<section class="section--first section--last"><div class="section-divider layoutSingleColumn"><hr class="section-divider"></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner layoutSingleColumn"><p class="graf graf--p graf--first" name="q9nwq">It&rsquo;s 2017, and we have reached a point where we can finally ditch most of our physical means of computing to harness the flexible and innovative form of technology - the cloud. Enterprises today &ndash; envisioning the scope of computing on the cloud &ndash; are effectively trying to reinvent their business models, and streamline data management and analysis. Having said that, it is evident that in years to come, we can expect heavy investments in the cloud arena; as reliance on the innovative technology continues to evolve.</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--first" name="q9nwq"><br></p><h2 class="graf graf--h2" name="rdb4j">The Cloud-First Policy</h2><p class="graf graf--p" name="l8vk"><br></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="l8vk">As per <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3354117" href="http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3354117" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gartner&rsquo;s predictions</a>, by the year 2020, a corporate &quot;no-cloud&quot; policy will be a rare phenomenon; just like today&rsquo;s &quot;no-internet&quot; policy. Considering the current scenario, &lsquo;cloud-first&rsquo; and even &lsquo;cloud-only&rsquo; approach are dominating the IT domain. Moreover, the research firm also predicts that, by 2019, 30 percent or more of the 100 largest vendors will have their software investments focused on &lsquo;cloud-only&rsquo; philosophy&mdash;moving ahead of &lsquo;cloud-first&rsquo;.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="l8vk"><br></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="l965">Although the benefits of cloud computing are enormous, adopting a cloud-first strategy for your organization is definitely not a piece of cake. It requires a great deal of planning.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="l965"><br></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="q02ql">By now, a plethora of technical challenges might be surfacing on your mind. In fact, to identify and solve those challenges, initially, you need to understand the value proposition of the three tiers of cloud services. This will give you an idea about which one of those tiers best aligns with your specific business needs.</p><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="7319">SaaS (Software as a Service)</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="ymipo">This tier is for enterprises planning to migrate their existing applications to the cloud, or looking for an entirely new set of applications. However, this tier gives you little or no freedom for customization at all. Moreover, it is not recommended to adopt Saas in mission-critical areas &ndash; as software updates often happen abruptly &ndash; disrupting your workflow.</p><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="fr7zu">IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="o9udv">IaaS is flexible in all aspects&mdash;capable enough to virtualize most of your on-premises workloads. However, most of the IaaS providers refrain from managing systems that exist above the hypervisor layer. Moreover, hyper-scale providers and market leaders&mdash;<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/azure-backup-cloud-first-architecture/" href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/azure-backup-cloud-first-architecture/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Microsoft Azure</a> and the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/aws-named-as-a-leader-in-gartners-infrastructure-as-a-service-iaas-magic-quadrant-for-7th-consecutive-year/" href="https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/aws-named-as-a-leader-in-gartners-infrastructure-as-a-service-iaas-magic-quadrant-for-7th-consecutive-year/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon Web Services (AWS)</a>, are not an option for SMBs. This is indeed a limitation that leaves most enterprise operations like the patching of operating systems and applications, and monitoring unsettled.</p><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="6zof">PaaS (Platform as a Service)</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="fk5rd">As a matter of fact, PaaS is considered as the smallest tier among the three. Moreover, it is a suitable option for in-house-developed applications, and open-source solutions&mdash;where enterprises can access the source code. However, the service comes along with some pitfalls - such as outdated runtimes and the lack of freedom to add custom or third-party libraries.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fk5rd"><br></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="sii3">Now that you are well-aware about the cloud services, we bring you the two best practices that can broaden your viewpoint. These practices form a base of addressing the key challenges and paves a path towards a successful cloud migration.</p><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="6kj5q">1. Invest in a Cloud Architect or a Team of Cloud Administrators</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="pynp3">You simply can&rsquo;t deny the fact that the cloud is getting more and more complex as it evolves. Consequently, this opens a window for numerous technical and legacy issues in areas such as IT operations, application development, security, compliance, finance, procurement, privacy, identity management, data integration, mobility, &nbsp;business development and customer experience. To manage these areas efficiently, you might need to hire cloud architects, or even a team or cloud administrators.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="pynp3"><br></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d0goq">Apart from assisting your organization in cloud adoption and migration, the primary responsibility of these cloud architects must be to orchestrate changes across many crucial areas, when required.</p><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="izwod">2. Organize Training and Certification Programs</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="lrj0j">Even though it is true that cloud architects transform your cloud infrastructure, it is equally crucial to make sure that your in-house technical team that implements, manages and supports the infrastructure have exceptional skills in cloud technologies. So, you may encourage your system administrators and engineers to upgrade their skillsets&mdash;by enrolling them for a various cloud-based training and certification programs.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="lrj0j"><br></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6jtwo">You may also prompt your employees to use the free trial offers from cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure, AWS, and the Google Cloud. This will help them gain some hands-on experience.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6jtwo"><br></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7zkcq">Information empowers innovation. Now that you know what matters the most, kick start your journey and soar to new heights in the cloud.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7zkcq"><br></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7zkcq"><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class="hs-cta-wrapper" id="hs-cta-wrapper-c445a636-98b3-4efc-9718-78a60075f0ea"><span class="hs-cta-node hs-cta-c445a636-98b3-4efc-9718-78a60075f0ea" id="hs-cta-c445a636-98b3-4efc-9718-78a60075f0ea"><!--[if lte IE 8]><div id="hs-cta-ie-element"></div><![endif]--><a href="https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2627927/c445a636-98b3-4efc-9718-78a60075f0ea" target="_blank"><img class="hs-cta-img fr-fic fr-dii" id="hs-cta-img-c445a636-98b3-4efc-9718-78a60075f0ea" style="border-width: 0px;" height="200" width="600" src="https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2627927/c445a636-98b3-4efc-9718-78a60075f0ea.png" alt="Cloud Migration Solution Sheet"></a></span></span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><br></p></div></div></section>