Editor’s note: This interview with Ian Moyse was recorded for Coding Over Cocktails - a podcast by Toro Cloud.
Cloud computing refers to several technologies in a multi-cloud reality delivering on-demand computing services over the internet. The cloud is a key pillar of digital transformation, and is one of the services that is being invested in by organisations.
Notably, this does not just concern the IT sides of an organisation as business executives are now involving themselves in making and purchasing IT decisions for their organisations as well.
This is because the cloud isn’t just some sort of an "extra" for enterprises anymore. A recent research says that by 2022, over 80% of IaaS and PaaS deployments will be in the cloud, which could impact an organisation’s approach in deploying IT infrastructures.
However, cloud adoption isn’t just about turning on a switch or buying a certain technology. It also requires a focus on successful outcomes for customers, business partners and other stakeholders – while also trying to avoid the hype around it.
"Many adopters of the magic three; Microsoft, Amazon, and Google Cloud Compute have realised that the cloud isn’t necessarily cheaper, but it's not just about the cost of it. It's about the transformation it gives you to your operating model and the ability to be flexible." says Ian Moyse, top industry cloud social influencer, during an episode of Coding Over Cocktails.
Hybrid and multi-cloud adoption first
Moyse adds that the cloud shouldn’t be considered as the be-all, end-all that’s supposed to do everything.
"This isn't about getting everything in the cloud for the sake of ticking that box. If you look at the world that we're now in, we are now in a hybrid and multi-cloud environment. That is what is becoming the norm, not rush everything into the public cloud," Moyse explains.
Toro Cloud CEO and Founder David Brown agrees, saying that more and more organisations in 2021 will adopt multi-cloud strategies to innovate.
"Organisations will go multi-cloud to leverage the features that they love from each provider – especially the ones that work very well with their native systems." Brown says.
He further adds that enterprises aren’t necessarily going to be locked-in to just one vendor – rather, they’re going to have the flexibility to choose from several vendors and come up with the hybrid solution that works best for their systems and make them communicate as a cohesive whole.
Processing the pain points
Moyse reiterates that most organisations have made decisions for the reasons that they felt right at the time, while looking at what technology and resources was available to them.
"So, if you chose a product from 15 years ago and you've been on the same CRM platform or ERP platform, or whatever it is for the last 15 years, and you know it inside out, you know exactly what to change." he says. However, this means that organisations would also be hesitant to adopt new technologies as familiarity breeds loyalty.
"It's the unpacking of the old – the emotive tie to what you've done before that draws you into it." But with cloud adoption, this is one of the pain points which are part of the process.
He adds that people would usually push through with a technology purchase or upgrade because of a pain reaction.
"When I've looked at the adoption of Zoom and Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams and Slack, during that, you know, over the COVID incredibly quickly, people went and just said, "Oh, I chose one of those products" and deployed it across the entire business and have people up and running. The pain outweighs everything else." he says.
Circling back to how we can avoid hype, Moyse suggests organisations to step back and reevaluate their environment and not rush everything into the public cloud just because that’s where the cheapest operating costs are perceived to be.
"I think there's an over assumption of how easy some of this stuff is to do, and there's a danger of being disappointed by just buying into it, throwing some money at a technology, and thinking it's going to fix all your processes and the way that you need to do business." he concludes.
Coding Over Cocktails is a podcast created by Toro Cloud, a company that offers a low-code, API centric platform for application development & integration.
This podcast series tackles issues faced by enterprises as they manage the process of digital transformation, application integration, low-code application development, data management, and business process automation. It’s available for streaming in most major podcast platforms, including Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
