5 Truths About Moving to the Cloud

When was the last time you implemented the latest and greatest thing, only to find out it didn’t perform quite to the level promised? This isn’t an uncommon phenomenon in the corporate world, especially when it comes to technology. Decision makers may see the next best thing as delivering all the right benefits, only to find upon deployment that not much has changed.

In most situations, the problem isn’t the solution that was deployed, but rather the lack of knowledge about the solution. When users don’t understand something or even why it was implemented, the natural reaction is resistance. Virtual PBX solution provider Nextiva suggests in a recent blog that such a reaction is avoided with hosted services if your organization can avoid five specific mistakes.

The Cloud Isn’t Free

This is an assumption that’s easy to make, especially if you’re one of those users accustomed to things like Gmail, Google Drive, social media platforms and more. All of these things are available to us for free, creating the mindset that anything in the cloud should be available to us at no cost. When this is the mindset, you’re already primed for failure as you don’t associate a value with the service. While it’s still a good idea to scrutinize costs, the key is to understand they exist.

Storage is Not Enough

It’s not uncommon for companies to implement storage in the cloud and stop there. It’s a lower risk move and doesn’t require a lot of change internally. The problem with this approach is it ignores all the other platforms and the benefits they can provide. Did you know virtual PBX offerings generally extend capabilities beyond legacy systems? Take a look at your needs and design offerings that meet those needs from day one.

There Isn’t Just One Cloud

We refer to it as a singular place but the reality is there are many clouds. This is evident when we try to integrate QuickBooks online with another application. If the two aren’t designed to work together, you have to find fixes to make them talk to each other. If your virtual PBX is provided by Nextiva and your email by Google, you already use two clouds.

Not Everything Works in the Cloud

We hear so much about the cloud on a daily basis, it’s hard to believe that every app isn’t already available through this deployment. If you’re tied to your legacy apps, you may need help moving them to the cloud if there isn’t already a cloud version available. This isn’t a simple process and companies that help you are worth the money they charge.

Avoid the Lock

Customization sounds great in the cloud and the vendor is promising to make all of your dreams come true. The more customization, however, the harder it is to move from cloud to cloud. Don’t lock yourself into a vendor or solution that may not be the right fit in the next few years. Leave your options open, while still getting all of the value from your provider.

The cloud, whether you leverage virtual PBX, accounting services or storage, will cost time and money. The benefits are certainly worth the investment and avoiding the mistakes listed here will help you get to the good stuff a little faster.