Regardless of the type of cloud businesses may go with, it’s beyond necessary to choose a secure, adaptive and world-class network for a future free of complexities.
IN the past two years, hybrid workspace, retail transformation, digital interactions, and industrial automation have become more prevalent, resulting in growing digitalisation among consumers and businesses.
Now that we are moving towards the endemic phase, businesses are looking for ways to continue leveraging modern technology in order to drive further business growth and capture new opportunities.
And one of the best digital investments that a business could make is by moving to the cloud. From boosted efficiency, to enhanced data security and streamlined operations, these are just some of the many benefits of cloud adoptions.
There are a number of different migration approaches a company can adopt for their own transformation requirements, with a range of different cloud deployment models, companies can choose from public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud for their specific industry and transformation needs.
It sounds deceptively simple to move all your company’s operations to the cloud. But with so many types of cloud models, how do businesses choose the right one?
Importance of being cloud-earnest
Transitioning “cloud right” is just as important as just being “cloud-first” according to Maxis Business head of Cloud Products Amanda Lensing.
Starting off on the right foot with the proper cloud strategy can be the make-or-break for businesses as they look to minimise costs and mitigate security risks.
However, without the proper due diligence, too-eager business owners can end up investing in patchwork cloud solutions with quick-fixes that become obsolete fast.
These become financial burdens and can lead to security risks in the transition to cloud services, syphoning anywhere from 30% to more than 50% of total IT spending, according to Lensing.
Since cloud is ambiguous for the uninitiated, there are still lingering myths that may discourage businesses from transitioning.
Myth 1: Being cloud-first is the be-all-end-all
As businesses aim to eliminate the problem of shadow IT, as mentioned by Lensing, businesses may race to adopt cloud without fully understanding the organisation’s future needs.
Entrepreneurs and businesses must consider which model works best for their operations after all – be it a public, private or hybrid cloud.
However, not every provider is able to provide all three types of cloud models under one umbrella and this is where Maxis comes in thanks to its collaboration with global major cloud providers that allows them to offer a “Right Cloud" approach.
Understanding the increasing need for access to and control of resources across organisations, Maxis takes a “Right Cloud” approach and functions as an end-to-end cloud service provider to help partners with their transformation journey through the Right Expertise with Maxis' professional and managed services.
When Sime Darby Industrial Sdn Bhd (SDISB) adopted the cloud early in 2018, it faced challenges in its digitalisation journey. It had misconfigured its infrastructure that led to lag and downtime, making its Malaysian e-commerce site unoptimised.
It faced scalability and security issues that caused periodic lags and downtime for its e-commerce customers, while driving up costs.
Maxis stepped in to provide end-to-end and personalised solutions to SDISB.
It improved the e-commerce site performance while reducing costs by configuring the Amazon Simple Storage Service and Amazon Relational Database Service that simplified database administration and scaling.
SDISB Digital Sales head Ganeemathullah Bharudin noted that with Maxis’ level of technical expertise, the company was able to better manage and improve their cloud infrastructure.
As the solutions were also able to eliminate withholding tax and currency conversion headaches since Maxis worked with Amazon directly, SDISB was able to focus on its analytics, expansion and up-scale plans for integrations.
Revamping the e-commerce site was only one phase of a three-phase plan the company had to boost traffic and site functionality.
Myth 2: The cloud is not secure enough
Historically, the layman may cite public cloud infrastructure security as one of their top concerns and reasons to avoid adoption.
Recently however, all major cloud service providers (CSPs) have improved their security capabilities.
A CSP’s business model today depends on best-in-class security, and they have developed an array of new tools and methods to make cloud secure.
According to an article by management consulting firm McKinsey, this development is important as public cloud breaches have almost all been driven by enterprise customers’ insecure configurations.
The key question then shifts from how secure the cloud is, to the measures that companies or businesses can take to enhance security. This could apply to industries like education and healthcare.
Brickfields Asia College (BAC), for instance, a part of BAC Education Group in Malaysia, switched to the cloud in early 2019.
Maxis Right Cloud helped it navigate the complex processes as it struggled to fully optimise its cloud infrastructure.
For BAC to manage security risks better, Maxis introduced AWS Web Application Firewall filters and set rules for the type of allowable access on each site page.
This prevented external networks from accessing its internal network using Amazon Virtual Private Cloud and AWS Virtual Private Network solutions.
Maxis’ cloud experts also identified the educator’s areas of focus and performed a cloud-to-cloud migration to Amazon Web Services (AWS).
In a couple of months, BAC migrated 50 online learning and student management web and mobile applications to AWS, over half of which are managed by Maxis.
Maxis Right Cloud helps companies navigate complex processes while they work towards fully optimising their cloud infrastructures.
Maxis Right Cloud helps companies navigate complex processes while they work towards fully optimising their cloud infrastructures.
Myth 3: Cloud adoption is too complex and expensive
Cloud is not just for Fortune 500 companies – it benefits all businesses. What’s more important is that your solution is tailored to your business needs.
Most small businesses would prioritise growth, with less emphasis on crisis, as keeping the doors open during trying times seems more prudent.
Cloud, however, can give small businesses the flexibility and scalability to add tools in line with the growth of a business.
Migrating business infrastructure into the cloud also makes it easier to function in a crisis.
Transitioning to the cloud can also unburden a company’s IT department, especially if it were to take advantage of a managed service provider to help with day-to-day tasks, like network monitoring and support.
This is a boon for small businesses that are more reactive to emerging problems. Businesses can leverage CSPs like Maxis to do the leg work for them.
With Maxis’ end-to-end service, businesses can avoid common pitfalls by utilising the professional services to design, build and optimise a cloud strategy that is future-proof.
Empower your cloud with the right network
When it comes to business transformation, adopting new technologies alone isn’t enough.
The right connectivity matters especially when involving a multi-cloud environment, as it plays a crucial role in the delivery and performance of cloud-based services.
Regardless of the type of cloud businesses may go with, it’s beyond necessary to choose a secure, adaptive and world-class network for a future free of complexities.
Designed for better security, reliability and agility, the MEF 3.0 certified programmable network by Maxis Business supports businesses through flexible and adaptive commercial models that allow them to scale quickly to match cloud usage, as well as network security that’s integrated into the cloud system.
These can result in improved cost efficiencies and better data integrity.
In a new world where infrastructure can make or break your digital adoption, having the right partner with all the right building blocks including the right network can make all the difference in driving business outcomes.
For more on Maxis Right Cloud and how it can help you, check out the website here.
