cloud computing is dependent on an ever-evolving set of technologies, but it’s a revolutionary operating model that is revolutionizing the way IT is managed and delivered.
Even with the disruption, businesses are starting to see benefits—or, at the very least, are planning for the inevitable shift to the cloud, which is essentially a metaphor for the Internet.
To successfully market the cloud, it is important to understand the nature of the new technology. It also requires new ways to communicate its benefits.
Cloud computing’s rapid growth is forcing organizations to consider the implications for their businesses. They want to know how the cloud model will affect their business, customers, vendors, and service providers.
Cloud Computing – What’s The Big Deal?
Cloud computing is a popular concept. Imagine a utility model where you only pay for what you need. Data, platforms, and IT systems reside offsite, and someone else manages the system. Cloud computing is a liberating model: Businesses can now concentrate on their core strengths and differentiation.
The cloud will also be around for a long time, thanks to its economic model. Recent research has found that cloud infrastructure is more cost-effective than midsize companies in terms of hardware, facilities, and personnel. These clear financial incentives force everyone to accept cloud-based IT and learn how to maximize its capabilities.
The enterprise will change even at this early stage as almost all players in the IT supply chain adjust business, revenue, and service models. We must be able to explain the changes and opportunities that are taking place so that customers can see the advantages and overcome their fears.
The Disruptive Cloud
Cloud computing is not a brand-new technology but a completely new operating model. There are many enabling technologies, but their practicality depends on the technology that separates the user from hardware and the access layer that manages the security, availability, and administration of cloud resources. This new operational model transforms the way IT organizations provide services to all tiers of their businesses and supply and value chains.
Fear is the primary reaction to this type of disruptive model. We, as IT marketers, need to face and overcome stakeholders’ fears. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are the foundation of a person’s business or career. You must explain to your clients how cloud computing will improve their careers and wallets.
The challenges of marketing the cloud
The most important challenge in marketing cloud computing is to calm the fears of business disruption. Everyone in the organization feels this fear, from top to bottom. Executives must worry about the balance of cost benefits and control, service, or security. The paradigm shift could make employees, particularly in IT, feel threatened. The cloud model may also affect the relationships between partners, vendors, and customers.
Security is businesses’ number one concern. Owners and IT managers are concerned about ceding data and transactions to a third party. When you are not in control of your data, your most valuable, competitive, and differentiating asset, it’s natural to feel concerned.
Affirming the value
While security concerns are still prevalent, the fear of disruption to long-standing business models is felt at every level of the channel, including OEMs, SIs, and VARs. All IT players, including manufacturers, vendors, administrators, and users, need to ask themselves: How am I adapting to this new service-delivery model?
Clarity and conciseness are the best ways for marketers to add value to the cloud ecosystem. This includes highlighting the benefits to every business role within the organization, including the end-users to the CIO.
These benefits include the following.
1. Reduced Total Cost of Ownership
Customers only pay for the services they actually use, as service providers charge on a usage basis. The implementation costs also drop dramatically when implemented on a large scale.
2. Elasticity
The computing resources of vendors provide a level of scalability that was previously unavailable to end users. This is especially true for smaller players who experience spikes in usage. This elasticity, combined with utility pricing, allows smaller players to enter businesses they previously couldn’t.
3. Easy Access
Cloud computing is accessible anywhere users are online. It offers great flexibility for how they use and access their resources.
4. Offloading IT
Cloud computing allows organizations to focus on their core competencies and differentiate their business by avoiding the hassle of upgrading software, maintaining hardware, or storing data locally.
5. Communication the Cloud to your Prospects
As with any technological advance, the leading response to the cloud’s disruptive operation model is:
- I don’t get it.
- What should I do now?
- I understand it and have a plan for moving forward.
As a first step, the challenge for the first answer is to “get” cloud-based computing. Cloud computing is becoming more mainstream as it becomes better understood. As a cloud vendor, you have a responsibility to provide educational information that will inform and speed up prospects’ acceptance.
This second response is common among many Fortune 1000 companies. These companies are “low hanging fruit” for those who market the cloud. They want to know what they can do with the cloud. Here is where there is the greatest competitive advantage.
Thirdly, we have the companies that are forward-looking and have been evaluating the cloud for a while. They’re ready to test or adopt the cloud. In this highly competitive environment, you must clearly demonstrate the value of your cloud capabilities and differentiate yourself from your competitors.