In this article, Dustin Milberg, CTO Cloud Services, InterVision, discusses that as more organizations modernize their technology, effectively managing their data in the cloud is now a priority. Proper planning and taking full advantage of AI/ML are a few steps businesses can take to improve their data management strategy.
If COVID-19 has taught us anything relative to technology transformation, it is that IT’s value proposition must shift dramatically from enablement and operations to integration and innovationOpens a new window . As organizations look to strategically harness the power of data to inform the direction of their business, the importance of modern architecture, security, and agility will increase exponentially. Once this is achieved, only then can organizations leverage the power of their data and transform it into actionable information.
Here are three steps your organization can take to monitor important data and get the most out of the cloud:
#1 Establish Forward-Looking Plans
Simply having your data arrive in the cloud does not mean you have completed your journey to the cloud. On the contrary, as offerings expand and technology evolves, the journey of harnessing the power of the cloud never truly ends.Â
When migrating to the cloud, it is essential to keep looking forward and constantly track cost control, security evolution, and performance optimization. Your organization should complete the following tasks:Â
- Know what data you are collecting.
- Know where the data will live and why.
- Know how the data will be collected.
- Most importantly, establish a master data management strategy with supporting security structures and continually evaluate and adjust.
Simply fulfilling the tasks is a great start. However, it is only the beginning. Security is everyone’s responsibility. Organizations need to establish processes and behaviors that allow a DevSecOps culture to emerge. Making this transformation is perhaps the most difficult part of the journey, as you will need to change both hearts and minds.
Need help? AWS and Microsoft Azure, the two biggest cloud companies, have their own tools that can help. Non-native solutions available in the marketplace can work with any public cloud provider enabling your workloads to traverse any location.
Seeking advice from a cloud-managed service provider who can help identify areas of improvement is a wise choice regardless of where you are on your journey. The right one will help you optimize your environment, reduce cost, improve your security posture, and identify solutions that will help your organization reach its goals.
Learn More: Why CIOs Shouldn’t Race to Move all Data to the Public Cloud
#2 Take Full Advantage of AI/ML
Whether collecting, storing or analyzing data, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have become critical tools required to turn data into information. Businesses that take advantage of AI and ML are able to monetize information in an efficient and effective manner. The cloud and AI and ML make a good combination because the data is easily accessible without sacrificing security. Some advantages of the cloud are increased flexibility, agility, and speed. Together, the cloud and a well-thought-out AI/ML strategy allow organizations to enhance the value more than ever. Moreover, The leading public cloud providers provide data platforms aimed at helping organizations start leveraging the power of data analytics immediately, without the heavy lift of building it themselves.
Learn More: Stalled Cloud Migrations: Look at the People, Not the Tech
#3 Find the Right Solution Provider
As with any business venture, having the right people on your side is vital. Data management is not an additional operational task that traditional IT teams can simply absorb into their current portfolio of work. It is a strategic endeavor that, if done properly, should inform business decisions and how an organization will transform itself, its products, and the way they are delivered is likely through further adoption of the cloud. Thus, adopting the same approach to traditional on-premise workloads is not an option.
Hiring an individual to oversee the adoption of data management is a costly and potentially risky proposition. This is why many organizations pick a third-party solution provider to help adopt and optimize a data management strategy. Solution providers are able to offer unparalleled support, which allows organizations to rest assured that any data management issues will be handled swiftly and thoroughly. Additionally, they have the added benefit of bringing the experience gained from working with other organizations facing the same challenges. In other words, they already know what does and does not work, so you do not have to experience the same challenges.
Technology is evolving and innovating rapidly. The cloud provides an increasing value proposition for organizations that want to evaluate technology changes without having to make the financial investment prior to determining if it will work for them. Even if organizations want to maintain some level of on-premise infrastructure, leveraging the cloud is no longer a future destination. It provides real value today for organizations to grow and transform with pragmatism.
Now that we are over a year into the pandemic, the cloud’s strengths, including flexibility, accessibility and security, have become obvious. Proper planning, taking full advantage of AI/ML and finding the right solution provider are three steps that can improve an organization’s data management and cloud strategy.
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