Keeping Up with Cloud Technology – How to Stay Ahead in an Ever-Changing World

Having trouble keeping up with cloud technology? That’s understandable. Cloud tech is a vast category that includes most of the emerging technologies, and options like multi-cloud and the alphabet soup of AI, XaaS, and IoT certainly don’t make the cloud any easier to understand.

Cloud solutions change all the time and, while it can be tempting to forgo updates about cloud technologies, the best-prepared leaders are the ones who take the time to keep up to date with the changing world of cloud.

Here are three quick, realistic ways you can stay on top of the latest advances.

1. Ask Your Cloud Technology Partners

When it comes to keeping up with cloud technologies, you don’t have to go it alone. You probably already know a few people you can turn to for up-to-date info. We’re talking about your cloud partners.

To get the facts, you can plan a quarterly call with your cloud technology partners to find out about the newest, hottest tech that’s most relevant to your needs, or, if you’re not in the mood for a call, you can challenge your partners to find you better solutions with more value. You can also simply ask them to send you interesting, regular updates over email.

Whatever you choose, make sure you’re leveraging the resources you already have – and if you don’t have any cloud tech resources, the Oracle Cloud experts at Centroid can help.

2. Keep Yourself Open

Smart business leaders maintain an open mind that can entertain lots of possibilities, but the smartest leaders maintain an open architecture they can use to take advantage of lots of opportunities. In terms of cloud technology, that means you should strive to avoid vendor lock in, so you stay agile and can pivot quickly to a better cloud offering that helps your business evolve and grow faster.

But beware. As we’ve mentioned, new cloud tech launches all the time, so you’ll want to ensure you clearly understand your business’s specific goals and objectives before you start assessing cloud options. That way, you can save time by paying attention only to the solutions that are the most beneficial to you, instead of being distracted by the most popular choices on the market.

3. Tap into the Knowledge of Others

We already talked about how you should ask your cloud tech partners for info on cloud technology, but there’s a lot more places you can look for interesting information. Start by checking in with the people on the list below, and then make your own list of who you think you should ask next.

• Employees– Ask your IT team or, if they’re not cloud experts, find an employee who’s willing and excited to learn more about the cloud. Sign them up for some training, and then ask them all about what they’re learning.
• Clients – If your customers also run businesses, they’ll have information on what solutions they’re choosing and why. Unless you ask them about their plans, you’ll never find out.
• Outsourced professionals – Do you use an outsourced MSP (managed service provider) to maintain and secure your networks? (Would you like to?) If so, they’ll have expert opinions too.

While you’re talking to all these people, don’t be afraid to ask “dumb” questions. The whole reason you’re turning to these resources is because you want more information, so if they use terms or reference products you don’t understand, ask for an explanation. In our experience, people are more than happy to tell you all about their tech knowledge. (Plus, their ability to explain cloud tech should give you an idea about whether or not they’re a reliable source.)

Keep Up with Cloud Technology the Easy Way

Sound like a lot of work? It is. That’s why your best option is #1 from the list above: Ask Your Cloud Tech Partner. Or, better yet, find a cloud tech provider who has both the listening skills and the vision to find and recommend great, strategic solutions for your highly specific business needs.

For more than 20 years, the forward-looking computer consultants at Centroid have dedicated themselves to sharing the latest, greatest, most relevant tech with clients, and we believe that the hallmark of a true cloud expert is that they have not only enough knowledge to follow and understand the latest advances, they can also carefully analyze and assess each emerging opportunity, so they can accurately advise their clients and point them toward the solutions that truly provide business value.

We’ve done this for our clients for years, and we’re happy to work with you as well.

Contact Centroid to schedule your introductory consultation and find out how we can help you keep up with tech, so you can pull far ahead of your competitors.