How the Cloud Improves Baseline Infrastructure Operations

Reduce Support Tasks and Repurpose your IT Teams

Why Tinker with Baseline Infrastructure?

Through using the cloud for baseline infrastructure you will free up your support staff to work on development

 

It is fair to say that most IT baseline infrastructure has a good up time ratio.  Many work to the three 9's, or 99.9% uptime.  The continuous and routine tasks of maintaining the messaging environment, provisioning electronic storage solutions, operating data centre services, and keeping the cogs turning in a multifaceted contact centre, are handled well.  Therefore it is only natural that the question is asked why tinker with something that works?

The main reason to switch to a cloud's Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is that you can divert your staff away from support to development projects.  The fact is most current models require a fair number of staff to keep the system fit for purpose.  The advantage of the cloud is that it delivers aspects of the baseline infrastructure much faster.  This enables your staff to work on development projects.  And indirectly or directly, the development projects will contribute to ROI.

Consider:

Non cloud based systems which as we have seen require regular and routine maintenance tend to compartmentalise IT teams.  The knock-on effect of this structure is that your baseline IT teams do not really engage with the business.  They are very much in the background, and their main concern is keeping systems running smoothly. 

Although in theory this is fine, the reality is that you have a high number of staff not actually working in a development capacity.  In essence they are not generating revenue.

With an increased input into development, the productivity of development teams will rise.  Furthermore, your development teams will have more free time to learn the business and develop business aligned, agile applications. 

As you can imagine with more business friendly and agile bespoke applications, productivity increases are inevitable.  Apps for your customers are developed faster, problems addressed sooner, and functionality improvements are almost sure to follow.  The combination of this increase in development is bound to have a positive effect on your brand, and business reputation.

As well as the repurposing of staff, cloud based baseline systems also allow for utilising a consumption based pricing model as well as a capacity on demand.  It also delivers tasks such as buying, receiving, making payments, installing hardware and software, patch and change management, troubleshooting, and monitoring faster. 

Switching to Cloud IaaS

Switching to a new infrastructure cloud based or otherwise is going to incur costs and take time.  The chances are you will have two models up and running for some time.  This will mean that you will have to be patient to see the improvements in app development productivity. 

However, if you have a business model that relies on development of apps, and to take this further to have bespoke apps for the business both as tools for existing staff and for customers, then your patience will be well rewarded.

To learn more about the cloud and IT baseline infrastructure get in touch. I'm happy to discuss the cloud and other IT projects.