Leaders around the world are realising that "I won't exist if I'm not in the cloud". A stark reality, which many leaders have already realised, as Satya Nadella shared in his interview with Morgan Stanley. It is a lesson that may have been learned over time, but has been accelerated by the pandemic. The fundamental question "Will my business continue to exist?" ultimately boils down to two things
Competitiveness: Is your workforce productive and collaborative? Are you leveraging data to improve customer service and acquire new customers? Have you optimised your operations in terms of cost and efficiency? Resilience: Is your business able to respond to market pressures and opportunities with agility? Do you consider your organisation secure in the face of growing threats? Many of your competitors are answering yes to these questions. If not, that is a challenging place to be.
For every answer, look to the data Unlocking and activating the value of data has clear frontline benefits. By focusing on configuring or enhancing a cloud-based data platform and assembling agile teams, CIOs can double, or even triple, the speed of development in the short term. Long-term success can be strongly influenced by the effectiveness of a company's data approach. However, optimising data is a complicated task. It includes developing approaches to data governance, redesigning processes as modular applications, and leveraging the benefits of flexible, scalable, cloud-based technology. By focusing on building an intelligent digital architecture in a modern cloud state, enterprises unlock the value of data and reap the rewards. By putting data at the centre of organisational evolution, companies can gain a clear view of the entire business, make informed decisions and create business agility.
Business agility is key Business agility is achieved by rapidly adapting goods and services to meet customer demand. COVID-19 has forever transformed customers' lives, particularly in the adoption of digital, which is akin to a "decade in days" shift. These behavioural changes have reshaped consumer decision-making processes and businesses must adapt quickly or risk losing out to those who went digital earlier. Companies already in the cloud can benefit from a faster pace of product development that directly aligns IT infrastructure with business goals and objectives. In addition, they can scale IT processes up and down as needed, optimising the use of IT assets. In addition, business resilience is of paramount importance to companies in the aftermath of a pandemic, and security is at the heart of this.
Security is a core tenant of resilience Incidents of internal data breaches, whether accidental or malicious, are on the rise and will increase by 25% in 2021. Even for companies already in the cloud, we are seeing an opportunity to better define and implement security technology to eliminate vulnerabilities and reduce the risk of future attacks. Organisations must continue to adapt their approaches to security and invest in new models. The only effective approach to enterprise security and resilience is a holistic architectural approach, one that is manageable, adaptable, responsive and developed with the right partner. Engage the experts C-Level executives believe that their organisation cannot capture the benefits of agility by simply shifting applications to cloud platforms. A holistic cloud strategy is now a fundamental component of business strategy. Leaders must understand how to leverage the latest cloud technology innovations to meet their strategy and business objectives. What is the challenge today? The pace of innovation coming from Microsoft and other public cloud providers requires significant investment to interpret and translate innovations into solutions that meet business objectives. This investment for most organisations is simply prohibitive, but critical if they want to stay on the cutting edge of technology and remain competitive. Working with a trusted partner, such as Logicalis, eliminates this challenge. Partners with the credentials, experience and deep connections to companies like Microsoft are the trusted advisors who can guide you through the complexity to stay ahead of your competitors. Logicalis' experience with private, hosted, hybrid and public clouds ensures that businesses receive a secure, agile, scalable and universally available environment, while meeting the most stringent security standards, regardless of the location in which the systems operate. Regardless of the size of your business or the stage you are at in your transformation journey to the cloud, it is important to remember that without a continuous focus on leveraging the latest technology to gain a competitive advantage, you are likely to be left behind. So, do you think you can exist without the cloud?
About Logicalis Global https://www.logicalis.com/
Logicalis is an international provider of digital services solutions that seeks to accelerate the digital transformation of its 10,000 customers worldwide.
Through a network of globally connected centres of expertise, leading industry experts (education, financial services, government, healthcare, manufacturing, professional services, retail and telecommunications) and strategic partners (such as Cisco, Microsoft, HPE, IBM, DELL/EMC, NetApp, Oracle, ServiceNow, Palo Alto, F5, VMware, among others), Logicalis has more than 6,500 employees focused on understanding customer priorities and improving the customer experience.
As Architects of ChangeTM, Logicalis' focus is to design, support and execute clients' digital transformation by marrying their vision with its technology expertise and industry knowledge. Drawing on its deep understanding of IT industry trends, such as Security, Cloud, Data Management and IoT, the company is able to address its clients' priorities, such as revenue and business growth, operational efficiency, innovation, risk and compliance, data management and sustainability.
The Logicalis Group has annual revenues of $1.7 billion, with operations in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Africa. It is a division of Datatec Limited, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with revenues of over $4.3 billion.
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