Featured Article from Software Licensing

Perpetual software licensing models are on the down slope as developers are shifting toward subscription-based models. According to market intelligence from IDC (News - Alert), major developers are eyeing cloud deployments in lieu of traditional software offerings. This shift means that providers are better able to compete and monetize their services, but cloud deployments are not without their concerns.

In order to seamlessly deploy software in the cloud, software licensing experts at Flexera Software have listed three key steps to ensuring a smooth transition on the customer end.

It’s all about pricing, how data is migrated, and of course, ease of customization. In terms of migration, developers must consider that premise-based users have amassed a lot of data over a period of time, and that data will either stay put or move towards the cloud. According to Flexera Software, the best plan is for customers to keep historical data in-house and only move current and active data to the cloud.

Not all business data should migrate to the cloud, and organizations must determine what is best suited for a cloud environment. Mitigating factors vary by industry, of course. For example, healthcare organizations need to understand how a cloud-based operation might impact their applications' ability to meet stringent compliance, governance, and security issues.

When it comes to customization, it’s important to also understand how the technology works before fully embracing it. Know your IT infrastructure, needs, and usage to best determine which cloud service is right for you.

While your cloud provider will have the know-how and expertise required to manage your cloud data and software use, you should also have a knowledgeable expert in-house. Whether it’s a person or a team, working together with your provider will ensure that your software use and data is managed and controlled properly.

For those who are unsure of a total migration, it is best to start small. Businesses can migrate their more modest data that will have limited impact if something should go wrong. Collaborative tools and Web applications are a good place to start.

Organizations are rapidly adopting cloud technologies, but migration is still a challenge. It doesn’t have to be, according to Flexera Software. The company offers practical advice and a host of products that can help companies successfully move to cloud environments. There is an area that deserves significant attention, and businesses are right to consider the move.