Cloud computing has been a big deal for the past ten years, growing rapidly, especially in 2015 when it skyrocketed with huge annual expansion rates. Although major cloud providers slowed down a bit by the end of 2019, dropping to 31% growth annually, experts thought this rate would decrease even more in 2020 and 2021 as the industry matured. Surprisingly, cloud growth kept surpassing many other sectors, and in 2020, it even sped up in some areas, despite the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.

The pandemic caused a surge in demand for cloud services, mainly because of lockdowns and the switch to remote work. Nowadays, almost every company uses at least one type of cloud, and by 2025, it’s estimated that 85% of organizations will go for a cloud-first approach.

Businesses worldwide are getting ready to move different kinds of tasks to the cloud as part of their evolving strategies. These include fancy stuff like advanced analytics, business intelligence, data analytics, server virtualization (VMs), systems management, virtual desktops, mobile management, CRM/sales and marketing, and enterprise resource planning (ERP).

Despite all these benefits, many businesses are still unsure about going ahead with their cloud plans because they’re scared of the changes that come with modernizing. Let’s take a closer look at these worries and figure out how to tackle them.

Challenge 1: High Expenses

Moving to the cloud means spending a lot of money, and that can scare off many organizations. This fear often comes from already having investments in on-site technology, making people worry about spending even more money unnecessarily.

Solution:

To deal with the costs of moving to the cloud, think about how much you’re already spending on your current on-site setup and how much your organization might grow in the future. On-site servers need money for things like storage, power, maintenance, experts, and warranties. With cloud migration, you only pay for what you actually use, and the cloud provider takes care of keeping everything running smoothly. You can choose to pay for subscriptions either monthly or quarterly, making it simpler to handle your budget. Additionally, adjusting how you utilize your workforce can help you save money. In fact, a survey found that 79% of IT professionals saved money by moving to the cloud.

Remember, you don’t always need a big budget or to move everything to the cloud all at once. You can start by updating smaller parts of your current setup to use cloud services, saving resources along the way by incremental app modernization. As you become more confident and achieve success, you can tackle larger projects.

Using tools like Azure’s Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator can help you plan how much your cloud migration will cost and how much you could save.

Challenge 2: Dealing with Downtime

Businesses need constant access to their data, so any period of downtime can cause significant issues. Even though disaster recovery procedures can be activated in case of technical failures, they may still disrupt business operations. While on-premise servers might feel more manageable, the cloud can appear less predictable. However, on-premise systems also require regular maintenance and upgrades, leading to inevitable downtime.

Solution:

To minimize downtime, schedule your migration during weekends or times when customer activity is low. Keep the old software running as a backup until you’re confident the migration was successful.

To make your cloud migration go smoothly, make sure your internet connection is dependable, check your backup and recovery plans, encrypt your data, and beef up your cybersecurity measures. Not all cloud providers offer the same level of service, so make sure to inquire about their 24/7 support, guaranteed uptime, and upgrade management to avoid disruptions.

Challenge 3: Worries About Security

Moving to the cloud might make you concerned about keeping your data private and under control. Research from IBM suggests that 32% of people see security as a big worry, with more than a quarter seeing it as a roadblock to reaching their cloud business goals. One of the main challenges is making sure data is handled correctly (49%) and protected from cyber attacks (47%), particularly in industries such as Healthcare, which must comply with strict data security regulations like HIPAA and GDPR.

Solution:

Make sure your cloud provider takes your security worries seriously and meets your organization’s needs. When you’re getting ready to move to the cloud, ask them about:

• What they do to keep your data safe from hackers
• How they help you follow all the rules and regulations
• Whether they have the right IT skills and support in case anything goes wrong

To lower the risks of data breaches, get your own team ready too.

Big companies in finance, telecom, and government often use tools like confidential computing and multi-factor authentication to keep their data safe. 

Think about giving your employees training on how to stay safe online, and make sure they have to log in again after a certain amount of time and can only access the stuff they need for their job.

Choose a cloud provider that prioritizes the security of your data and can assist you in ensuring compliance with best practices. Major providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure put a lot of effort into using the best cybersecurity software to protect their customers’ data.

Challenge 4: Not Enough Tech Know-How

A big hurdle to moving to the cloud is not having the right skills in your organization. In the US, almost 40% of people say they don’t have the skills to manage cloud apps well, showing how important it is to have the right people. But finding and keeping these experts can slow things down.

Solution:

To deal with this, think about hiring a company that’s specialized in cloud migration and knows the industry well. Collaborate closely with your project team and experts to ensure a smooth process. Also, encourage everyone in your organization to keep learning so you can retain your top talent for your long-term cloud goals.

In summary 

Opting for on-premises hosting and data centers may result in unnecessary expenses. Cloud technologies provide evident advantages such as pay-as-you-go pricing and effortless scalability. Additionally, cloud-based systems experience minimal downtime compared to on-premises setups. By addressing common fears and leveraging opportunities in the cloud, organizations can propel their digital transformation efforts forward.