Organizations need to shift from merely consuming cloud services to creating value with them via a coherent cloud strategy.
Most organizations still find cloud computing challenging to leverage within business operations. That’s the findings of a recent survey by the tech education company PluralSight. In that survey of over 1,000 leaders and technologists, the company uncovered a pattern—many companies still lack a defined cloud strategy and the cloud skills required to harness the full potential of their cloud investments.
Shifting from migration to adoption of new services
The trend in cloud computing has shifted from a focus on migration because the vast majority of organizations are already in the cloud. However, the rapid adoption of new cloud services has increased complexity as more companies adopt a hybrid/multi-cloud approach.
But cloud maturity is driven by outcomes, not just the number of cloud services adopted. To create the value they desire with cloud investments, organizations must focus on optimizing technology costs, creating new workflows, and expanding products and services.
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A defined cloud strategy is a missing element
Many organizations struggle to drive this value due to a lack of a defined cloud strategy. Just 27% of leaders in the survey believe cloud solutions contribute to driving customer value. To address this gap, organizations should refocus on a clear cloud strategy and leverage both automation and monitoring tools to deploy and scale.
Additionally, many organizations are increasing cloud budgets and including cloud skills development. 71% of respondents plan to invest in this professional training for their employees over the next 12 months, something that should help organizations take better advantage of what the cloud has to offer.
The report highlights the importance of a well-defined cloud strategy and cloud skills to drive business outcomes and value. Organizations need to shift from merely consuming cloud services to creating value with them. By developing their existing teams’ cloud expertise and reorienting why they’re using the cloud, organizations can better leverage cloud computing as a competitive differentiator.
