digital transformation Archives - Page 3 of 3

Small Businesses Reap Benefits From Digital Transformation

May 7, 2018 by Cloud Source

In many ways, digital transformation has leveled the playing field between small businesses and large enterprises. While in the past, only the biggest corporations could invest in the latest software solutions, the subscription-based scalability of cloud solutions has made the best technology available to even the smallest companies.

Many small businesses wonder if digital transformation is a good investment. While enterprises may see large-scale savings and impact on their bottom line, a small business may struggle to see those same benefits. But can a small business absorb the impact if an investment in technology doesn’t deliver the results they’d hoped to experience?

Small businesses can see those benefits, and they should invest in digital solutions. In fact, it’s advantageous to be on the front side of digital transformation, to gain significant advantage over competitors, rather than taking a wait-and-see approach and then playing catch-up later.

Considerations for technology investment: Small businesses need to make some decisions about the type of investments they want to make in digital solutions. Some possibilities include:

Improving the customer experience
Reducing operational expenses
Better analytics for informed decision-making
Agility and innovation
Implementing a digital ecosystem with partners and vendors

These considerations should be evaluated alongside the company’s strategic goals. Looking at where the company plans to be in five or 10 years, the solutions chosen for organizational efficiency will be a different investment than one that supports goals for customer engagement.

Short-term versus long-term investment: It’s also important to make decisions with a timeline in mind for the kind of digital transformation investments you’ll be making. A short-term investment is one that can be implemented right away without waiting for partners or particular market conditions. These should be planned with a specific timeline and return on investment metrics.

A middle term investment is planned for one to five years in the future, and will likely require hiring new talent and acquiring outside contractors. This looks more like a brainstorming of possibilities. Long-term projects are broader, with the assumption that they may involve a completely new business model or the expansion into other industries, taking the company in an entirely new direction.

Growth versus profit: Before making any decisions for digital investments, small business owners must have a grasp on whether they are prioritizing the growth of the business or increasing profits. This will have a heavy influence on how resources should be allocated for technology investments. It’s usually a good idea to invest in a solution that is expected to have a quick return on investment payoff and can fuel the adoption of another digital solution. This also has the effect of increasing employee buy-in on digital transformation.

Cloud Source is a leading technology services company that assists companies of all sizes with their digital transformation goals. Contact us to discuss your goals and we’ll help you identify the best solutions to achieve them.

Digital Transformation Is Creating a XaaS Mindset

September 18, 2017 by Cloud Source

Digital transformation is changing the way enterprises make business decisions. Outsourcing used to be relegated to functions like payroll and cleaning services, but the advance of cloud technology has allowed for the consideration of a wider variety of possibilities. Companies are embracing the Everything as a Service (XaaS) mindset, and it’s not just for technology decisions like data storage and software platforms. Across business and consumer culture, XaaS is becoming a way of life.

Botmetric predicts that XaaS will grow 40 percent by 2020 as a global market, and companies that are slow to adopt a digital transformation plan may be left behind. There are benefits that come from cloud technology that will provide a game-changing edge on the competition, forcing some companies into obscurity as others make rapid gains.

Mobile access: Remote access to systems is becoming more important, with companies capitalizing on the ability to hire talent without regard to geography. The remote workforce is growing, and even employees that work on-site appreciate the ability to access information anytime and from anywhere, whether from a lunch meeting or a business trip.

Small companies access innovative technology: Smaller companies are no longer at a disadvantage when it comes to technology because cloud software is sold by subscription. There’s no big investment in hardware or IT support, giving small and mid-size businesses access to the same tools that big corporations can implement, democratizing the business world.

Change is constant: It’s nearly impossible for legacy, on-site systems to keep up with the improvements in speed and efficiency that tech companies produce on an almost daily basis. Digital transformation allows companies to always have the latest tools available, without disruptive updates or investment in new systems.

Cost effectiveness: Not only are companies able to escape the heavy initial investment of on-premise systems when they use a cloud solution, but they also eliminate the need for ongoing management and the headaches that come with updates or implementation. Digital transformation also results in productivity and efficiency improvements that significantly impact the bottom line.

Alternatives can be easily vetted: When a company considers a transition to another on-site system, they can only guess how the solution will work with their processes. With cloud solutions, companies can easily test-drive new software options; if one doesn’t work, it’s easy to pivot to a different solution.

Are you embarking on a digital transformation process? Cloud Source partners with you through each step of your cloud transition, helping you identify the best potential vendors and sticking with you through each implementation step. Call us today to learn more.

Choosing the Right SD-WAN Vendor

August 21, 2017 by Cloud Source

Implementing a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) provides many benefits, including the ability to access any number of transport technologies to connect users, quickly launch new branch offices, and increase agility. Utilizing SD-WAN is also a great way to reduce network costs.

Even as enterprises are seeing the need for SD-WAN, they also must take care to choose a vendor that can meet their needs. Finding the right solution can be time-consuming, because implementing SD-WAN may take lower priority than other items in your digital transformation timeline. As time goes by, the products available are subject to innovation and change, making the selection even more confusing and complicated.

As a result, many companies are hiring providers to manage their SD-WAN. This choice allows for not only the security, maintenance, and updates that come with any as-a-service IT solution, but it also comes with the insight of specialists for whom SD-WAN conversation is their native language.

Questions to Ask When Selecting a Vendor

There are a few questions you should consider before choosing your SD-WAN vendor. You must know whether your vendor can support your current needs as well as future requirements that come up as your company grows and implements a digital transformation plan. Ask these questions before settling on an SD-WAN vendor:

Does the SD-WAN service provider have the ability to guarantee predictable performance on all applications, whether SaaS (Software as a Service) or on-site?
Will the service optimize connectivity to any type of cloud?
Are there high availability alternatives?
Can the provider support new and custom applications?
Is the SD-WAN service compatible with integrated WAN optimization at various company locations?
How will SD-WAN interact with your current routers, secure web gateways, and firewalls?
How will the use of SD-WAN help streamline branch office infrastructure?
Will the provider supply a centralized orchestration console for your use in managing various applications’ QoS and security?

Carefully consider how your vendor will meet each of these qualifications, particularly if your enterprise embraces the need for increased performance and agility through cloud migration. Changing vendors after you’ve realized your SD-WAN solution isn’t meeting your needs could be costly and time-consuming.

If you’re struggling to find the right technology for your business, talk with us at Cloud Source. We help you simplify your vendor selection process and choose a set of solutions that supports your business and provides the agility and performance you want.

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