Migration and modernization: Getting the most out of your ecosystem
In the previous issue, we explored three tips for migration and modernization of your business. The key takeaways were to ask questions of your consulting team, start from your business goals or obstacles when strategizing, and acknowledge the learning curve of the cloud. In other words, trust the process. But, now that you have made that move and settled into your modernized cloud data estate, where do you go from here?
Some important value adds of the cloud include its pay as you go model and flexibility to update as your needs change. Cloud services have an advantage over on-premises resources by bringing quick, efficient scalability. With an out-of-the-box service, this can be a difficult process that requires extra time and money to grow your business. On the other hand, consulting firms like Neal Analytics often help companies with end-to-end digital transformation. The benefit? A deeper understanding of your business objectives and the foundation of your data estate, leading to a more efficient and nearly seamless experience when upscaling your analytics or data strategy.
Your business ecosystem and the cloud
A modern data estate behaves differently from the cloud. For one, it’s more flexible. The ability to scale cloud resources up and down as needed, and only pay for the services used, allows companies to expand and customize their ecosystem more easily than if they had been on-premises. If you encounter an objective that outpaces your current capabilities, the solution may be to add a pre-built application, use a connector, or create a custom machine learning model to get the job done. Cloud platforms offer an expansive ecosystem of solutions, allowing businesses to pick and choose the features they need for optimal performance.
This can seem daunting, given the learning curve involved with the initial migration. Luckily, by leveraging a consulting firm like Neal Analytics to help, your organization can gain immediate access to the resources necessary to successfully pivot your cloud strategy. This could be through a quick, time and resources model for a project where you need experts in a certain technology, or through a managed capacity engagement model.
Regardless of which engagement model you choose, your organization gains access to a team of consulting experts that leverage agile sprints to customize and adapt your data and analytics strategy.
For example, Neal Analytics recently worked with a gaming company to streamline and update their data estate, combining information from disparate sources and legacy systems into a unified platform on the cloud. After the initial project was completed, Neal further assisted in adding integration with Power BI, which allowed them to further leverage their data and push the boundaries of their business goals.
Staying agile over the life cycle
One of the benefits of the cloud is its conductivity to the agile methodology. Neal Analytics takes an agile approach to all our projects, leveraging a flexible team of experts to deliver business value quickly while continuously improving the solution. Internally, agile allows your team workflow to pivot easily and adapt to change. This means your data and workflow stays consistent even as you divide to pivot your business strategy and expand your needs.
Think of your business as an ecosystem, with each product connected to each other. If you decide to change your analytics strategy, the advantages of having a customized experience mean that your business can maintain consistency as you adapt and grow, maximizing your employee’s productivity, and optimizing performance for an improved ROI.
Looking forward
While customer service is sometimes overlooked when investing in the cloud, its benefits are an important facet of your business success. One of the draws of having an ongoing and collaborative relationship with Neal is that you have an audience to brainstorm and expand your business strategy as well as advice and insider insights on how to optimize your goals for efficiency and productivity. Through this relationship, your business gains a personal edge and insider insights into how to meet your goals and continue to thrive in your market effectively.
As with planning your cloud strategy, starting from your business challenges or goals allows Neal to create solutions that suit your needs and work with you to build out a roadmap for your business months, or even years, down the line. In the face of a changing market and constantly shifting business norms, having a strong customer and consultant relationship throughout your migration and modernization experience can be a key to building your overall business resilience for the future.
