INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cloud
The year of the cloud
in South Africa
/////////////////////////////
The past few months have seen local organisations migrate towards
the cloud and its usage and consumption model. While part of this can
be attributed to the need for continued innovation, a major factor has
been the difficult economic times, Karl Reed, Chief Solutions Officer:
Executive at Elingo, says companies are turning to the cloud to reinvent
themselves for a digital environment.
I
rrespective of industry or whether it is
public, private or government sector,
the cloud delivers significant value. It
provides the vast computational resources
necessary to effectively leverage sophisticated
technologies such as Artificial Intelligence
(AI), virtual reality (VR), real-time data
analytics and so much more. These are all
things that cannot fully be harnessed using
on-premise servers and technology.
Consumers have also become more digital-
savvy and expect their service providers to
follow suit. They look for companies that
deliver the products and services according
to their current needs. And, as with many
things, this often comes down to a cost
decision. Even though the most affordable
option might not always be the best
offering, people are willing to make the
sacrifice to save a few Rands. The same holds
true in the approach of many organisations
towards cloud services.
apart from their competition. But the reverse
is also true. The pressure on maintaining high
service levels is immense. Even the smallest
mistake can quickly turn into an excuse for a
customer to migrate to a competitor.
In the past, few companies seemed to be
too concerned about basic service issues.
Today, it is where most of their focus should
be with the added pressure of delivering it
around the clock. Customers do not care
whether they send through a service request
in the morning, afternoon or evening. For
them, it is something that must be resolved
as quickly as possible.
Changing focus
Companies must therefore change focus,
especially those in the service industry. They
must look at new ways to be innovative and
make money. This is where the cloud has a
role to play as an enabler that can facilitate
the delivery of improved insights based on
the data at hand. The economy is hitting
every person and business hard.
This past year has seen a massive downturn
in customer orders and enhancements.
With people’s attention turning to the
cloud and away from on-premise, it will
be the little things giving the most value
that will prove to be the building blocks for
future growth. The business environment
has been so focused on surviving and
cutting costs, that it will require some
impetus to move into an innovation-centric
way of thinking. But because of this, there
are those companies looking to leverage
new ideas to target markets that they
previously might not have considered.
It really boils down to the fact that if a
company is not going to be leading-edge,
then it will fast become irrelevant.
The focus has turned into becoming real-
time service providers. Incumbents will
eventually give way to more agile operators
willing to embrace this change. The seeds
for this radical evolution have been planted
in 2019. What happens next is up to the
decision-makers themselves. n
Differentiation vital
This has seen it become increasingly difficult
to differentiate products and services.
Most providers are offering similar things
at similar price points. It really is much of
a muchness. However, a critical area where
value can be offered is through the services
(implementation, support, maintenance,
managed services, etc) given.
Companies who ensure they provide the best
service will be the ones to set themselves
56
INTELLIGENTCIO
www.intelligentcio.com