? EDITOR ’ S QUESTION //
“
THE NEED FOR AGILE
CLOUD-BASED PLATFORMS ,
SECURE REMOTE ACCESS AND
SEAMLESS
COLLABORATION TOOLS ARE ALL KEY INFLUENCES
OVER CLOUD SPENDING .
I t is perhaps more accurate to say that COVID-19 accelerated , rather than fundamentally changed , how we work . The SME sector is facing particular acceleration with regards to digital solutions , such as cloud computing – the benefits of which have been highlighted none more so than during the pandemic .
A report published recently by Duo Security at Cisco , a leading multi-factor authentication ( MFA ) and secure access provider , revealed the unprecedented IT change organisations underwent amid a massive shift to remote work and much of this involved fast-tracking cloud adoption .
Moreover , IDC also notes that across the Middle East , Turkey and Africa region , public cloud spending will have increased to US $ 6.5 billion by 2024 . The need for agile cloud-based platforms , secure remote access and seamless collaboration tools are all key influences over cloud spending , as businesses seek to not only aid recovery , but also transition towards steady growth .
While most businesses are emphasising a cloud-first approach , and are increasingly planning to invest in hybrid multi-cloud platform strategies and capabilities , IT teams are having a difficult time managing multi-cloud environments , as they can bring in many other complexities and challenges which IT teams have to deal with . While the cloud offers a lot of advantages , establishing an efficient cloud management strategy requires not only time and resources but also brings in a host of challenges in cloud computing that come with the process .
A well-implemented cloud management strategy allows users to securely design , automate and deploy across any infrastructure while optimising cost and governance with comprehensive reporting , visibility and policyenforcement . A good strategy considers areas such as self-service capability for resource provisioning ; workflow automation ; capitalise on the unique benefits of each provider ; analysis of workloads ; and the use of metrics to ensure optimum performance .
A successful cloud management strategy also relies on skilled staff , knowledgeable in the nuances of private and public cloud technologies and capable of managing hybrid cloud workloads across multiple platforms .
“
ESTABLISHING
AN EFFICIENT CLOUD MANAGEMENT STRATEGY REQUIRES NOT ONLY TIME AND RESOURCES BUT ALSO BRINGS IN A HOST OF CHALLENGES IN CLOUD COMPUTING THAT COME WITH THE PROCESS .
OSAMA AL-ZOUBI , CTO , CISCO MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA ( MEA )
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