The collective experience at a managed service provider can propel you to the cloud faster by giving you the right combination of services and customization.
Before choosing a managed cloud provider, be sure to clearly define your goals and what is necessary to outsource.
The New Face of the CIO
The role of the CIO is changing.
Five years ago, chief information officers (CIOs) believed that their top two skills were “technology know-how” and “implementing and deploying technology.”
Now, according to a study by Forbes, CIOs think their most important skill is “contributing to corporate strategy.”
“Technology know-how” has dropped to number seven on the list of essential CIO skills.
In the study, 40 percent of CIOs stated that their role will “be essential in successfully formulating customer-facing solutions, creating global capabilities, developing new revenue-earning opportunities, and fostering innovation within their companies.”
In fact, CIOs that harness the power of digital technologies could eventually become chief executive officers (CEOs).
About 70 percent of the CIOs surveyed believe that success in these areas could increase their chances of getting a corner office.
The True Cost of a Cloud Skills Gap
CIOs often don’t have the internal resources that they need to innovate and drive their enterprises forward. Many IT teams are short-staffed and overworked. It’s difficult for them to innovate when they spend most of their time keeping the lights on.
CIOs have a hard time finding employees who are skilled in hybrid and multi-clouds. Although many IT pros have experience with a specific service, such as Microsoft Azure or Google, they often lack expertise in orchestrating multiple clouds.
According to a survey by CompTIA, 57 percent of respondents cited cloud infrastructure and applications as their most sought-after skills.
However, the IT skills gap is expected to get worse. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there will be about 1.3 million unfilled IT positions by 2026.
Schools only produce 60,000 computer science graduates each year – creating a considerable gap. Since the competition for cloud talent is fierce, CIOs are turning to managed services providers to achieve a return on investment (ROI) from the cloud.
CIOs of the Future to Serve As:
- Business co-creators who drive strategy and enable change
- Change instigators who take the lead on technology-enabled business transformation
Managed Cloud: Is it Right for You?
The collective experience at a managed service provider can propel you to the hybrid cloud faster by giving you the right combination of services and configuring it for you to achieve the right business results.
For example, it may take you months to create a hybrid cloud in Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure that spins up compliant workloads with full backups and disaster recovery.
A service provider, who is doing this task every day, can accomplish it in a week and can package multiple cloud services into a single ready-made cloud solution.
What Is the Managed Cloud?
In a managed cloud model, a third-party partner can implement and manage all of your public and private cloud services.
This allows you to take advantage of the flexibility that the cloud offers without placing a burden on your internal team.
The Advantages
- Free your internal team for innovation while your partner handles your day-to-day cloud admin. They can take care of updates, security patches, adding new features, and any other items that bog down your internal team
- Simplify your cloud admin and billing. Managed cloud providers serve as a single point of contact for all cloud licensing, billing, customer support, and help desk services
- Place governance and security controls around your public cloud services. Public cloud environments may not come with strict controls. When you partner with a managed cloud provider, you can define your governance and security parameters
- Quickly provide business units with services and apps. For example, you can swipe your credit card and gain immediate access to 10,000 servers. This allows you to scale without placing stress on your internal IT environment
- Move from a CAPEX to an OPEX spending model. With a managed cloud partner, you don’t need to invest in IT equipment. Take advantage of your partner’s environment for a predictable, monthly cost
- Start small. You don’t need to go all in with a managed cloud provider right away. You can start by outsourcing your non-essential cloud services. Once you are comfortable, you can outsource the management of your mission-critical environments, such as SAP and Oracle
What’s the Difference Between Managed Services and Managed Cloud?
- Traditional managed services. Provide a management layer on top of your existing infrastructure
- Managed cloud. Providers increase your flexibility by allowing you to run your infrastructure in a private, public, or hybrid cloud
Learn More About How to Best Choose a Managed Cloud Partner
Before you choose a managed cloud partner, get clear on your goals and what you want to outsource.
You can learn more about managed cloud in our ultimate guide to managed cloud.