Rob Koch, Chief Executive Officer at DYOPATH
According to a study from IDG, companies are accelerating their move to using cloud computing: as of June, 92% of companies use the cloud for at least some of their workloads, while only 8% exclusively run on-premises platforms. At the same time, companies are allocating 32% of the 2021 IT budgets on cloud spend, a sign that organizations across many different industries are starting to take advantage of cloud computing’s benefits.
In my first and second installment in our three-part series about cloud transformation, I looked at the competitive advantage of using cloud computing and how successful cloud users make the most of the technology. In this post, we’ll explore how the cloud helped make actual companies more successful.
Cloud Successes on a Global Level
Regardless of where your organization is on its transition to the cloud, it can be helpful to see and understand some real-world case studies that illustrate the cloud’s potential. To start, let’s have a look at some cloud successes on a global level.
Netflix
After years of running its own in-house platform, Netflix eventually moved all of its workloads to the cloud. Why? Scalability.
Netflix usage spikes at certain times of the day, briefly accounting for nearly a third of all the data transferred through the Internet in North America. However, after a certain time of day, Netflix’s usage drops.
Because of the predictable nature of Netflix’s server usage, they saved tons of money by moving to the cloud, where they can scale up and down on demand to meet the rhythm of worldwide video streaming.
Meals on Wheels
The nonprofit Meals on Wheels, dedicated to serving nutritious food to disabled and elderly people, took advantage of the cloud to ease communication between volunteers. However, Meals on Wheels didn’t stop there: they continued to further their use of cloud technology by moving their financial management and office tools into the cloud as well.
All in all, this migration saved the nonprofit upwards of half a million dollars. Plus, they significantly improved their productivity and were able to better communicate with volunteers and staff members.
How DYOPATH has helped Build Success in the Cloud
Now that we’ve seen how some international brands have taken advantage of cloud computing to improve their communication, reliability and costs, let’s take a look at some more specific case studies from DYOPATH. We’ll start by analyzing how the manufacturing industry has and can benefit from using enterprise cloud computing.
“Manufacturing Heads to the Clouds”
Compared to other major industries, cloud solutions are less prevalent in manufacturing than expected. The manufacturing industry can be excessively conservative, especially when dealing with modern information technology. However, even though only 20% of manufacturers are using enterprise cloud solutions, more than 60% of those already using these solutions report improved productivity and lower IT costs. Clearly, there is a lot of untapped potential for the cloud in the manufacturing industry.
Given that more than 67% of manufacturers plan to “dramatically” increase their use of enterprise cloud technologies in the near future, IT leaders at manufacturing companies see the advantages of moving to the cloud and are looking to do it themselves.
To improve the efficiency of manufacturing, companies have to make sure that data is accessible from any device, anywhere, at any time. Everyone from executives to quality control workers might need to access corporate data in the course of their work, so it pays to make sure that data is easily accessible. An easy solution to this problem is storing data in the cloud—a step which many manufacturers are beginning to take.
In manufacturing, security and protection against disaster are especially crucial. Manufacturers must make sure that they can continue production in situations as wide-ranging as a natural disaster or a cyberattack. Compared to on-premises installations, the cloud offers potential for extremely rapid recovery and easier backups. Plus, security is more automated and easier to verify with less potential for trivial mistakes.
From the back office to the production line, the cloud sets manufacturers up for success.
IaaS in a K-12 School District
Infrastructure-as-a-service, or IaaS, is simply running IT infrastructure in the cloud, with no significant changes to the application. DYOPATH’s solution to a school district’s issue highlights the usefulness of cloud IaaS in solving real-world compliance problems that could not be fixed with on-premises infrastructure.
In short, the problem looked like this:
- The school district utilized an external bus contractor, which had its own proprietary software platform used for student safety and vehicle tracking.
- The district was audited and found to be incompliant with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) because the bus company’s software ran on the school district’s on-premises server and could not legally access student information like bus schedules.
- Only the principal of each school was allowed to access and transfer the information, which led to delays and inaccuracies that caused frustration.
DYOPATH moved the bus contractor’s application to cloud IaaS, allowing it to be accessed via a secure connection by both school administrators and the bus contractor. With this solution, the district could maintain its FERPA compliance, continue utilizing the bus contractor and save parents and students lots of headaches.
Pathfinder/LL&D Insurance Group
In the fall of 2015, Pathfinder’s on-premises IT systems went down for eight hours. They were unable to remotely access their servers to diagnose the issue, so they wound up having to drive from Houston, TX to San Antonio, TX to fix the issue in person.
This incident highlighted the importance of the cloud’s reliability and proven accessibility, even when primary remote access systems fail. Soon after the incident, Pathfinder transitioned their IT hosting needs to DYOPATH. Our team increased the efficiency of their server setup and brought everything into the Microsoft Azure cloud.
By the time that Pathfinder moved all of their needs into the cloud, less than a year after the incident that prompted this response, they were able to enjoy other benefits as well. For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck at the beginning of 2020, Pathfinder was able to quickly scale up their IT resources to handle the huge number of employees suddenly working from home.
Deliver Improvements Like These with DYOPATH’s Help
Attaining greater operational efficiency and reliability like these case studies is not only possible, but attainable with relative ease. DYOPATH is committed to helping our clients improve their organizations with the help of IT consulting.
Schedule a Meeting with Our Experts to Learn More About How DYOPATH’S Cloud Migration Services Can Deliver Better Efficiency and Reliability for Your Organization.
Work with one of our experts, who can help you gain everything you need to kickstart your company’s cloud transformation.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and for joining me as I shared how cloud computing is such a hugely influential force in modern business.
You can learn more about DYOPATH and our Cloud Services by visiting our website.
Rob Koch, Chief Executive Officer
DYOPATH
About the author: Rob Koch is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at DYOPATH and a pioneer within the managed service provider (MSP) vertical. He sets the culture, vision, strategy and overall business direction across DYOPATH. His leadership of DYOPATH is grounded in his personal values of adventure, determination, health, learning, love, peace and success. His passion for DYOPATH comes from the people, “We have the best!”, says Koch. His favorite quote is, “It’s not the Destination, It’s the Journey.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.
