"Cloud computing is no elixir. It doesn't magically fix bad data, dysfunctional organizational cultures, or automatically integrate with legacy applications." -- Big Data and Cloud Computing: Not Just for Big Companies
Businesses considering adoption of cloud services for things like CRM (like Salesforce.com), ERP (like Kenandy.com), Business Intelligence (like Qlikview.com), etc... need to understand that cloud technologies are not going to solve all business challenges. Businesses need to think about their data, cultures, and existing systems when considering moving services to the cloud.
More information on these common challenges we frequently see in our client engagements:
Bad Data
Issue: As a growing company evolves, the ability to make informed decisions with data becomes the lifeblood throughout all levels of the organization. Raw, unstructured, data accumulated over decades naturally becomes unwieldily. This creates significant impacts generating a reactive mentality where servicing daily demands triumphs and patched solutions prevail. The data quickly becomes a chore of tedious checks on simplistic transactions. Reports become overly complicated and data taken from the system becomes manipulated with different tools creating additional silos of information lacking configuration management.
Solution: With proactive action, ongoing maintenance and continuous improvement, data governance evolves from being a one-time fix to a front-and-center Business Intelligence (BI) priority that routinely checks, corrects and augments data. - Learn more: Preventing Bad Data
Organization Change
Issue: Regardless if it is new technology or new leadership driving change - Culture change is a bear! The conventional wisdom is that it takes years to change a culture, defined as the assumed beliefs and norms that govern “the way we do things around here.”
Solution: Vision. Mission. Guiding Behavioral Principles - Once associates started taking ownership of their culture, they started thinking about how they could improve their work, rather than just doing their work. Learn More: If You're Going to Change Your Culture, Do it Quickly
Integration of Legacy Applications
Issue: More than 70% of companies have adopted and implemented cloud applications, yet 83% have been prevented from getting the best out of their departmental cloud applications – 1 in 4 blames poor integration.
Solution: Tight integration of systems provides value not only to your business, but also to your ROI on cloud application deployments because it provides users with the added business data they want and need. A common example is integrating a cloud based CRM like Salesforce.com with an on-premise legacy ERP business system - Salesforce1 Platform - Force.com. By harnessing the power of platforms, middleware, and APIs a solid Cloud Integration Specialist helping your business through these efforts will yield tremendous value.