Cloud Consulting services to better retain customers for providers

Cloud computing, as the hottest technology in the present, is widely used by various enterprises. However, not every application is suitable for the cloud, and most companies have little confidence in the ability to make assessments. Third-party advisory services can help companies to complete this assessment, but the cost is very high. Service providers find that customers and prospects contact them to seek it decision help, especially when it comes to evaluating cloud services. And some providers have developed cloud consulting services that target the benefits and pitfalls of shifting applications and services to the cloud to make potential customers distinguish between good and bad service.

Service providers must achieve a balance between profiting from their cloud products and making themselves trustworthy advocates, without prompting customers to move unsuitable services to their business. "

Relationship between cloud consulting service providers and potential customers

Whether or not the company used to use the cloud for specific applications, or for the first time to plan a potential cloud strategy, external experience can help customers implement and adapt them to the cloud, said Agatha Poon, a global cloud computing research manager at the London 451 Institute.

Dimension data, a global IT service provider based in South Africa, recently announced its cloud-ready service, which will help companies assess their ability to migrate to the cloud and are ready to do so.

This service is available to existing customers and prospects, combined with dimension Data's cloud business and system integration experience, delivering a reliable and realistic cloud roadmap to customers considering cost, security, and migration, the provider's chief market view of the cloud business unit Keao Caindec.

Cloud Consulting started with a 20-30-question online survey, where potential buyers complete a survey to help them understand where their cloud journey begins. The survey's questions help identify the potential generation gap in their IT infrastructure, and how cloud computing might address these challenges, says David Cottingham, the Dimension Data Cloud Consulting director.

The second and third steps of this project are cloud ready workshops and evaluations. This process can last a whole day, with the customer's IT team and dimension Data Consulting and professional services team to explore such topics as security, application migration, internal readiness, cost certification, and integration of other applications, Cottingham said.

The team worked with C-level executive and IT decision makers to review their organization's organizational structure, operations, and technology over a two-week period and develop a cloud migration plan based on the findings of the assessment period. "We will provide some suggestions and high-level cloud roadmap to help customers with short-term and controllable plans to start projects, as well as long-term plans and how to move to cloud computing," Cottingham said.

Cloud readiness assessments are useful for customers in any cloud strategy phase because they can exit the ready service at any time, says Pooh of the 451 Institute. "This project will not force customers into the cloud. Depending on the customer, if they feel unprepared, they don't have to move anything to the cloud, "she said." It's a very good way to step in and let the customer decide to be more responsive to cloud services. ”

Cloud consulting services depend on the internal IT resources of the customer

In order to create an effective and objective cloud consulting service, the provider's target group should be customers who already have adequate in-house it, and have been accurately involved in the self-assessment, said Tom Nolle, president of Cimi Corp., "If customers make decisions with bad data trends, they will make bad decisions, Unless something happens, that's where the provider goes, "he said."

While cloud-ready services for many service providers do not specifically limit customer size, nolle that the best entry point for cloud consulting services is midsize enterprises, "these businesses have some IT resources, but employees may have limited experience." These businesses will need to adjust for specific IT services, such as the cloud, but they can also judge the relevance and completeness of the provider's assessment. ”

Cloud consulting services, such as typical IT consulting services, are good for helping customers move from traditional IT environments to cloud environments, but not every provider wants to compete in the consulting industry.

Providing a private and mixed approach is a way for providers to help hesitant customers get into the cloud, and it's good for you, says Pooh of the 451 Institute, "Some customers really don't want to move to a service provider's cloud, but want to have some service in their data centers," she said. Service providers can provide private cloud implementations that are profitable for providers and less risky for uncertain customers.

"Edit Recommendation"

Fujitsu launches "Senior Citizen Care Cloud service" mining cloud Business Opportunity Happy Farm: Agricultural Cloud Service Enterprise FarmLogs 1 million dollars to finance 2012 cloud service provider revenue only 3 over 1 billion USD new Office 365 cloud service annual fee 100 USD support 5 pcs public cloud service Market Security is still the key. "Executive Editor: Xiao Yun TEL: (010) 68476606"