Migrating to Clouds – The New Normal in South Africa’s Digital Framework

“The end of ‘Fashion-IT’ — customers will only pay for value and not technology.” – Sunny Ghosh, CEO, and Director of Wolf Frameworks

This famous quote from Sunny Ghosh perfectly narrates the transformation of today’s digital landscape. Many organizations have come a long way in the digital landscape, in search of innovational success. Some enterprises lead the category of digital influencers, and many others follow in their footsteps.

(Business tech, 2020)

The increase in On-Demand IT cloud-based solutions has gone from strength to strength for both medium-to-large-scale organizations. An important point to note is that the present infrastructure seems to be only scratching the surface for its true potential.

Now, if we look at how South Africa unfold in their goal to achieve technological supremacy; the results are staggering. In other words, reaching the fourth fastest growing IT market in the world is a big deal. Given that, their economic stature remains questionable for the last few years. 

“South Africa will end the year as the Fourth Fastest-Growing IT market in the World” – Gartner

South Africa’s Business Stature and the Clouds

The country started its technological journey with a consumer-driven approach, which was deemed viable in the previous decade. According to South African ICT Sector Performance Review, in 2010, the country’s IT infrastructure was in shambles from a regulatory perspective. Now that they have exceeded their expectations, they are on the verge to excel.

Gartner’s VP, John-David Lovelock, claims the organizations are quickly transforming their customer-facing niche onto the clouds. The spending placed on the cloud-based platforms offers them ample opportunities to boost their revenue streams and repeat business. Additionally, this transition is proving to be a saving grace for them for the next few years.

Cloud Migration – Fruitful Results Amidst the Challenges

In retrospect, many organizations have multiple cloud implementation, along with their on-premise deployments. The shift, albeit results-driven, still is full of challenges and hurdles. However, organizations with the vision to inspire and grow can unlock their full potential for innovation and success.

Gartner claims that multiple cloud platforms in organizational infrastructure can minimize vendor dependencies by 66% by 2024. The statistic doesn’t revolve around application portability, but a significant chunk of today’s cloud strategies center around functionality, procurement, and risk mitigation. Keep in mind that these days businesses are striving to go global. So, they can’t be held back by depending too much on vendors.

(BDO, 2020)

Several other challenges can be treacherous in the long-run. Nonetheless, business owners are willing to embrace those challenges and set foot in the clouds. Now, why are they doing that? The answer is simple, benefits to reach the cloud overpower the obstacles.

This step has provided results in the South African IT market; thus, placing them heaps beyond their competitors. According to 2019’s cloud computing overview report, organizations lacked a technological push before the country’s cloud adoption, but since the cost of building a technical infrastructure was relatively high. Couple that with a highly competitive market, the chances of success were minimal.

Traditional Technological Infrastructure vs. The Cloud

If we expand our sample space globally, we find that cloud transformation will increase by 8.5% till 2025. With the ability to potentially bolster the organization’s economic stature, cloud platforms can be the primary catalysts to attain success. Moreover, it’s a definite upgrade for public-sector organizations, who grind every day with traditional systems in their arsenal.

It is another reason why South Africa is excelling against the rest of the countries with its cloud adoption. The country’s government sector is starting to gain from the cost-effectiveness of the cloud platforms. Yet, the approach still lacks the core elements which can assist in running the country better. Now, this is where public sector organizations need to step up!

(Intelligent CIO, 2020)

The Need of the Hour

Although cloud migration still holds numerous challenges for business owners, the transition is inevitable. From the vast arena of Artificial Intelligence to the introduction of 5G technologies, cloud platforms have become the need of the hour. Furthermore, as we mentioned, the benefits of cloud migration outweigh the risks they carry.

Perhaps organizations have to revamp their operational infrastructure completely; if they wish to excel in cloud platforms. Remember that you’re on the road to a complete digital transformation, and the cloud can be your ticket to a successful technological revolution.

If you’re still contemplating whether cloud migration can be a viable step for you or not, then consider Adobe’s example. The leading graphics software company soared with its transition to the cloud. To provide value-added features to their consumers, they strived to improve their overall services with the cloud. This “trial and error” method helped them overcome their weak financials and strengthen their brand value.

Conclusion

As we conclude our discussion, we come to terms that cloud migration is the future. Globally, organizations are slowly but gradually expanding their horizons on cloud platforms. Moreover, small to medium-sized organizations find ways to develop their technological framework with cloud platforms in the mix.

However, the South African market space is rapidly moving towards success with their journey on the clouds. As statistics suggest, it’s still far behind what seems to be the pinnacle of their glory. From achieving innovation to tackling business risk, cloud computing still holds countless benefits that remain hidden.

Would you like to learn more about how we can help your business run more efficiently?  Please contact us via email: marketing@winjit.com.

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