Latin America. We've been hearing about the cloud for a long time and now we see rapid deployment in the enterprise area due to its advantages, such as increasing data storage capacity and security from anywhere that is also easy to manage.
It's no surprise that adoption rates have skyrocketed and cloud-based systems have already become something to be expected in businesses. However, in addition to the initial deployment of the cloud infrastructure and its established capabilities, what will be the long-term value it will provide for both the business and the consumer? How will companies be able to maximize their cloud solution to provide an ideal customer experience, collect valuable data for decision-making, and ultimately contribute to the financial outcome?
First, the company needs to determine and define how the cloud will add value to its customer base. Businesses are under increasing pressure to meet rapidly evolving customer needs, and to keep pace, IT departments need an environment that allows them to develop applications, test products, and go into production faster. In this scenario, companies are bringing application development and customer support to the cloud, ensuring a faster and more secure engagement platform.
Maximize Impact
Moving applications to the cloud is just the beginning of deployment. Organizations also need to implement the appropriate peripheral and connectivity infrastructure in their respective offices, stores, restaurants, etc., to offer their customers access to such applications. Customer satisfaction is a priority in today's business scenario, so it is essential that peripheral Ethernet switches are fast and intelligent enough to provide users with an optimal experience. This means prioritizing business traffic over non-essential or bandwidth-consuming traffic, and transferring network intelligence to the edge. A smart edge device not only prioritizes business traffic, but also enables a strategy aligned with subscription-based financial models, which are most frequently associated with the cloud.
Leverage Data Analytics
Once customers are connected and accessing applications, companies can leverage the data that results from data analytics to collect and measure the customer experience, verifying whether the cloud solution is actually delivering superior results. Data Analysis also positions the company to become a more agile and revenue-generating entity, allowing the profitability of the network infrastructure.
Data Analytics also allows IT departments to monitor the activities and software being used on a network to determine whether the company should invest more or retire. These data-driven decisions help eliminate parallel IT, which is still prevalent in many organizations and generates business and security expenses. If a company is paying for a leave that employees don't use, the CIO and IT department will be able to orient themselves through Data Analytics to understand what's really going on in a network. From there, they will be able to better evaluate the chosen software from the revenue and security points of view.
Vertical Integration
In addition to the business area cases, it is worth noting that Data Analysis and profit making are also relevant topics for several vertical markets. In the education sector, for example, IT specialists will be able to observe how learners interact with applications on a network to determine whether they help or potentially harm them. In large sports stadiums, analyses pinpoint the most crowded areas to properly allocate wireless networks and provide support to fans. Family members and patients in hospitals will be able to interact and connect seamlessly in emergency situations. Quality of experience is a relevant measure in all industries, whether in a waiting room, a classroom or a meeting room.
What's next?
As more companies deploy cloud solutions, their post-implementation strategies will become the determining factor of success in offering customers a seamless experience. It all starts with analytics, which gives companies accurate visibility into the data collected, and which could increase sales and improve the customer experience. From there, it is the responsibility of the organization to leverage its solution as a resource for profit. With these steps, companies will be well positioned to succeed after deploying their cloud solution.
Text written by Mike Leibovitz, director in the CTO office at Extreme Networks
