The world is moving fast and in the public and private sectors alike, rigid or costly IT infrastructures, legacy systems and old ways of working can seriously hold organisations back. That’s why so many enterprises are choosing to move to cloud as a key modernisation and transformation catalyst.

Cloud resources flex up and down quickly and easily, so organisations only need to buy what they consume; and cloud brings significant savings and productivity gains – with the power of DevOps, for example, organisations are better placed to respond faster to the needs of citizens and consumers. Cloud also helps to level the playing field for SMEs, who can offer comparable capabilities to their larger partners.

Careful planning and nuanced application-led decisions

While the benefits of cloud are clear, designing the right roadmap for moving to cloud requires careful consideration of business objectives, business buy-in, data requirements and appetite for change, with a nuanced approach to decision-making about each application.

Cloud alone is not a panacea. It can be tempting, perhaps, to focus chiefly on optimising IT infrastructure costs because that is a relatively straightforward issue. The real challenge – and opportunity – for any enterprise is to redesign processes for the new cloud-enabled world while addressing the cultural changes involved in cloud adoption and creating a new platform for business innovation.

Building the platforms of the future

The process of cloudification is often complex. Considerable domain, technological and financial engineering expertise is essential to make balanced decisions, then devise and deliver a coordinated programme of change that minimises any disruption for users, optimises and accelerates the benefits, and builds the internal capabilities needed to embrace cloud.

Atos is ready to work with customers and partners to maximise the benefits of cloud for organisations across the public and private sectors. Our new Digital Vision: Cloud explores the opportunities and challenges of cloud, and plots what can be an exciting and strategically important journey, not just for IT departments but for business leaders and frontline teams.

Cloud is undoubtedly a critical enabler; it is the engine for driving better, faster and cheaper citizen and customer services. It is also, in combination other digital tools and data, a way for organisations to embrace new ways of thinking, working and operating. Cloud is a platform for the future, ensuring that business leaders can stay innovative and organisations can remain agile as technologies and society evolve.