“Well, we'll just move to the cloud.”
If I hear this one more time, it might literally drive me insane – or at least to a triple whiskey.
The cloud has been with us for at least 20 years (when it was called software-as-a-service). The idea of accessing software via the Internet on a infrastructure you don't own has steadily matured until it is – literally – everywhere. If you've used an app on your phone; you've used the cloud. If you've used Gmail or Google Drive; you've used the cloud. Cloud services can be used for your telephony system, document management, sales and marketing automation, network management, backup . . . nearly every business (or personal) software need can be, and is, a cloud service.
That leads me back to why “just move to the cloud” is such a futile path to take.
You wouldn't go to a restaurant and order “food” from the waitress. First, after deciding what kind of food you wanted, you'd go to a restaurant that serves that cuisine. Then, you need to make decisions:
- Are you really hungry? That combo platter looks good.
- On a diet? Salad could be for you, with the dressing on the side, of course.
- Looking for gluten-free? Your options are going to be slightly more limited.
You get the idea. You don't order “food,” you order a meal that fits what you want – just need something to eat, support weight loss, splurge, whatever.
There Is No Cloud
There's a cloud meme going around that says some variation of “There is no cloud. It's just someone else's computer.” While not 100% technically correct, there's a lot of truth in that. The “cloud” is software you access and use on someone else's infrastructure. That's it.
So saying “we'll just move to the cloud” makes as much sense as ordering “some food” in a restaurant. Try it, maybe the waitress will guess right and give you something you like; but it's not going to be exactly what you wanted. “Moving to the cloud” isn't a goal or a plan, it's just an ignorant recipe for continued failure to match your business goals with the right technology.
Like any technology, you need to first start with your business objectives. After you identify those, then it's time to have conversations about technology and how the technology will help you to achieve those goals. And cloud services, either subscribed to directly or via a managed IT services partner, can absolutely meet all or part of your IT needs.
So, please, for the sake of your business success (and maybe even my sanity), don't focus on the cloud. Let's talk about what your business needs and goals are. Then, and ONLY then, can we talk about how (or if) a cloud solution is the right answer for you.
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