most appropriate in your circumstances and explore products in light of that.
Migration
One of the common issues we see with businesses newly utilizing cloud technologies is that the migration has been rushed, which is often more damaging than sticking with a legacy system!
Part of a successful cloud migration involves working with the vendor to learn what migration assistance they offer, if any, and whether there are any case studies for migrations in similar circumstances to your own (using similar technologies or in your industry). Aside from that, there are clear migration frameworks you can follow, which we’ve detailed in our white paper.
Servers
Businesses used to have to purchase physical servers to house huge amounts of data, and there were many things to consider with this, namely how your systems interacted with those servers and what restrictions you had to work under. Serverless technology has meant scalable storage usage, clear visibility on costs, and easier development. The preference of many new cloud customers, if they can, is to go serverless, and our white paper helps explore whether serverless is the right option for you.
As we reflect on this current global crisis, we must take what we’ve learned and use that to inform our strategy going forward. On-site systems are no longer fit for purpose, and start-up businesses that move forward with this redundant technology will soon find themselves left behind.
Thanks for this Guest Post and its graphics to Jefferson Frank.
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