Yes, we can all agree that the cloud-based system is amazing and can offer a business so many solutions. However, when creating a cloud-based solution for a business, it is important to take into considerations their business needs.
To accurately determine the computing needs of the business it is essential that all current computing resources are reviewed. It is important to look at the business operations and determine the business aspects of cloud computing and how they can be addressed effectively. Here are some questions Business Victoria have created, that you can ask, to make the right decision:
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Write a 'must have' and 'nice to have' list.
Ask the business to create a list of all the cloud-based features that they would like to have. From this list break it down into two categories, a 'nice to have' and a 'must have'. Take note of these in your marketing plan.
Your 'must have' list should be short and outline the features that are absolutely necessary for your business. Ideally the 'must have' list should align with your digital strategy. For example, if in the businesses digital strategy they have 'enable 24/7 sales', then a 'must have' feature would be to have 24/7 chat functions and phone line.
The 'nice to have' list can be much broader. List the features in order of importance, including all of the capabilities that will make running a business easier.
Key questions:
- What are your reasons for buying it?
- Who is going to run and maintain it?
- Will the hardware need to integrate with any other devices?
Consider the Cloud.
Business trends are constantly changing. While you would not want to change your whole business strategy based on a trend, cloud-based systems are proving to be quite effective. Mostly due to the scalability and flexibility, it can offer a business.
Aligning this decision with a businesses strategy and marketing plan can offer opportunities for growth that the business would not experience if they did not explore cloud-based systems.
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Computers, printers and data storage devices
When moving a business to a cloud-based system. It is important to consider all the office equipment that this will affect.
You would need to do further research into the amount of staff, their location of work, their hours, the systems and hardware that they use etc.
This is important due to meeting the requirements and needs of the business. Let us say that you had set up a cloud-based system, you had moved them all onto Xero Accounting, and you had only purchased a package for 20 staff. They however have 100 staff. Therefore the system cannot add all the pay details of their staff.
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Clarify Budget
To ensure that you meet the client's needs, set a firm budget. The budget should allow for other expenses such as:
- additional software
- accessories
- training
- support
- extended warranties.
You will also need to consider if an 'off the shelf' product that is already all developed will suit their needs or if they would need to create a system specifically for them.
Another consideration is ongoing costs to the business such as maintenance, repairs, updates etc.
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Reduce your options
Now that you have your 'must haves' and 'nice to haves' lists, and also your clear budget - it is time to reduce your options.
This is the time for you to go through your product list and eliminate items that lack features or are too expensive.
Arrange three or four products that are a good fit for the business by looking for:
- high-quality customer support
- a brand that has a broad base of users
- a brand with a solid track record.
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Evaluate the options and choose your finalists
From the list you have created, determine which products deliver the most features from your 'nice to have' list. Are there add-ons that you can purchase at a later date?
Now that you have just a handful of products left to evaluate, it is time to see these products in action. Most cloud-based programs will arrange a call or come out to the business to demonstrate their features. Arrange this with the business so they can have a demonstration of the products.
Some general questions to ask the salesperson are:
- Are there any ongoing costs related to running this product, such as annual subscriptions?
- What kind of warranty does this product come with, and what does it cover?
- What if I find a better deal than yours for this specific item?
By the end of the process, the business should have reduced the products down to two or three based on their preference.
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Get feedback from the business and team
Now is the time for you to gain feedback from the business and most importantly the staff that this will impact.
Getting staff feedback and their buy-in will also help when it comes to implementing the new hardware, if you have asked for their feedback early on, they will be more receptive to the change.
Ensure that the staff who will be responsible for the hardware instalment and upkeep are the ones that have an input.
Ask for their thoughts and feelings regarding:
- your current hardware - it's limitations and benefits
- the types of features they would like the piece of hardware to have.
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Make your final decision
After the feedback, it is time for you to sit down with the business and make a final decision. Also, it is important to have an implementation plan regarding the roll-out of this new system.
Research Cycle
When investigating to determine the viability of cloud computing for a business it is a simple four-step process based on the Plan, Do Check, Act (PDCA) cycle. Document the strategy to be completed for the review and develop an implementation strategy for acceptance by management.
The following is an overview of how you can implement the PDCA cycle when reviewing the current and future computing needs of the business.
| Steps | |
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| Plan |
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| Do |
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| Check |
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| Act |
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Online goals link into your overall marketing objectives and are specifically related to what you want your business to achieve online.
Your digital strategy ensures your goals are clear and helps you put the right technology and processes in place to support these goals.
A digital strategy aligns your online activities with your business goals and will help you stay on track in this constantly changing environment.
Benefits of a digital strategy
A digital strategy aligns your online activities with your business goals and will help you stay on track in this constantly changing environment.
A digital strategy will help you:
- stay competitive online
- improve customer service
- help businesses to expand and grow
- improve quality control
- streamline your business
- free you up from process-driven activities
- improve redundancy (disaster recovery)
- increase your customer base
- enable 24/7 sales
- automate aspects of your staff training/induction
Turn your goals into actions
An action plan is a good way to make your goals turn into reality.
Action plan for [Month Year] e.g. September 2021
| Activity | Expected results (What will it achieve for your business? Ensure this is measurable, e.g. '10 leads', '3 workshop bookings', 'no website downtime in the following month') | Actual results | Who performs this task | When is this task due? | Status (e.g. planned, in progress, complete, delayed, cancelled) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e.g. Move to Xero | |||||
A thorough assessment of the current situation is imperative, as it will lay the foundation for many important decisions that are required.
The key points to consider are:
- Decide what applications should be migrated. Not all of the current system needs to be cloud-based. Review current usage, personnel duties and location, age of equipment, and data storage needs. This will help the decision-making process.
- Audit your current infrastructure to get a better idea of the scope and scale of the migration. Compile a list of all current hardware, software, and associated devices. Determine if it is compatible with a cloud computing system or if new resources will be required.
- Understand the current cost and resource levels. How much money has been invested in the current setup? Will this money be wasted if a change occurs? How much new equipment may be required and how much will these items cost?
A proposal needs to define a problem and provide the solutions to resolve it. For example, need for cloud-based computing.
Having collated the information you need to summarise the computing needs of the business develop a proposal that:
- Details all the facts. Do not provide opinions and provide your findings based on the research which is conducted. If necessary research similar plans or projects and cite them to emphasize their success. Or in turn, highlight their failings and provide solutions that address the weaknesses which were identified.
- Provide an analysis of the research you conducted and try to demonstrate the possible outcomes if cloud-based computing is implemented.
- Discuss the financial considerations which need to be factored in the purchase and implementation of a new system. All costings need to be realistic and include timelines for each stage of the implementation.
- Include information on how the new system will be monitored and reviewed to determine its success and meet the objectives which were established.
Ensure that you revise your proposal and check all grammar and formatting. This is a business document and must be presented concisely. Make the presentation engaging by including graphs and images if it suits the purpose and has someone else review the document before it is submitted. Feedback is an excellent method for critiquing and fine-tuning a document before it is finalised.
Elements of a proposal
- Executive Summary: State the rationale for putting the proposal into effect, and summarise the proposal. This allows a decision-maker to quickly get the gist of the proposal, hence the name.
- Statement of Need: Detail the necessity of the plan or project.
- Project Description: Explain the specifics of the plan including how it will be implemented and evaluated.
- Budget Analysis: Provide and explain how the plan or project will be financed and categorise and annotate operating expenses.
- Organisation Details: If the proposal is being submitted to an outside party, provide information about the organisation including the mission statement, the stakeholders and the scope of the products and services.
- Conclusion: End the proposal with a summary of the key points based on the research which was conducted.
When developing a proposal for cloud-based computing needs the following should be considered:
- Develop a matrix of the everyday needs expressed by users and the organisation and summarise these in the proposal document.
- Use the matrix when doing the Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) and the business case.
- Detail how the concerns will be addressed when investigating what the providers have to offer in their services and how the needs will be incorporated into the CBA.
- List the current software and how the users feel about using them, and whether cloud applications will be acceptable to them.
- Work with the communications team to ensure employees are well prepared for cloud computing and how it will benefit them personally and the business.
- Address security and privacy concerns to alleviate user and management fears about data safety.
- Detail the provider protocols for using industry-standard firewalls and disaster recovery management policies.
- List all risks and how these will be dealt with when choosing a provider. Conservative organisations might want to control the implementation by deploying one service, consolidating, testing, evaluating, then moving onto the next step. If this is not a viable method, ensure that you list the benefits of the proposed schedule over that of the conservative approach.
Remember to keep the proposal concise and stick to the facts. It is important to address all areas of the business which will be impacted by the change.
Once research and planning have been completed, a service provider is chosen, and authorisation obtained it is time to start implementation.
Some considerations include:
- Select an implementation date and time. It is best to make major changes during non-business hours when minimal users will be disadvantaged.
- Communicate the upcoming change well in advance, including providing general information about cloud computing and how it will affect personnel.
- Allow personnel time to adjust to the idea, ask questions, participate in information and training sessions etc...
- Back up all existing servers and data.
- Deploy the cloud environment.
- Migrate servers, data, and applications.
- Validate and tweak the production environment. This means validating that everything works as expected.
- Produce policies, procedures, and other documentation that will help personnel to operate the new system.
- Provide on-going support and training to personnel as required.
After a successful migration, tools and processes should be implemented to monitor the new cloud environment. Identify and address any issues that arise with your cloud environment.
A formal issue tracking process should be created to ensure that everyone impacted by the migration has a way to report problems, and IT has a simple way to manage all requests and source solutions.
