Utilizing DRaaS as a Gateway to the Cloud

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shutterstock_153859988Technology can be a frightening thing, especially to those without a firm understanding of how it works and what can be accomplished. Take, for instance, the advent of the steam locomotive in the 1800s. In spite of the numerous advantages it offered, many people were afraid that, at speeds topping 30 mph, their bodies simply wouldn’t hold up to the stress of traveling that fast.

The same sort of fear and hesitation that kept people from riding steam locomotives is still present today when it comes to adopting new and improved technologies. When the cloud first debuted, many companies were highly skeptical of this new and then-untested technology. Years later, companies are moving beyond skepticism to adopt effective strategies to utilize the cloud to its full potential.

Embracing the Cloud With DRaaS

So what is Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)? It’s a solution that takes what service providers know about disaster recovery (DR) to ensure continuity within the cloud infrastructure. Instead of facing capital expenditures for physical DR infrastructure, businesses can instead leverage the economies of scale offered through the cloud.

By embracing DRaaS solutions instead of traditional recovery services, customers can effectively utilize cloud infrastructures to host critical production applications and workloads with business continuity in mind. With successful failover testing, skeptical companies can overcome the fear of the unknown and acclimate to cloud-based DR solutions. This can help eliminate much of the fear and dread that comes with moving workloads to a seemingly unfamiliar environment.

Where to Begin?

It’s important for service providers to understand how a good start can help cultivate long-term success. Using DRaaS as an entry point for approaching a cloud services strategy can not only be beneficial for establishing a robust offering within a service provider’s portfolio, but it can also help providers expand their customer bases through established offerings.

Embracing DRaaS is not just considered the fastest way for businesses to join the cloud, but also the fastest-growing way. According to a recent Gartner report, DRaaS is set to become one of the fastest-growing sectors within the cloud market, overtaking traditional recovery services by 2018. Today, few people think much of boarding today’s locomotives that regularly surpass 200 mph. With DRaaS as the established gateway for a host of cloud services, few companies will see any problem with embracing the cloud.

Avoid Common Hazards When Purchasing Business Systems

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shutterstock_294833330For some time now, experts have indicated that spending on enterprise software will explode in 2015. Keys to survival for businesses will include employing prudence amidst all that spending and investing in business systems that will help them maintain a competitive edge.

Here are five suggestions proven to help avoid some common hazards associated with enterprise software purchases.

 

Employ a single, integrated solution

With an integrated solution, real-time visibility is guaranteed; accurate representations of data across departments and for key decision-makers will enhance effectiveness as well as the ability to plan ahead. This is not possible with incompatible systems, which invariably give rise to increased costs and diminished efficiency.

Look to the future

There’s a lot at stake here, yet this no-brainer is still routinely ignored in many businesses. Since one of the things at stake is money, it should be standard operating procedure to give IT vendors the third degree regarding upgradeability.

This truly is a case of caveat emptor, the onus is actually on the buyer to anticipate the future and ask the right questions. There are some vendors who take a “Well, they didn’t ask about upgradeability!” attitude when problems arise.

Continue education

Too often, companies do not investigate offerings thoroughly enough. There is a tendency to succumb to brand recognition and commit to a solution that is well-known, but substandard in that it will not address the challenges at hand. Some settle for the “good,” which is the enemy of the “best,” due to pressure from management or time constraints.

With all of the competition in the business systems market, the ideal solution is out there. It might not show up in the next five minutes, but rest assured that the short-term effort will be worth avoiding the long-term pain.

Innovate

Familiarity can prevent a company from decommissioning that outdated legacy business management system in favor of a modernized IT infrastructure. Increasing data demands are apparent, as is that gnawing certainty that the old system will indeed implode sooner or later.

The stakes are high–too high for that kind of loyalty to digital media.

Customize with care and caution

Most cloud-based vendors offer solutions for business systems that can be widely customized, but they don’t know what’s too much or too little for your company. Too much can result in a new system so radically customized that internal IT will be hesitant to make any modifications or upgrade for fear of irrevocably corrupting vital components.

The right application should automatically upgrade to new versions. Due diligence is key; companies must do their homework before investing.

Given the speed of business and high-tech development in general, markets are increasingly unforgiving to companies unable to adapt to the streamlined, cloud-based paradigm. In order to wisely invest in new systems, companies must be meticulous with vendors, ask the right questions, and do sufficient product research.