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In 2006, the launch of Amazon Web Services (AWS) marked a significant moment for cloud computing and cloud consulting services. Following Amazon’s announcement, other companies — Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Dropbox, and Apple — released offerings that answered the same demand.
Sixteen years after Amazon’s announcement, Acumen Research and Consulting valued the cloud computing market at 495 billion USD, with a predicted CAGR of 17% over 10 years. By 2032, Acumen predicted, the market’s valuation would grow to a staggering 2.495 trillion USD.
These numbers account for scores of jobs, opportunities, and services related to cloud computing. For all the damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the shift to remote work had a positive impact on the cloud consulting market. Worldwide, disparate industries understood the need for an information-sharing model that did not depend on physical data centers. The cloud infrastructure answered this need. The cloud services umbrella is vast, and it includes Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and DevOps-as-a-Service (DaaS) offerings; data storage and data governance tools; and accounting software.
Companies can benefit greatly from hiring cloud consulting services. Cloud consultants will arrive with a wealth of knowledge about the industry, and they can expertly facilitate a cloud migration. They’re familiar with the most up-to-date cloud-based applications, the means of testing those applications within the company’s environment, and audit processes that ensure the security of client and employee data. They can also adapt client networks to the new cloud environment, and they can successfully migrate legacy applications to the cloud. Their digital transformation recommendations will be tailor-made for their client’s particular budget and needs.
Strategic optimization of cloud solutions typically elevates and leverages a company’s offerings, products, and services. Cloud migration experts arrive with a wealth of expertise, and they can employ data analytics and other tools to help business leaders elevate their digital transformation. Experienced cloud computing consultants implicitly understand the ins and outs of a cloud migration, as they’ve helped other businesses develop a digital transformation roadmap that leads directly to cost optimization, improved reliability, scalability, and a robust cloud infrastructure.
When business leaders are considering a public, private, or hybrid cloud migration, they must practice due diligence in selecting their cloud consulting services provider. Even the smoothest cloud migration is not absent of challenges. When complexities remain unaddressed, they can result in siloed teams, security risks, persistent legacy applications and infrastructure, and a disconnect between day-to-day operations and the company’s modernization vision.
Cloud consultants can also provide critical vendor management support. They can negotiate service level agreements (SLAs) with vendors, evaluate communications between the vendor and the business, and assess the relevance of vendor services to the company’s larger mission. A cloud consulting service can also automate these tasks by folding vendor management software into the company’s cloud infrastructure.
Though cloud services consultants work on a short-term basis, they provide long-term benefits, and they help business leaders develop strategies that support lasting success. Seasoned cloud consultants will elevate an organization’s knowledge sharing culture through user training and education. By observing how consultants operate, team members can identify and rectify common mistakes associated with cloud migrations. Without proper oversight, these lapses of judgment can easily leave the door open to malicious software viruses, reputational damage, and more. By better understanding and utilizing their information technology (IT) resources, in-house staff members can prevent widespread damage.
When selecting the right cloud consulting service provider, businesses should consider their unique growth needs. Companies in sensitive industries, like healthcare or government services, might be particularly drawn to a cloud consulting services provider with extensive expertise in security best practices. If a company has a number of customers who need 24/7 access, they should seek out consultants who have experience with business continuity planning. A cloud strategist might advise a company to develop a strong disaster recovery plan by switching to a cloud-based or hybrid cloud-based model.
A cloud consulting service can also suggest and deploy customized solutions offered by cloud consulting companies, as these solutions allow companies to use only the services that they need. With customizable storage and applications, the business can scale resources up or down as needed, and cloud consultants can advise business leaders on when to invest in more cloud solutions or when to scale back.
A cost-benefit analysis can help companies determine the business benefits of hiring cloud consulting services. With that being said, it is important that companies consider the unquantifiable benefits of increased cloud knowledge. The right cloud consulting service provider will help the company save money through automation, optimize knowledge sharing across the organization, and allow employees to move away from manual efforts and toward tasks that require higher-level thinking.
Because cloud computing pairs well with agile and elastic ways of working, the benefits of cloud consulting are many. Below are a few notable examples: