Solutions Review today is releasing its newly updated 2021 Vendor Map for Cloud Managed Service Providers to assist organizations during the research and discovery phase of buying business software. Gathered via a meta-analysis of available online materials, Solutions Review editors compile each Vendor Map via research, analyst reports, conversations with subject matter experts and vendor representatives, and the examination of product demonstrations.

Top providers highlighted include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform highlighted include: 2nd Watch, 8K Miles, Accenture, AllCloud, Avanade, Capgemini, Cloudnexa, Cloudreach, Cognizant, Deloitte, DXC Technology, HCL Technologies, Hitachi Vantara, Infosys, Logicworks, Maven Wave, Mission, NTT Data, Onica, Rackspace, Smartronix, Tata Consultancy Services, TierPoint, Trianz, and Wipro.

View and download the 2021 Vendor Map for Cloud Managed Service Providers here.

Solutions Review is a collection of business software news and resource sites that aggregates, curates, and creates the leading content to connect buyers and sellers. Over the past seven years, Solutions Review has launched 20 distinct and category-specific Buyer’s Guide sites for technologies ranging from Network Monitoring to Data Integration, as well as Enterprise Resource Management, Identity and Access Management, Data Analytics and Business Intelligence, Mobility Management, Backup and Recovery, and Endpoint Security.

Solutions Review just completed its second annual series of Insight Jam social media days. Heralded by the Sam Whitmore Media Survey as a “fresh idea” in B2B publishing, Insight Jam is a collection of single-day virtual conferences aimed at providing business software buyers and practitioners with advice, best practices, and trends to be aware of for the future. Insight Jam is a part of Solutions Review’s Best Practices Series and is dedicated to specific technology categories to bring the community together.

In addition to the 2021 Vendor Map for Cloud Managed Service Providers, readers are encouraged to view updated research in other related Solutions Review coverage areas:

• Buyer’s Guide for Cloud Managed Service Providers
• Buyer’s Guide for Network Monitoring
• Buyer’s Guide for Mobility Management Vendors

*Solutions Review is a completely vendor-agnostic resource and does not endorse any individual product or service.

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Solutions Review today is releasing its new 2021 Buyer’s Guide for Cloud Managed Service Providers to assist organizations during the research and discovery phase of buying business software. Gathered via a meta-analysis of available online materials, Solutions Review editors compile each Buyer’s Guide via research, analyst reports, conversations with subject matter experts and vendor representatives, and the examination of product demonstrations.

Top managed service providers highlighted include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform highlighted include: 2nd Watch, 8K Miles, Accenture, AllCloud, Avanade, Capgemini, Cloudnexa, Cloudreach, Cognizant, Deloitte, DXC Technology, HCL Technologies, Hitachi Vantara, Infosys, Logicworks, Maven Wave, Mission, NTT Data, Onica, Rackspace, Smartronix, Tata Consultancy Services, TierPoint, Trianz, and Wipro.

View and download the 2021 Buyer’s Guide for Cloud Managed Service Providers here.

Solutions Review is a collection of business software news and resource sites that aggregates, curates, and creates the leading content to connect buyers and sellers. Over the past seven years, Solutions Review has launched 20 distinct and category-specific Buyer’s Guide sites for technologies ranging from Network Monitoring to Data Integration, as well as Enterprise Resource Management, Identity and Access Management, Data Analytics and Business Intelligence, Mobility Management, Backup and Recovery, and Endpoint Security.

Solutions Review just completed its second annual series of Insight Jam social media days. Heralded by the Sam Whitmore Media Survey as a “fresh idea” in B2B publishing, Insight Jam is a collection of single-day virtual conferences aimed at providing business software buyers and practitioners with advice, best practices, and trends to be aware of for the future. Insight Jam is a part of Solutions Review’s Best Practices Series and is dedicated to specific technology categories to bring the community together.

In addition to the 2021 Buyer’s Guide for Cloud Managed Service Providers, readers are encouraged to view updated research in other related Solutions Review coverage areas:

• Buyer’s Guide for Network Monitoring
• Cloud Managed Service Vendor Comparison Map
• Buyer’s Guide for Mobility Management Vendors

*Solutions Review is a completely vendor-agnostic resource and does not endorse any individual product or service.

The post Solutions Review Releases 2021 Buyer’s Guide for Cloud Managed Service Providers appeared first on Best Enterprise Cloud Strategy Tools, Vendors, Managed Service Providers, MSP and Solutions.

The editors at Solutions Review have compiled the top news, facts, and headlines on how the major cloud providers are affected by and/or responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. This article serves as a compilation of the latest information on cloud providers announcing solutions or funding to help counteract the spread of coronavirus. We will continually update this article as new information comes out.

Coronavirus is changing the way that businesses operate, and cloud providers are no exception. The ability for cloud platforms to be operated from anywhere that has Internet access makes them the perfect solution for employees working from home or scrambling to repair global operations. During this time, it’s critical to look at what the top cloud providers are doing to protect cloud solutions from the effects of the outbreak — and to combat the virus itself.

Stories are listed by date according to vendor. This list is subject to change as new information is released.

Multivendor

• 3/23: The White House announces the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium, spearheaded by the White House, the U.S. Department of Energy, and IBM to “provide COVID-19 researchers worldwide with access to the world’s most powerful high performance computing resources that can significantly advance the pace of scientific discovery in the fight to stop the virus.” In addition to IBM, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Google Cloud also volunteer to join the consortium.
• 3/27: The World Health Organization teams up with Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle (among other organizations) on a blockchain-based COVID-19 data hub.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

• 3/20: Amazon announces the AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative to accelerate COVID-19 diagnostics, research, and testing. The company will commit an initial investment of $20 million through this initiative.
• 3/25: AWS details how it is helping the World Health Organization (WHO) to boost COVID-19 research and testing by supplying the organization with advanced cloud technologies and technical expertise.
• 3/27: In a partnership with Conduent, AWS helps federal, state, and local agencies track the spread of COVID-19 with Conduent’s disease surveillance and outbreak management platform Maven, powered by AWS. In the United States, Conduent is waiving the software license fee for Maven’s COVID-19 module through June 30th for qualified state and territorial public help organizations.

Microsoft

• 3/16: Through Bing, Microsoft launches a COVID-19 live map tracker. The tracker aggregates data from sources like WHO, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
• 3/20: Microsoft offers its Healthcare Bot service, powered by Microsoft Azure, to organizations on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response to help screen patients for infection and care.
• 3/21: Microsoft announces that if Azure faces any capacity constraints during the COVID-19 situation, it will prioritize cloud services for “first responders, health and emergency management services, critical government infrastructure organizational use, and ensuring remote workers stay up and running with the core functionality of Teams.”
• 3/28: Microsoft releases details on Microsoft Azure usage during the COVID-19 outbreak. The company notes a 775 percent increase of cloud service usage in regions that have enforced social distancing, stay-at-home orders, or lockdowns. In addition, Microsoft has seen a “very significant” spike in Teams usage; the software now has 44 million users that have generated over 900 million meeting and calling minutes daily.

Google Cloud

• 3/2: Google announces that its Google Cloud Next ’20 event will be going virtual. The virtual event (Google Cloud Next ’20: Digital Connect) is scheduled for April 6th through April 8th.
  • 3/17: Following growing concerns, Google postpones Google Cloud Next ’20: Digital Connect until further notice.
• 3/3: Google rolls out free access to advanced Hangouts Meet video-conferencing capabilities to all G Suite and G Suite for Education customers globally to provide educational tools to schools and educational facilities that have been forced to close due to COVID-19.
• 3/30: Google makes a hosted repository or public COVID-19 datasets free to access and query through its COVID-19 Public Dataset Program.

IBM

• 3/23: The White House, in collaboration with IBM, announces the HPC Consortium.
• 3/25: IBM Cloud (alongside other IBM branches) offers free access to a number of vital services to help companies adjust to supporting employees working from home en-masse.

Oracle

• 3/24: Oracle communicates with the White House on lending its software to test the effectiveness of two malaria drugs in treating COVID-19.
• 3/27: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure announces that it is working with NVIDIA to provide COVID-19 researchers with NVIDIA’s Parabricks software suite to perform genome-sequencing on the virus.
• 3/30: Oracle offers free access to online learning and certifications for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Oracle Autonomous Database until May 15th.

Alibaba

• 3/19: Alibaba Cloud offers its artificial intelligence-powered technologies to healthcare professionals and researchers in order to provide data insights on COVID-19 and speed up diagnosis of cases.
• 3/26: Jack Ma, former Alibaba executive chairman, announces the launch of an online platform to allow doctors and nurses from around the world to exchange ideas and lessons to fight COVID-19. The platform is a part of the Global MediXchange for Combating COVID-19 (GMCC).

Looking for a managed service provider for your cloud solutions? Our MSP Buyer’s Guide contains profiles on the top cloud managed service providers for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask vendors and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

Check us out on Twitter for the latest in Enterprise Cloud news and developments!

The post How the Major Cloud Providers are Responding to Coronavirus appeared first on Best Enterprise Cloud Strategy Tools, Vendors, Managed Service Providers, MSP and Solutions.

What is the Solutions Review Cloud Insight Jam? What cloud computing, cloud management, and other information can you explain to learn from it? How can you participate?

We seek to answer these questions as we build up to the first ever Cloud Insight Jam on December 19th!

What is the Cloud Insight Jam?

On December 19th, we begin an unprecedented social media day covering cloud computing in detail! During the Cloud Insight Jam, we plan to share our own best practices and the best practices from cloud experts; these experts come from cloud solution vendors from across the world. Additionally, we plan to share customer success stories from these providers and their predictions for 2020.

You can see all of it unfold on Twitter and LinkedIn under the hashtag #CloudInsightJam. Also, you can follow along on the Enterprise Cloud Strategy page of the Solutions Review website.

Do you have a schedule for the Cloud Insight Jam?

Absolutely! We plan on taking the day by storm! (All times listed below are in Eastern Standard Time.)

From 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, the conversation will revolve around cloud best practices, including how enterprises can evaluate and select a cloud solution. At 10 AM, we’ll host a half-hour open tech chat — The Morning Dose. We’ll discuss cloud best practices personally, and exchange our thoughts with everyone!

From 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM, we’ll shift the conversation to customer success stories. At 2 PM, we host a second half-hour open tech chat called the Re-Up! In this conversation, we’ll cover how customers can achieve success with their cloud solutions.

From 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM, we’ll end the day by focusing on industry trends and predictions for cloud in 2020. We want to discuss where the cloud is heading in the future, and what cloud solution users should look for in the new year.

What will be discussed during the Morning Dose chat?

Here’s a sample of the questions we plan on sharing during the Morning Dose open tech chat:

• What are the key cloud capabilities enterprises should consider while evaluating a solution, and why are they important?
• How can enterprises better incorporate the cloud into their business processes and workflows?
• What use cases, issues, and challenges should indicate to enterprises that it’s time to update or replace their cloud solutions?

This shouldn’t be considered a definitive list of questions; we’re still cooking up some excellent conversation starters for the chat!

What will be discussed during the Re-Up chat?

Unlike the Morning Dose, the Re-Up conversation at 2 PM EST will focus on customer success and predictions. Questions asked during the chat may include:

• What does an ideal cloud deployment process look like? Even across IT infrastructures, business sizes, and industries, are there similar markers of success?
• Do you have any outside predictions or perhaps more radical thoughts on what 2020 may bring to the cloud computing market?
• What infrastructure challenges most impede cloud success?

Just like the above, we’ll have more questions on offer during the chat itself!

How do I participate in the Cloud Insight Jam?

To participate in the Cloud Insight Jam, simply use the hashtag #CloudInsightJam on Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep an eye on the feed, participate in the chat, and share your thoughts!

It’s that simple?

Yes, it is that simple!

Can anyone participate?

Sure! There is no cost to participate in the Jam, and you can participate as much as you would like! Want to join one of the conversations but not the other? That’s okay! Feel free to comment, question, or otherwise chat about any of the content we release throughout the day!

Can I still contribute content to the Cloud Insight Jam?

We’ve extended the deadline for video content and best practices until December 6th. If you have video content you would like to share, please make sure it follows our video guidelines, which we share here. You can submit your content, video or otherwise, at https://www.insightjam.com/.

Hope to see you at the Cloud Insight Jam on December 19th!

Looking for more info on managed service providers for your cloud solutions? Our MSP Buyer’s Guide contains profiles on the top cloud managed service providers for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask vendors and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

Check us out on Twitter for the latest in Enterprise Cloud news and developments!

The post What’s Happening at the Cloud Insight Jam on December 19th? appeared first on Best Enterprise Cloud Strategy Tools, Vendors, Managed Service Providers, MSP and Solutions.

When we first launched Solutions Review in 2012, it was with a simple goal: to report on the latest developments in enterprise technology and make it easier for people to evaluate business software. We then built a collection of vendor-agnostic buyer’s resources to cut through the clutter of content and strip away the marketing hyperbole. These ideas seem to be catching on with over four million unique IT professionals visiting Solutions Review this year.

Unlike other technology news sites that broadcast to a wide variety of topics, we are “narrowcasters.” Each of our sites is singularly focused on a specific solution category like Enterprise Resource Planning, Identity and Access Management, Business Intelligence, or Backup and Disaster Recovery. We have a dedicated team of in-house content editors and subject matter experts who report each industry’s news, developments, and best practices on a daily basis.

Solutions Review is organizing the first annual Cloud Computing Insight Jam for the month of December — a day dedicated to raising awareness around best practices when evaluating, deploying, and using cloud solutions. Our editors will be sharing tips and expert insights throughout the day to help practitioners plan for the end of the year and prepare for 2020. Solutions Review will also be releasing its new 2020 Buyer’s Guide for Cloud Managed Service Providers so enterprises can get a jump start on identifying which managed service providers best fit their use case.

We hope this forum can be a unifying event for all those in the industry, and welcome industry analysts, solution providers, and end-users to weigh in. Set for December 19, 2019, Solutions Review will be sharing, posting, and tweeting actionable cloud best practices content using the hashtag #CloudInsightJam. If you are interested in participating, here are a few ways you can be a part of the event:

• Provide us with an audio or video clip with advice to those considering a cloud solution purchase
• Use the hashtag #CloudInsightJam and share helpful content to help build a community space dedicated to this day
• Predictions for 2020; what will next year bring in the space?
• Customer success stories using the cloud — be specific!
• General advice for those evaluating cloud solutions

There are also other ways to participate in our Cloud Insight Jam, and we’re open to pitches for different ideas. Our deadline for submissions is November 22nd, 2019.

Solutions Review Insight Jams are part of our Best Practices Series, and dedicated to specific technology categories in an attempt to bring the community together.

About Solutions Review

Solutions Review is a collection of technology news sites that aggregates, curates, and creates the best content within leading technology categories. Solutions Review’s mission is to connect buyers of enterprise technology with the best solution sellers. Over the past four years, Solutions Review has launched 16 technology buyer’s guides sites in categories ranging from cybersecurity to wireless 802.11, as well as mobility management, business intelligence and data analytics, data integration, and cloud platforms.

The post Solutions Review Set to Host First Cloud Computing Insight Jam appeared first on Best Enterprise Cloud Strategy Tools, Vendors, Managed Service Providers, MSP and Solutions.

Managed service providers can help your enterprise manage crucial business services and technologies, including the cloud. With the rise of cloud computing and cloud-based services, companies want to take advantage of the benefits that the cloud provides. However, they may not have the budget, resources, or expertise necessary to properly manage their cloud deployments. That’s why businesses are turning to a managed service provider (MSP) to help them integrate the cloud – but they might not know what questions to ask them beforehand.

If you’re looking to adopt a managed service provider for your cloud environment, there are a number of questions you need to ask first. These are questions you either need to ask your enterprise or the managed service provider themselves in order to ensure successful cloud operations. Before your enterprise commits to a cloud managed service provider, it needs to know the answers to these six valuable questions.

For even more resources on the best cloud managed service providers, you should consider our MSP Buyer’s Guide. It contains profiles on the top cloud managed service providers for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask providers and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

What are my business needs for the cloud?

Just like with any technology, if you’re adopting the cloud into your enterprise, you need to have a solid business reason for doing so. What do you want to accomplish in the cloud, and how will your cloud solutions help you achieve it? You should have an answer to this question before you adopt the cloud in the first place; however, it’s also wise to know your cloud business needs when choosing an MSP. This way, you’ll know how a specific provider can help you satisfy your needs for using the cloud.

Is it cost efficient to invest in a cloud managed service provider?

One of the purposes of having a managed service provider help you manage your cloud environment is to reduce costs for your business. If it’s more cost efficient to have a managed service provider assist you in operating a cloud environment, then you should definitely consider it. However, your enterprise should assess whether or not a managed service provider will help reduce cloud costs in the long run. This doesn’t mean that having a managed service provider will necessary be cheaper; however, if it reduces unnecessary spending on managing your cloud environment, it’s worth consideration.

What security services does the MSP provide?

When you incorporate a managed service provider to help manage your cloud deployment, you need to make sure they have strong security systems to keep your data safe. Every MSP should have native security protocols and strategies in place to protect your cloud environment from security threats, both internal and external. This also applies to data compliance; a managed service provider should disclose any regulations that they are able to comply with.

How long do I want the partnership to last?

Your relationship with a managed service provider is meant to be a partnership. You and your MSP should have a mutual understanding of how long the partnership is going to last. Some enterprises may have a specific time frame in mind, but others might want to work with the MSP indefinitely. This time frame should align with your business goals for the cloud and how long you expect them to be achieved.

How easy is it to switch cloud managed service providers?

You might find after being with a managed service provider for a while that they just aren’t working for you. This happens more often than you think, but if you don’t properly plan for this scenario beforehand, the cost of moving from one MSP to another could be high. An MSP should outline an exit strategy in their service level agreement (SLA); this strategy will let you know how the MSP will assist your enterprise in successfully transitioning away from their services.

Does the service provider support hybrid cloud/multicloud?

The world of cloud computing is changing, and that change is coming in the forms of hybrid cloud and multicloud. More and more businesses are creating hybrid cloud and multicloud infrastructures, and you need to make sure that your potential MSPs support these deployments. Some cloud managed service providers support only one public cloud vendor, while others can help you manage multiple different cloud providers. They may or may not be able to help you manage your on-premise infrastructure in addition to your cloud. Knowing what deployments an MSP supports upfront will help your enterprise determine the MSPs that will work with your enterprise.

Running a cloud environment and need help managing the cloud services you use? Our MSP Buyer’s Guide contains profiles on the top cloud managed service providers for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask vendors and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

Check us out on Twitter for the latest in Enterprise Cloud news and developments!

The post 6 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Cloud Managed Service Provider appeared first on Best Enterprise Cloud Strategy Tools, Vendors, Managed Service Providers, MSP and Solutions.

In order to operate a successful cloud deployment, your company needs a handful of tools and best practices in place. You need the right programs and systems to help you accomplish workflows in the cloud as well as make the migration process from on-premise to cloud (or vice versa) easier. You also need to enforce the correct policies to ensure that your workers are trained well enough to use the cloud effectively and safely. If you want to determine the right policies for your cloud operations, you need to implement a cloud governance framework.

While having the proper tools and software for your cloud environment is very important, enacting protocols that increase the efficiency of that cloud environment is essential for enterprises. Without those protocols, your company will be operating blindly in the cloud. That can lead to unexpected costs, unproductive workflows, or putting your data stored in the cloud at risk.

Creating a cloud governance framework (and maintaining it) allows your enterprise to cover all the bases when it comes to their cloud operations. Introducing policies for your cloud environment, confirming that they’re being followed, and updating them as needed establishes the groundwork for smooth cloud implementation. Below, we’ll explore the basics of cloud governance, how to create a governance framework that fits your business, and how enforcing your governance strategy will benefit your work in the cloud.

What is cloud governance?

Cloud governance refers to policies on using your cloud environment that your business adopts. The policies should be standardized across every area of your business so that every worker operates under the same principles. This prevents scenarios where two or more departments in your enterprise create or handle cloud-based data differently, causing compatibility issues. It also helps mitigate siloing, or instances where your departments deliberately keep their own information hidden from others to stop them from “interfering” with their work.

Governance isn’t concerned with the enforcement of these policies – that falls under the category of cloud management. Managing your cloud environment involves taking the policies that your governance framework establishes and creating solutions that keep in line with those policies. Both are essential parts of the process, as managing your governance framework allows you to see how well your policies are working. That knowledge tells you what protocols for your cloud environment you need to update.

Why should the cloud change my current governance strategy?

Your enterprise no doubt already has a governance framework in place for traditional IT problems. Thus, you may be asking the question: why would the cloud change anything? Why can’t I rely on my current governance framework to handle any problems with the cloud?

The problem is that traditional IT solutions are centralized tools designed specifically for use in particular departments. Traditional governance frameworks focus around approving the use of those tools as requested by workers. This approach works best for enterprises adoption solutions from various different vendors, but it isn’t suited for businesses that run a cloud environment.

The reason for that is simple: enterprise cloud operations are, by nature, decentralized. Business that implement the cloud take advantage of a multitude of cloud-native features. These features include services and solutions that span across various areas of business. That means that your company will be running its cloud environment across its entire infrastructure. A cloud governance framework allows your enterprise to create policies and standards that every worker in your enterprise, regardless of role or division, can follow. This gives each employee a common ground to stand on when working with the cloud.

What should your cloud governance strategy cover?

Depending on your business needs and desires for your cloud environment, your governance strategy will include a variety of different aspects. The basics of cloud governance include policies that optimize your cloud environment’s effectiveness on various levels. This could include resource usage, cost management, or security. A good rule of thumb is to understand what aspects of the cloud your enterprise might have trouble with. That will give you a foundation to start designing policies that address these problem areas.

Some of the most common issues that a cloud governance strategy can tackle are:

Cloud operations

Your enterprise needs to know exactly what workflows should be done in the cloud – and which ones shouldn’t. To ensure consistency across your enterprise, you should outline common tasks that you want to apply a cloud solution to. Then, you can inform your teams on that solution.

Cost efficiency

Cloud providers claim that using their cloud environment is more cost efficient for your business. This turns out to be true most of the time, but your enterprise needs to work to make its cloud operations cost efficient. Unnecessary cloud usage means that you’re wasting resources and money when an on-premise solution would work better.

Cloud security

Security remains one of the top issues that worry businesses adopting the cloud. Part of establishing a successful security plan is ensuring your workers don’t introduce security risks into the cloud environment. Your governance framework should include policies that inform your employees of practices that safeguard the cloud from security threats.

Performance monitoring

If you don’t have policies in place that examine how well your cloud environment is performing, your company can’t accurately judge where there’s room for improvement. Your cloud vendor may provide native monitoring tools or recommend you use third-party systems for it. Whatever the case, you can include policies on cloud performance to ensure that your performance baselines are being met.

How do you maintain your cloud governance framework?

Cloud governance is not a one-and-done thing. Once you establish the relevant policies, you need to evaluate whether or not they’re working further down the line. As your team becomes more comfortable with your cloud environment, they’ll have a better understanding of how to run it. Because of this, policies may change to reflect new knowledge or incorporate new cloud solutions. Your governance framework needs to adapt to these factors as they come up.

Your company won’t achieve successful cloud operation immediately. You’ll have to adjust your cloud strategy and policies as you move forward. Managing your cloud environment helps you understand how you need to adjust them. Cloud governance frameworks should be examined at various stages of the cloud adoption process, even years after the initial jump. If you aren’t modifying your framework to account for new processes and better cloud expertise, your company is likely to lose efficiency and productivity. Thus, your company needs to be flexible in how it governs your cloud operations.

Our MSP Buyer’s Guide contains profiles on the top cloud MSP vendors for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask providers and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

Check us out on Twitter for the latest in Enterprise Cloud news and developments!

The post Cloud Governance: Creating a Framework for Success in the Cloud appeared first on Best Enterprise Cloud Strategy Tools, Vendors, Managed Service Providers, MSP and Solutions.

The cloud computing market has seen tremendous growth over the past decade. Vendors are increasing the number of services they provide via the cloud, and public cloud environments like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform are bigger than ever. The majority of companies, no matter the size, have adopted the cloud in some shape or form, typically in the form of non-critical business software. Some, however, rely on the cloud for large, vital parts of their infrastructure.

However they implement it, one thing is clear: businesses want to use the cloud. They recognize the capabilities the cloud brings and how it can impact their work. Despite the benefits, though, adopting a cloud solution isn’t something that should be done without a second thought. Enterprises need to consider: why do we need cloud computing?

The answer isn’t universal, as it will differ from company to company. Depending on your business needs and the workflows and tasks you perform on a daily basis, the advantages you can bring from the cloud will change. The cloud is very flexible, thankfully, so just about any solution you need, no matter how big or small, can be done in the cloud. If your enterprise is considering adopting the cloud into your infrastructure, it should be aware of the benefits the cloud can bring and which will provide the greatest impact for them. Below, we’ve listed a handful of the reasons why enterprises move to the cloud to help you understand what the cloud can do for you.

Cloud storage space

Enterprises work with huge amounts of data on a daily basis, and they need somewhere to store that data. While physical servers are still a decent storage option, building and maintaining the hardware necessary to store the quantity of data enterprises generate isn’t always cost-effective. Not only can it be expensive to maintain servers, a data center can also take up a large part of your campus that could be used for other purposes.

With the cloud, however, companies essentially use a virtual server where everything can be stored off-premise. Cloud storage still uses actual servers, but companies access the data stored inside via the Internet. Storage providers take care of managing and securing the data within while using a multitenant approach to section off your data from other users. Storing data in the cloud is one of the most common uses for a cloud computing environment since it’s relatively simple to set up and start using.

Abundance of computing resources in the cloud

The initial push behind initiating the public cloud was to provide developers with the computing resources and building environment they needed to create and run projects. Cloud providers give developers a pre-built database as well as a vast library of resources to pull from, eliminating the need to build computing components for each project. Because the cloud provides a common infrastructure for each project, it’s also easy for your enterprise to synergize applications and developments. Developers will find collaboration between each other simpler because they don’t need to worry about reconfiguring their database to run someone else’s project.

The pay-as-you-use pricing model

One of the biggest and most-advertised features of cloud computing is the pay-as-you-use pricing model. In this model, enterprises only pay for the cloud resources they utilize rather than pay a flat rate for a fixed amount. This payment method promotes cost-efficiency because you aren’t wasting money on resources you don’t use. Because of its flexibility, it also fits perfectly for businesses of any scale. Whether you need a large amount of cloud resources or only a little bit, you’re still maintaining the same level of cost efficiency.

Cloud computing solutions for mission-critical tasks

The cloud has a wide spectrum of potential uses from businesses, ranging from small scale applications to business-critical workflows. Enterprises using a cloud deployment have the ability to move their traditional workflows onto the cloud and take advantage of the resources and convenience the cloud provides. Public cloud providers offer several services that help businesses handle tasks in various verticals.

However, the challenge of adopting cloud solutions is knowing what to perform in the cloud and what to keep on-premise. The cloud may be able to perform a lot of tasks, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your enterprise needs to use it for everything. Using a cloud solution may be less efficient for your business than your already in-place procedures and installations. It also might not be worth retraining your staff to employ the new cloud solution. Adopting the cloud for your workflows should be done on a case-by-case basis – your enterprise needs to consider the advantages and disadvantages of performing each task in the cloud.

Cloud scalability and flexibility

Cloud environments are naturally scalable and flexible, both of which are beneficial for enterprises. Cloud environments allow companies to scale up and down to suit their current needs. If you use a certain amount of resources one month and then realize you need more, you can easily increase the amount of assets available to your company. Combine this with the pay-as-you-use model and your cloud environment will provide the resources you need at any given time while maintaining cost efficiency.

As we’ve already mentioned, the cloud offers a multitude of different services for businesses. However, you can tailor your cloud solutions to match the needs of your company. Public cloud vendors have multiple services on offer that they market under the same public cloud umbrella. However, you only need to adopt the specific solutions your business wants to use. You can choose to utilize whichever services you want or need, giving you control over how the cloud will work for you.

Our MSP Buyer’s Guide contains profiles on the top cloud MSP vendors for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask providers and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

Check us out on Twitter for the latest in Enterprise Cloud news and developments!

The post Why Does Your Enterprise Need Cloud Computing? appeared first on Best Enterprise Cloud Strategy Tools, Vendors, Managed Service Providers, MSP and Solutions.

Increasingly modern businesses are realizing the benefits of migrating to the cloud. From simplified collaboration to improved mobility and beyond, the cloud has become a tantalizing option for many organizations. It’s not all fun and games in the cloud though; cloud migration also presents a slew of complications and challenges that can leave MSPs scratching their heads. It doesn’t need to be so difficult; we’ve rounded up five of the most common cloud challenges managed service providers face and offer some helpful hints for addressing them.

Issues with integration

You could be wondering how your customers will integrate a hybrid cloud structure into their current on-prem environments. Furthermore, how will your cloud provider communicate with other cloud platforms. Businesses frequently don’t limit their cloud strategy to one service, so it’s important to plan for integration with other platforms and services. This will make sure that you get the most out of your cloud platform, while also reducing costs, risk of failure, and time.

Cloud Orchestration

Don’t expect there to be a seamless transition when moving your in-house applications to the cloud. That’s wishful thinking. Usually, clouds are built around elasticity and scalability, but often resort to using  cheaper individual components. Managed Service Providers can work around compatibility problems to make sure that cloud applications stay operational. This could mean a full restructuring of your business applications for compatibility, or just a small bit of re-coding.

Not sure about proprietary systems versus open systems?

This is a tough choice and not a decision you should make hastily. Businesses often look to save money by using an open system, but these systems can sometimes cause unexpected budget expenditures. Open Platforms typically necessitate a hefty amount of security decisions. Managed Service Providers can make sure that customers choose the cloud infrastructure that fits their needs best.

Failing to understand cloud agreements

It’s important that you understand your cloud licensing agreement completely. Failing to do so can lead to frustrated cloud providers and team members, and thus, a poorly organized working environment. An experienced managed service provider can dig into the small details of the service agreement and make sure that everyone is on the page when it comes to their work environment. By understanding the agreement, it can prevent a lot of headaches further down the road!

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Are you thinking about bringing your business to the cloud, but aren’t quite sure where to start? Well, the editors at Solutions Review have pieced together a handy guide for your cloud strategy. An organized and well thought out plan is absolutely essential to ensure your move to the cloud yields the greatest ROI for your organization. By following these steps, your organization can outline and create an effective roadmap to a successful move to the cloud.

Assemble a Team

By gathering your top notch experts and stakeholders in the cloud implementation process, you can ensure that you meet all the requirements possible. Figure out who needs to be involved, engage them, enlist their help, and create a schedule for meetings and updates.

Set Goals

It’s tough to make progress, when you don’t know where you’re headed. Setting some goals, both short-term and long term, will give you a good idea of your progress and allow you a better understanding of when you’re falling off track.

Take a Bimodal Approach to Cloud Strategy Planning

Gartner recommends taking a bimodal approach to cloud migration. This means that one part of an organization is responsible for ‘reliable IT” (safety and efficiency) while the other part takes the “agile IT” approach, which focuses on flexibility.

Consider a Multi-Cloud Approach

You should make sure to know your options for cloud infrastructure and how these options best meet the needs of your organization. You may find that it doesn’t make a tremendous amount of sense to run all of your applications on the same cloud.

Address Any Security Concerns

Security is possibly the most frightening part of a cloud migration. That being said, many organizations actually improve their data security by switching to cloud storage. Make sure to listen to any security concerns that departments may have and learn how address them.

Be Aware of Migration Timelines

Your cloud migration process should somewhat depend on schedules and timelines. This way, it is much easier to track your progress and adjust accordingly. Determine benchmarks that define success or failure, it’s unrealistic to expect your migration to proceed perfectly. That being said, this doesn’t mean you should ignore the scope or scale of mistakes and setbacks.

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