It’s not uncommon for the mismanagement of an organization’s cloud environment to result in chaos. “Cloud Sprawl” is increasingly becoming a significant problem for businesses and solving it can result in significant benefits.
Cloud sprawl is in several ways the inevitable consequence of an IT model that doesn’t require companies to invest directly in physical infrastructure or in scaling up their resources. It’s alarmingly common how many organizations turned to cloud services as they became available, rather than as part of any preconceived strategy.
The prevalent and inefficient management processes persist with the new cloud environments as well, because that’s how traditional organizations have always operated, and those involved couldn’t innovate or think of any better way.
It is essential for organizations to map out a comprehensive cloud strategy, utilize tools and implement effective policies and practices that can decrease management burdens. But with cloud environments having evolved and matured considerably, the initiatives to rein in sprawl and deploy effective management practices represent enormous opportunity.
In particular, effective cloud management can help organizations achieve the following benefits that can extend well into the future.
Holistic View of Cost and IT Utilization
A properly managed cloud environment can provide IT leaders and management with a comprehensive view of IT assets, in addition to cloud services and software. This can help businesses leverage technology more effectively and efficiently.
In a properly-managed environment, IT staff can accurately keep track of spending and historical trends, allocate resource costs to specific projects, departments or applications, that aid in budgeting and enhance the overall utilization. This visibility contributes to highly improved vision on part of the management in terms of resource allocation.
Minimize the Data Loss Risk
The risk of a data leak or other forms of cyber attack can potentially involve enormous sums of money in rectifying the same and other related costs for a business. It is estimated that the global average cost of a data breach is around $3.6 million with the average cost of each record containing sensitive and confidential information, that is either lost or stolen being $141.
Well thought out and implemented cloud management practices can bolster security and reduce the number of vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious players. Reining in cloud sprawl ensures that data is properly secured, maintaining operational continuity and configurations that meet enterprise standards with Managed Tech Services Manhattan.
Cut Down on IT Spending and Wastage
Inefficiencies in improper cloud spending is estimated to be 35 percent or higher. This potential wastage offers a huge opportunity to reduce costs without the risk of any negative impact on the business or operations.
In a sprawling cloud environment, it can get difficult prove the tangible return on investment that such an approach provides. This is because the organization lacks precise information regarding cost as well as utilization — the two main factors that can demonstrate the true value of the cloud. In a well-managed environment, IT teams can advocate how specific cloud tools are contributing to eliminate inefficiencies or improve business.
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