There is little doubt that cloud services uptake soared in 2020, and that organisations sought new and inventive ways of connecting with customers and people through digital channels and innovations. The enterprise had to revise and revisit strategies and frameworks within the constraints introduced by the pandemic, and many used this as an opportunity to rethink their on-premise infrastructure investments and planning. According to IDC’s research, this has fundamentally changed the cloud investment landscape and highlighted the value of public cloud services in future-proofing the enterprise and building sustainable infrastructure that’s capable of handling the next unexpected.

There are four key reasons why public cloud services are standing out.

01: Responsiveness

Whenever any conversation kicks into cloud gear, it invariably talks about agility, scalability and flexibility. Ultimately, as IDC points out, the enterprise has learned the value of speed and the importance of responsiveness. Public cloud, thanks to its ability to be customised to fit unique business circumstances, is capable of helping the enterprise achieve strategic goals within an agile and flexible framework. On the same point, companies need to partner with public cloud service providers that show solid support throughout every phase of the cloud journey, as this is key to ensuring the business continues to feel these benefits over the long term.

02: Speed and sustainability

Organisations have to respond to market disruptions and provision services at speed. This need is further tempered by the growing requirement to shift capital expenditure to sustainable models that enable business objectives during tough economic times. With growing investment into the public cloud sector in Africa, the market is evolving rapidly with service providers actively creating solutions that meet enterprise strategic goals. Alongside considerable focus on establishing next-generation infrastructure, the influx of data centres in the region means that supply is set to meet growing demand and that enterprises have access to tools and technologies that can evolve with their changing business needs.

03: Skills and compliance

Invariably, any conversation about cloud and technology is tempered by the lack of access to skilled professionals and the growing need to embed compliance into every crevice of the enterprise. The public cloud comes with both – the right service providers have curated talent that’s capable and proven, and have put compliance and security at the forefront of their service offering. This means that the enterprise can tap into a virtual pool of exceptional skill sets and gain access to rigorous security services from one centralised ecosystem.

04: Trusted partnerships

The public cloud is, at its heart, a service delivery platform, which means that the enterprise gets to focus on core business and not on the multiple IT threads that limited its growth in the past. With a trusted partner on board, enterprises can embark on cloud journeys that are designed to address their evolving cloud requirements and that ensure they have access to the skills, expertise and technology they need to adapt to changing markets and economies.

In the whitepaper developed by IDC, the research highlights the value of a trusted partner across every touchpoint on this cloud journey, and this is where BCX meets the business. With a proven track record and a passion for cloud, BCX can assist the enterprise in future-proofing its digital foundations with a cloud strategy that’s simple, speedy and sustainable.

Read the full whitepaper here.