| | December 20188CIOReviewBy Aaron Gette, CIO, The Bay Club CompanyHow has your IT operating model in Cloud changed during the last five years?Cloud computing has unburdened businesses from the traditional IT business model. The traditional IT operating model was straightforward. Businesses hired IT professionals to manage the computer hardware and software assets. The IT staff had to forecast business needs for the next 3 to 5 years with little to no understanding of the business impacts. The problem with this IT model was that oftentimes the forecasts were wrong. IT forecasting without considering business growth, increased personnel and higher demand on the systems. Cloud computing provides the means to scale up and adjust for storage or server capacity, resulting in major cost savings and a more agile team that can meet the needs of the business.It's far less expensive and less of a hassle to increase cloud storage and cloud server needs than on-site infrastructure. IT plays a role in many functions of the business, but cloud computing means less of a need for a more traditional IT staff. Intelligent outsourcing of activity to cloud vendors gives your staff the bandwidth to learn the business and make an impact on the necessary business innovations to create a competitive edge. Taking standard maintenance and management off their plate, they can find time to create new solutions and products for the company.We have transitioned our entire team to Microsoft Azure and many other cloud and SaaS applications to improve productivity. The true advantage of using cloud platforms is that the IT team no longer should worry about day-to-day maintenance of software, these cloud applications have allowed The Bay Club to streamline our business, providing the IT team with more flexibility to create better experiences for our members and employees.Cloud computing has changed the way that you interact with customers. It gives the business the ability to react quicker to customer needs. Customers want a more robust experience, that often means websites and applications need the power of cloud computing to execute a more engaging and interactive digital experience.What do you think are the biggest obstacles that Cloud technologists face in working in a more agile and outcomes based model?Change is fluid and as a result, we must meet the needs of the business in real time to effectively make a difference. As rapidly as the Cloud has taken most businesses by storm, it's also put more pressure on IT to deliver faster and more results driven outcomes for every aspect of the business. It's crucial to define the KPIs and to collect and provide data sets that support business leaders. Once they have a sense of the capabilities, the challenge becomes managing expectations while also achieving the success these platforms can provide.Moving from traditional IT to a service offering model requires a major mindset shift in Cloud. How did you make that happen?It starts with building the right culture and attracting the right talent. Technology, much like life, is managing constant change and those on your team who are looking to evolve and LEVERAGING CLOUD FORENHANCED PRODUCTIVITYAaron GetteIN MY OPINION
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