Can anyone deny that cloud computing has taken the world by storm? Savvy CIOs who have already adopted the cloud have been reaping the rewards of increased flexibility and scalability, faster time to market for new application deployments, and greater savings across the board. With cloud computing, all signs point to a more efficient and cost-effective technological future.

While the cloud computing industry has experienced tremendous growth and will continue to explode – the cloud communications platform market is expected to grow from $887 million in 2014 to $3.23 billion in 2019 – those interested in migrating to the cloud should tread cautiously. Failing to properly prepare your business for cloud adoption can be costly, causing company-wide disorganization, prolonged downtime, and loss of productivity.

Photo by Liane Metzler on Unsplash

So, how can your organization safely execute a cloud migration? Steer clear of the following common mistakes that enterprises tend to make when moving to the cloud:

• Failing to do due diligence: You must conduct thorough research before adopting cloud technology. For instance, determine what type of cloud service is the best fit for your particular organization. It’s essential to examine your current IT infrastructure, usage, and needs to determine which type of cloud computing can help you best achieve your goals. Moreover, write out a set of cloud expectations to discuss with potential vendors. Instead of rushing to adopt the cloud without really understanding what it means for your business, do your homework before a split-second, urgent decision brings about unfortunate results.

• Choosing any cloud solution without respect to the business’s needs: Without prior developing a well-thought-out strategy for cloud adoption, your technology choices can come at a cost. Protect yourself by first defining your business’ requirements for deploying the solutions, including which software will best address your pain points. For example, ask yourself who is going to use the new tools and which ones provide the best fit for your team and processes.

• Not leveraging the full potential of your solution: The cloud is a platform that opens up new possibilities for your organization, but you won’t be able to reap the benefits unless you adopt a new way of thinking. Don’t limit yourself by assuming that what has led to success in the past can and should be repeatable in the cloud. For instance, be sure that you are leveraging the on-demand aspect of the cloud to deal with the “bursty” parts of your application. Another major benefit of cloud computing is that it gives companies the ability to scale services on-demand and be charged only for services used – eliminating the need to make expensive capital investments for hardware that is underutilized to accommodate usage spikes.

What is your cloud migration plan? Because if you want, for instance, to benefit from a high-end cloud communications platform such as VoipNow, hosted in the cloud and not on your premises, you can always opt for VoipNow Cloud OnDemand. Backed up by our Professional Services team, this hosted version takes less than an hour to set up and requires no upfront investment. What’s more, VoipNow Cloud OnDemand comes as a pay-as-you-grow license, providing you with maximum flexibility and allowing you to reach the market blazing fast. VoipNow is a communications solution dedicated to service providers and organizations in need of enterprise PBX, instant messaging, contact center features, conferencing, faxing and more. Click here for additional information.