Cloud Migration Obstacles & Opportunities to Overcome Them

Moving from a legacy, on-premises ERP platform to a modern, agile cloud environment can be a transformative decision for businesses. While the benefits are numerous, many organizations, especially small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), have legitimate concerns. Let’s tackle some of the most common obstacles that businesses need to overcome before moving to the cloud:

Obstacle: Safety and Security

Often the most prevalent concern is one of safety- is the cloud a safe and secure platform for a business’s data? With the ever-growing threat of hackers and other malicious entities attempting to co-opt a business’s data, this is a legitimate concern, no matter the industry a business operates in or the size of the business. In fact, SMBs are more likely to be the targets of specific cyber-threats- over eighty percent of all ransomware attacks target businesses in this size category, with an average cost of over $20k per incident.

Opportunity:

To combat these concerns, experts point to the strict, third party reviewed and operated security and safety certifications platforms must pass. The Enavate Cloud is powered by Microsoft Azure, one of the most highly regarded and highly certified cloud platforms available.

Microsoft spends over four billion dollars a year on cyber-security across its various platforms, which includes Azure, keeping their clients protected against the ever-evolving threat of cyber-attack. With over 118 different third-party administered certifications, Microsoft is the industry leader in cloud security, alleviating this major cause of concern for potential converts.

Obstacle: Speed Matters

Many businesses unfamiliar with operating on a cloud-based system worry about the speed at which their systems will process, and the inability to address issues that arise because of their platform no longer being on site. These are understandable, but misguided concerns.

Opportunity:

While system speed is a legitimate concern in and of itself- no business wants a frustrated user-base, the idea that a cloud-based solution is inherently more prone to slowdown is a misconception from a previous era of internet functionality.

While it is always possible for various factors to cause slowdowns, studies have found that it is more likely that a business would experience a slowdown because of an issue with their internet service provider or other issue on their end than the issue being with the cloud itself.

A related, but equally misguided, concern is about the perceived inability to address a legitimate cloud issue with Microsoft. Microsoft employs a full staff of technicians on hand to address any system issues with the cloud, and offers full customer support to clients experiencing issues, meaning the level and quality of support available to cloud users often exceeds that which on-premises users have access to.

Obstacle: Data, Data, Data

Many companies are obsessed with data, for good reason, and have a natural fear of data loss in any transition to a new platform. Questions of data ownership and recovery also abound.

Opportunity:

Good news awaits these companies, however, as Enavate’s stated number one goal is simple- “Your data comes with you”.

To achieve this, Enavate offers several pre-configured options for retaining existing system data and transferring it to the new platform, as well as other, hybrid configurations to suit every business’ unique needs, both in terms of data utilization and operating budget. Enavate also boasts a roster of experts on-hand to ensure that no data is lost in the platform switch, ensuring no data is left behind.

Obstacle: Can’t or Won’t

There remains a small sub-section of companies that remain skeptical of switching to the cloud, despite the obvious benefits, or are unable to for legal reasons.

Opportunity:

For those organizations, Enavate has developed hybrid, on-site and cloud-based solutions for businesses that do not feel comfortable shifting entirely to a cloud based solution. Enavate experts will work with the implementation team to find a solution that fits the business perfectly, ensuring the smoothest transition possible for employees and customers alike.

The Cloud is the Right Fit

While many SMBs have what appear to be valid concerns about moving their operations to a modern, cloud-based ERP platform, the experts at Enavate have answers for each of them, dispelling misconceptions and ensuring that each business receives the right solution for their unique needs. Talk to them today!