Should business outsource their cloud transformation support or keep it in-house?

We’ve already discussed in great detail why cloud is the future of technology and that if IT enterprises are to have a shot at success in coming times, they must migrate to the cloud. We’ve also elaborated the many ways in which businesses gain by migrating to public, private or hybrid clouds, depending on their requirements, and the key considerations to be kept in mind while picking in a cloud and migration strategy. Once these two decisions have been made, the pressing concern for business is the question of outsourcing — should they outsource IT support for their cloud transformation initiative or keep it in-house? As with every strategic consideration, there are pros and cons to every choice. It is true that when enterprises first migrate to cloud, there can be an overwhelming number of services and applications to manage. The business might need support on many fronts — from processes as simple as early migration glitches to more complex ones like automation of work flows, new security protocols, new hosting environment, adjustment in business strategy, etc. Outsourcing to experts who are qualified and experienced in handling cloud migration and providing subsequent support to businesses who are using vendors for major undertakings for the first time can help make the process seamless and a lot less chaotic. It can also free up the IT resources within the organisation for business-critical work, rather than tech support.

While cloud service providers offer a plethora of standardised or customised services when it comes to managing an enterprise’s cloud, making outsourcing an attractive option, here is a comprehensive list of what each option has to offer.

Benefits of outsourcing

A well-developed cloud migration strategy — Once a business has decided to migrate to cloud, the most important next step is devising a migration strategy that gets the job done with minimum disruption, but also as fast as possible. Businesses with no experience of the cloud might try to migrate so quickly that it becomes counter-productive. Outsourcing this task to an enterprise well-versed in managing cloud transformation will ensure that there is a phased, balanced, secure and cost-efficient migration.

Flexibility — Every cloud support service provider worth its name understands the importance of flexibility for enterprises and offers several permutations and combinations of services for enterprises to choose from. Each business has different requirements, depending on their operating model and industry considerations. For example, businesses that deal in sensitive data such as financial or health-related customer information, might not want in-house control for their data centres, but might be keen to outsource management of other cloud services. A good provider will offer many cloud service management options that businesses can choose from.

Scalability — Even though the cloud allows immense opportunity for scaling, in-house management of cloud services can limit the scope of this advantages. Once a business has investment in a certain set of resources, upgrading can be a nightmare. Outsourcing to a vendor who already has the newest resources and softwares allows companies to scale without financial turbulence.

Benefits of keeping it in-house

Better security — Data centres on the cloud are protected with more updated security softwares, it is true. However, a cloud data centre, when controlled in-house has fewer entry points and runs a smaller risk of security breaches than a completely outsourced one. This can be a significant factor for enterprises that must protect the sanctity of their data at all costs.

Greater compliance — Some countries have extremely stringent compliance requirements when it comes to securing customer data, such as financial or health-related information. Keeping it in-house can ensure that there are resources dedicated to meet ever-changing compliance requirements in every part of the world where the business operates.

Keeping it simple — Cloud management service providers offer a wide variety of management and support services. But the simple truth is that smaller companies at the start of their journeys might simply not require a complicated bouquet of services. In such a scenario, keeping support in-house might be more cost-effective than outsourcing it to bigger experts offshore.