Cloud computing is not an option

If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of the times, you can no longer avoid the cloud. Even solution providers have now started to distribute their customers via the cloud on their own initiative. Various applications are no longer offered on-premises. Take SAP, for example: The central ERP core as the S/4 Digital Core is located in clouds within the majority of companies' own data centers or with providers who manage the connection and guarantee data security, stable operation and up-to-dateness of the software.

Mobility required

SuccessFactors, the Commerce or Sales Cloud, or specific applications in the Business Technology Platform (BTP) come from different SAP clouds. System extensions, in turn, are located in the BTP. Archives and ECM solutions now also rely on their own dedicated clouds, as do the standard office solutions (Microsoft 365). It quickly becomes clear that if information is not already distributed, the consistent use of common business applications will lead to information distribution via the respective clouds.

In this multi-cloud universe, enterprises and providers need to bring the different worlds together. Software-defined WAN solutions (for example, Cato Networks) can be an effective means of better managing the dynamics of change brought about by cloud computing. There needs to be a control influence for changes between clouds. Mobility in the data cloud also demands the same from the user. Companies or providers need resources to master and profit from the advantages of cloud computing. 

The high level of complexity and the interaction of different providers and technologies requires a rethink. The speed at which business processes take on cloud computing increases the risk of corporate data being compromised unnoticed. Each stage of virtualization of the entire construct increases the attack surface once again. Added to this are new regulations from the DSGVO - cloud computing and multi-cloud unfortunately also mean many different sets of contracts that need to be mastered and synchronized. This is a challenge for SMEs as well as in the corporate environment. This is where cloud users should seek advice and support, regardless of the provider. 

Even in the cloud, the sovereignty over data storage, backups or changes must remain in the hands of the companies. Anyone who transfers their data off-site has the responsibility to control it and must know its distribution.

Proximity to experts

Cloud computing is not an option. Today, it is the means to organize information in the best possible way, creating speed and access to the most innovative solutions. The use of different clouds should bring companies clearly recognizable advantages. SAP's Rise with SAP campaign calls for increasing data distribution across hyperscalers. However, this benefit is not yet apparent to all interested parties. Cloud computing as an end in itself makes no sense. Companies only benefit where business advantages are recognizable and the challenges are mastered.

The best benefits and the highest speed are secured by those who hold on to the influence on their digital core (ERP) and do not lose the proximity to experts for integration. The security to be able to benefit from the cloud dynamics comes from own skill pools as well as from trusted providers.