The Technology and the End User

Technology professionals in recent years have been tasked with promoting the values of cloud-based services to the rest of their company. While business considerations are important for facilitating a migration to online database software, IT departments also need to ensure worker mindsets are not a limiting factor once solutions have been deployed, according to Midsize Insider writer Shawn Drew.

“The problem is that so many companies look at the cloud as a destination,” Drew wrote. “IT managers focus on getting approval for the expenditures while IT staffs work on getting the data ready for the move. When it comes time to flip the switch and launch the cloud-based systems, there is almost a finish-line feeling.”

The Cloud as a Tool: Not a Destination

Drew supplied a new way of thinking about the cloud, as a tool rather than a destination. While cloud technology offers real advantages, it is also an “ever-changing beast.” In order to realize the cloud’s true potential, Drew said, companies need to plan for ongoing maintenance and support from the beginning.

A recent report from research firm IDC provided some context for the way the cloud may shift traditional perspectives surrounding technology. Although the report focused on government agencies, one of the key findings applies to businesses across many industries. The research firm predicts that software solutions will be grouped around specific organizational functions in coming years. This strategy will better enable companies to connect specific software features to business needs. Just as government agencies have had to move away from the information silo concept to embrace the cloud database, many businesses have achieved significant results by creating an environment that facilitates integration.