4 Ways to Maximize the Cloud's Value4 Ways to Maximize the Cloud's Value

With a deliberate approach to cloud technology, your business can pave the way to success.

When the concept of cloud computing was first introduced in the early 2000s, companies were unsure what to make of this new technology. Most businesses didn't even fully understand what the cloud was.

Over the years, cloud services have evolved from primarily raw infrastructure to comprehensive services that can entirely replace on-premises infrastructure like email servers and phone switches.

As the technology continues to mature, your business is likely hearing more about the value of the services and solutions that comprise the cloud. This may be why research firm Gartner estimates that worldwide spending on public cloud services will reach $210 billion by 2016.

While you probably want to get on board, knowing where to start can be challenging. Here are four easy tips that will help you transition your business into the cloud:

Once you know which services you want to move to the cloud -- whether it's your email, phones, file server, Web server, accounting system, or any other software -- you'll want to identify the right cloud provider. While there are many factors to consider during the search process, it's important to keep these three key components in mind: reliability, integration, and control.

The consistent reliability of IT services is crucial for any business. When your IT is down, your business can incur extremely high costs: Employees can't do their jobs, customers get angry, you lose sales, and valuable IT resources are diverted to handle the crisis. Protect your business from these headaches by selecting a provider that offers a 99.999% (five-nines) uptime guarantee, which assures less than 30 seconds of unscheduled downtime per month.

Second, integration of cloud services can introduce a host of new support, billing, and management complexities. Top-notch providers can facilitate an integration experience that allows you to easily transfer user and device settings across multiple services without accruing unnecessary IT management costs.

Finally, controlling and managing your new cloud services should not create an additional burden on your IT team. In fact, it should make IT management more efficient. Selecting a provider with a simple yet powerful control system will help avoid unnecessary labor costs while increasing your business's capabilities.

Many companies make the leap into the cloud without thoroughly evaluating their IT infrastructure. When assessing the move from in-house to a cloud infrastructure, consider the services you already have in place. How can you build around these services to maximize efficiencies?

One way to do this is not to jump into the cloud all at once. Instead, slowly integrate just a few services at a time, allowing time for people to get used to the changes. It is also a good idea to identify which services and applications make the most sense to move to the cloud, and then start the process with the services that are easiest to integrate, such as email, file sync and share, and messaging.

Security breaches can be a costly drain on time -- to say nothing of the risk to your business, your customers, and your competitive advantage.

This means you need to look beyond the price tag of a cloud provider. Features and cost alone might only reveal a portion of the larger picture you need in order to make an informed decision. Make sure you demand high standards of security and protection from your cloud provider.

Take the time to research the security background of the cloud providers you're considering before signing any contract. Dive deep into the details of the security offered by providers, and stick with companies that work with the best-known names in the security industry. Many providers use lesser-known security tools that provide only partial or minimal protection, so in-depth research into security procedures is critical.

Cloud technology must address immediate needs, but a successful cloud strategy should be flexible enough to respond to evolving business needs.

Like other business endeavors, creating a strategic plan and roadmap will help you stay on track while working toward accomplishing your goals. Part of this process should be identifying and planning for future IT needs.

With a deliberate approach to gaining new insights into the technology, matching the right cloud solutions to your business needs, and establishing the right foundation for future growth, you can pave the way to success in the cloud.

Jonathan Levine is the Chief Technology Officer of Intermedia. He has more than 25 years of experience in information technology, cloud operations, data analytics, software development and corporate strategy. As Chief Technology Officer, he is responsible for the company's technology strategy, ensuring that Intermedia continues to deliver the security, availability and value that its customers depend on.