Digital transformation without clouds? No way!

Whether we like it or not, companies migrate to the cloud and undergo digital transformation—and there is no way back. Of course, the pace of change differs in various companies, but the most important thing here is that the direction does not change.

Digital transformation, automation, and digital employee and customer experience rely on the use of cloud technologies in business. Virtual environments are compatible with an infrastructure of any complexity, they can host resource-demanding applications and platforms to build highly competitive business models for companies of different scale and industry.

New products, cost savings and optimization, collaboration and remote work, big data storage and processing are the most obvious capabilities and benefits of cloud technologies—and they already sound attractive to everyone. Moreover, every year clouds are becoming more flexible and less expensive. Companies no longer have to work with one provider: in addition to the obvious “cloud powerhouses”, there are a number of interesting market players that provide services on very lucrative terms. Build hybrid and private clouds, connect (and disconnect) the required number of virtual machines in a few clicks, pay only for the resources that you use, subscribe to the service you need, and enjoy peace of mind thanks to an SLA that protects you, your partners, and customers.

Transform your business with fewer expenses

The cost reduction agenda has acquired a new meaning in the context of digital transformation. Companies need to invest in changes, progress, development, and the new ideas. Ideally, 50% of the budget should be allocated there—to reinvention, improvement, and everything that can be called development. This money can be “won” by reducing such cost items as office rent, hardware purchase, electricity bills, and hiring expensive specialists living in the capital. Use outsourcing-based cloud platforms and save even more than you might have originally expected. Clouds also help to forget about an old headache called “large upfront investments”. You do not need pockets full of money to start working. Great news for business is that the total cost of your new projects will become lower.

Clouds and disruptive technologies

The easiest way to create new products and unparalleled business models is to use so-called disruptive technologies. They include augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, blockchain, advanced robotics, and the Internet of things. Such a mashup of technologies provides the fertile ground for experimenting, non-trivial and bold decisions. Disruptive technologies are mostly interrelated and take advantage of each other—and all of them are enabled by computing resources in clouds. The abovementioned technologies will soon become crucial for most companies. There will be so many of them that it will become difficult to find a field in which evolution could continue without them.

Working with a cloud provider: security issues

The “oldest” argument against clouds is a matter of security. As a rule, the same security measures are used in the cloud and local infrastructure. Read news or statistics: there are almost no leaks by the fault of cloud providers. In most cases, information leaks through employees of the company. Data theft, hacking, and infection with “worms” occur most often by their fault—intentionally or not.

Modern data centers keep full logs of all employee actions. Client representatives can at any time come to the data center in person and see the hardware, on which their data are stored, as well as technologies, on which the cloud is based, and test them from the security point of view. If you migrate from the data center, the data will soon be automatically deleted. Providers do not need to store them—they only occupy the place that can be used for business purposes!

Being one of the largest system integrators and providers of data center services, Softline constantly improves the information security tools of their IT infrastructure. According to a certified auditor, Softline can host IT services in the cloud for companies that require an elevated level of data confidentiality and security.

Industry overview: pioneers and laggards

In our country, the most active “digital champions”, actively applying and offering their own cloud services, are from financial and telecom industries. Retailers try to catch them up; logisticians quickly digitized their business, but manufacturing and medical companies are trailing behind. Unfortunately, the rule of thumb here is that the later you start the transition from the usual and traditional solutions to the digital business, the more money and time will the road require.

Let’s suggest your employees work with really resource-consuming applications (these are widely used for construction and design, rendering, calculations, analytics, etc.). Almost 100% of all existing IT systems can be virtualized without any impact on user experience. From the customization point of view, any cloud (especially private) can be fine-tuned—the restrictions for you here tend to vanish.

Digital transformation and Softline clouds

Sergey Samoukin, Head of Softline Cloud Technology Department, will help you clarify the role of cloud technologies in the digital transformation of your business.