How to Succeed in an "XaaS" World

Is your organization cloud ready? If you’re like most IT professionals, the answer is a unique and perhaps somewhat awkward mix of confidence and uncertainty. Cloud? Of course! But… That uncertainty is normal because the fact is that for enterprises and small businesses, cloud is a revolutionary and complex product unlike any other. The way it is bought and deployed has traditionally been very complicated. But that doesn’t excuse leaders from their obligation to the organization.

Cloud services create value that cannot be replicated elsewhere. And thanks to new interconnection services like Service Exchange powered by Megaport, it’s getting easier for organizations to harness the insights they need. A recent article from CIO addresses 3 ways that organizations can begin to restructure to prepare them to take full advantage of the opportunity that cloud affords.

1. Transform the operating model. Many organizations have found that altering the organizational structure from a top-down “command and control” model to a flatter, more equitable structure has enabled organizations to take full advantage of the utility that cloud provides. This allows more flexibility and room to evolve strategically, once leadership gets a handle of the cloud basics and has a clear picture of how to move forward.

2. Change the culture. You can’t try to change the structure of an organization without addressing its culture as well. Traditionally, organizations separate themselves from failure as much as possible, but the cloud-based business environment hinges upon failing fast and being innovative. With cloud and interconnection services, that fear of failure can also manifest as a fear of learning, and result in a lack of growth. Because of the flexibility of these services, any failure can be quickly remedied and strategies can be adjusted moving forward.

3. Focus on new skills and capabilities. As the organization shifts strategies to embrace new technologies, personnel will have to adapt with it. Whether it’s a concentrated push to introduce new education and training initiatives, or it’s a move to reshuffle the organization or add new pieces, your personnel should grow along with your technology. It may be that the focus of these teams is shifted from implementation to strategy.

Whether it’s for an organization that was actually an early cloud adopter, or one that is a late bloomer, living in an “XaaS” world is a good thing. While it does place demands on an organization, the returns it is able to provide in the form of business insights are invaluable. If you are interested in learning more about Digital Realty’s new interconnection platform, Service Exchange powered by Megaport, click here.