Moving to the Cloud can be seamless if you chose the right IT provider, but it can also be a scary change for your employees if they are not prepared. A good Cloud IT provider will make sure the transition is as smooth as possible for everyone involved. Here are 5 ways to ensure a seamless transition to the Cloud:
- Educate Staff: Knowing is half the battle. To prepare your employees for the Cloud, you’ll want to make sure they understand what Cloud Computing is, the process of moving to the Cloud, and how the new technology will help them to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.
- Inventory Current IT Resources: To ensure your new Cloud solution has all the necessary applications and functionalities, your Cloud provider should work with you and each of your departments to fully understand the needs of your organization. The Cloud expert will also review your current solutions and consult with your employees to see which IT improvements would be beneficial.
- Organize Old Documents, Files and Emails: A significant benefit of the Cloud is the monthly subscription structure, which is partly based on the amount of data storage your company needs. To effectively utilize a Cloud solution, it’s important to store only current data and documents on the Cloud, while archiving those that are idle on a back-up drive or local server. This can be a time-consuming task for employees who hold onto their old emails, but as a result it will save your business a lot of money.
- Train Your Employees: This is where the experts come in. During training, your IT provider will explain the new operations and procedures for using the Cloud. This is also an opportunity for employees to ask questions about how daily processes will change, and if there are specific techniques that will help them to use the Cloud more effectively.
- Experiment with the New Cloud: After all of your IT resources have been moved to the Cloud, encourage your employees to “play around” with the applications, and try logging in from different devices and locations. Just like an upgraded version of software or a new computer, the Cloud will present subtle differences from your previous solution. Give your employees a week or two to test everything out. Soon, everyone will be enjoying the benefits of Cloud Computing.
Once everything has been migrated to the Cloud, and your employees have adjusted, you will find IT issues have vanished, productivity has significantly increased and general frustrations are diminished. Your organization can now benefit from virtually no in-house IT maintenance, resulting in fewer headaches and cost saving that you can reinvest back into your business.