Nowadays, companies of all sizes from around the world are migrating to the cloud in order to take their businesses forward. There is no denying the benefits of cloud computing for growth-oriented brands, especially when you consider the fact that the cloud brings higher security, reduced operational costs, and better scalability for your infrastructure. However, for all the benefits it brings, it’s important to note that cloud management is an essential process you need to invest in to unlock the full potential of the cloud.
In fact, without proper cloud management, you can hurt your business in numerous ways, cause a reduction in productivity and output, and put your brand’s reputation at risk. That’s why today we are taking a look at five cloud management best practices you can use to optimize your cloud infrastructure, simplify various processes, ensure security and scalability, and build a plan for the future.
Leverage cloud automation with DevOps
First and foremost, you should always be looking for ways to make your business more efficient without increasing manual labor. This means that you need to invest in automation and digital transformation, and that goes for cloud management as well. Automating as many processes as you can in your cloud and IT infrastructure will allow you to cut costs and manual labor, minimize the risk of human error and backtracking, and ensure constant uptime and operational efficiency.
There are two ways you can approach cloud automation, one of them being IaC and the other with the help of DevOps. IaC (infrastructure as code) is a system that codifies everything in your cloud infrastructure and runs everything on scripts that automate cloud management to a great extent. DevOps, on the other hand, is a comprehensive solution for operational efficiency and you can use it to automate various processes in your company, included cloud management.
Monitor and optimize your cloud usage
Monitoring your cloud usage, also referred to as monitoring your TCO (total cost of ownership) is another important process in minimizing the cost of your cloud infrastructure and optimizing it for higher efficiency overall. One of the benefits of migrating to the cloud includes having the ability to pay as you go, meaning that you can pay for the resources you use instead of wasting money on managing an infrastructure you don’t need.
That said, this benefit can never come to light if you don’t pay attention to the limits and quotas in your cloud plan, as well as all individual factors that are influencing your TCO. Luckily, if you’re working with a reputable cloud provider, they will provide you with all the insights you need to monitor and manage all resources and optimize your usage. You can also use your provider to optimize your usage for seasonal fluctuations, requirements, and growth plans.
Implement industry-leading cybersecurity measures
Cloud security is one of the most important elements of success in the increasingly dangerous online world, particularly if your company has a significant digital presence. Whether you’re doing most of your business offline or online, there is no denying that you need to elevate the security of your cloud infrastructure to keep sensitive business and customer information safe, or risk putting your brand’s name in jeopardy.
This is why growth-oriented companies are nowadays switching to enterprise cloud solutions that deliver the best security measures, including innovative firewall platforms, internet access management, endpoint protection, secure web gateways, and more. Once you have elevated the security of your cloud infrastructure, your operational efficiency, productivity and output will invariably rise as a result. Be sure to use enterprise-level security to take your business forward and safeguard your brand’s name.
Don’t skip making a risk mitigation plan
Risk mitigation is an integral part of cloud management as it allows you to assess threats, strengthen your infrastructure, and conduct effective damage control should disaster strike. In the event of a data breach, a system failure, or any similar event, you want to have a concrete action plan that will recover your data, minimize the damage to your brand’s reputation, and get you up and running again quickly.
Risk mitigation requires the input of IT and cloud professionals, your provider, and also the training and education of your employees to recognize and avoid threats. You’ll need to make a disaster plan for multiple scenarios, in order to know exactly what to do in case of an emergency.
Secure future success with a dedicated cloud team
Lastly, consider creating a dedicated team of cloud experts that will act as your center of cloud excellence. Essentially, this team is tasked with constantly analyzing and optimizing your business on the cloud, and most importantly, it is tasked with generating a success roadmap.
If you’re not the cloud yet, then you can use this team to create a winning cloud strategy and help you migrate your business efficiently and effectively. This team can then continue to maintain this level of efficiency and ensure future success on the cloud.
Wrapping up
Cloud management should be an essential part of your cloud strategy, as managing your infrastructure right can mean the difference between long-term success and failure on the cloud. Use these best practices to leverage the full potential of cloud computing and take your business forward.