Cloud journey offers roadmap to business value

As more advanced technology becomes available that enhances the cloud landscape, business users are struggling to keep up in finding practical relevance for their daily requirements.

In the third episode of Cloudy With a Chance of VMware, moderated by Gadget editor Arthur Goldstuck, two key players explore the roadmap to business value.

“The cloud must be made real for business executives,” says Liezl van Staden, solution sales manager at Strategix. “Many still think of software-as-a-service as the only application of the cloud. And yet, it is so much more than that.

“Today, the cloud is reaching maturity as an operating model to transform an organisation at a fundamental level. But this journey will be different for each company. There is no silver bullet approach that applies to every business. Instead, it requires partners like us to understand what the organisation wants to achieve and using technology like VMware to implement it.”

Strategix is part of the VMware Cloud Verified Partner Programme (VCPP), which provides partners with an enabling environment, enhanced by their local expertise, to deliver demonstratable business returns.

While it is clear that businesses will operate in a multi-cloud world – meaning they will use multiple public cloud platforms – there is still a need for a private cloud framework. Strategix provides the physical framework, using VMware software systems.

Sumeeth Singh, VMware cloud provider business lead for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), says: “VMware technology facilitates that in a consumptive manner. Business users now gain the ability to get a feel for the cloud in a Strategix environment without needing to purchase and own their own infrastructure.”

According to van Staden, being a VCVP means Strategix engages with the business customer to gain an understanding of what the organisation will look like in two or three years’ time.

“We examine whether the business fits into a cloud model, regardless of whether it is public, private, or a multi-hybrid cloud environment. Then our focus turns to how its applications will be modernised to fit into this new world. Given that most applications have been designed for a three-tier on-premises environment, this is where a lot of the work gets done to become digitally transformed for the cloud.”

It also means educating business users about the relevance and meaning of concepts like Containers and Kubernetes.

“Many companies hear about these technologies and want to rush in and adopt them without first understanding the potential business case,” says Van Staden. “Containers enable customers to split up their applications in small segments that are more conducive to quick changes and enhancements. In turn, this makes the business more agile to adapt to market demands and realise the ‘modern’ mentality of failing fast, failing forward.”

Operationalising the cloud

It all comes down to a cloud-driven CIO conundrum, says Singh

“On the one hand, there is this monolithic three-tier system that will not be going away any time soon. On the other, there is this need to innovate and drive digital transformation. Having a managed services partner like Strategix ensures this balancing act gets done right while keeping the business agile.”

He says that every cloud environment has a definitive space in a multi-cloud ecosystem. This speaks to identifying those use cases and unlocking the value of each cloud for the business.

Says Van Staden: “Moving to the cloud is no longer the question. Today, it is about understanding how business applications become the digital assets central to digital transformation.”