Advancing efficiency with cloud computing

74% of business leaders are engaged with a cloud strategy, and 56% see cloud as a strategic platform for growth. But the gap between actual business returns vs the expected, across the top 12 benefits of cloud transformation, remains at 53%. At half the ROI expected, is the promise of cloud just pie in the sky? Not at all.

At Portera we support companies to achieve the promise of cloud computing through creating Cloud Competence Centres.

Even as adoption rates rise, there is a significant lack of clarity around the true value of cloud computing. Numerous organisations are selling the benefits, of which there are many. However, organisations often struggle with the operational requirements, the transition roadmap, and the ongoing support implications (and risks) that cloud computing brings.

The #1 claimed value driver for moving to cloud is agility and resilience. As business motivations, these are completely different criteria and should not be considered together, yet they frequently are. No wonder it’s the biggest disappointment in terms of value realisation, as shown in a recent report by PWC on cloud computing.

Portera is cloud computing and migration partner for numerous MNCs who are at various stages of their transformation journey – from just starting out and utilising our deep expertise in an advisory capacity, through to appointing Portera to run their entire cloud ecosystem.

For us, the value and realisation of that value are clear and simple:

• Efficiency from cloud can, in fact, be measured. Time is money. It can be quantified. And the value gains from quicker innovation, faster collaboration, smoother deployment, and greater tech performance can be modelled across organisations.
• Security is stronger, and that adds to the bottom line. 94% of businesses have seen an improvement in security, and 91% consider it easier to meet government compliance requirements (International Data Group). The challenge is to calculate the value of this. To hyperbolise to make the point… what is the value of preventing a terror attack? To a company, a data breach fine or ransom attack is very easy to quantify. The value of not having to pay one is harder to gauge. But in the business modelling, and risk assessment, this contribution from cloud must be quantified and considered.
• Loss prevention and disaster recovery – like security, is something that is overlooked, but can be quantified. And it should.
• Seeing is believing. The biggest challenge is the lack of tangibility of the cloud. The name leads us to believe it’s ‘up there’. But at Portera we put huge emphasis on visualising performance. Our dashboarding and reporting teams deliver operational and business KPIs, but they also bring to life the intangible gains, the trends, and the scale of cloud computing. Much like investment funds show returns against the index, it’s possible to measure your cloud performance today versus what it would have been before.