Maximize the value of the cloud

A post by Soheil Neghabani, managing director, Google Cloud alliance resell lead, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Adopting a hyperscale cloud computing platform such as Google Cloud can often feel a little overwhelming. After all, transforming from a legacy system to the cloud means moving, building, running, and managing critical business apps and data in a brand-new way. Which assets will you move? How will you manage them, optimize them, and keep them secure? How will you operate your new cloud environment? How will you continue to innovate in the cloud and help your organization keep pace with constant business disruption?

Planning and orchestrating all the elements of a hyperscale cloud journey with Google Cloud can lead to many avenues of discovery. In fact, some organizations will unearth the confidence to do it on their own. But for many, recognizing the full value and benefits of their Google Cloud environment will require help.

Secure, swift, capable

An experienced Managed Service Provider (MSP) can help you achieve maximum reliability, scalability, and business impact within your cloud environment. In my experience, three major factors are enhancing the business case for collaborating with an MSP on the cloud journey.

Cyber security will always be important and at the forefront. Cyber security threats keep increasing and growing more complex. Hyperscalers, such as Google Cloud, are constantly working to identify and address threats—battle-testing their capabilities on a second-by-second basis and rapidly eliminating vulnerabilities. They are doing the heavy cyber security lifting for those that rely on their hyperscale environments. But they can do only so much. As you bring assets and capabilities with you to the cloud—and as you continue to evolve them and deploy them across your business—additional security needs will emerge. That’s where an MSP can deliver value, working to accelerate deployment of security configurations, processes, and policies—so you can get up and running (and stay running) with confidence.

Going cloud-native can unlock layers of benefits. Cloud is where a lot of good stuff takes place. It’s not just a place you migrate to. It’s where you can take full advantage of cloud-native applications and innovate fast and flexibly with the latest innovations. For organizations that want to lead their industries with digital capabilities, hyperscale environments provide ready access to mature tools that support speed to market. But the possibilities and the responsibilities can be overwhelming—which can slow you down. Having an MSP by your side can allow you to develop and test apps more quickly, innovate more rapidly, and go to market faster. A great MSP not only understands the tools and the possibilities for value, they also can assist with the creating, deploying, and managing of digital capabilities in the cloud.

It still takes a lot of talent and resources to do cloud well. Talent shortages are causing ripple effects across every industry today. A lack of labor and resources may be driving you to the cloud—allowing you to take advantage of ready-made capabilities and environments rather than creating them on your own. But the work does not end with a migration to cloud. You are going to need professionals and resources on an ongoing basis—to help you unleash the full power of a cloud ecosystem. An MSP can alleviate your concerns about labor and skillsets—showing up with pre-trained professionals, aggregating resources, and servicing multiple technical areas. The result? You can adopt innovative business capabilities faster and focus more on your business.

Sparking conversations

With a cloud MSP you can do more—and do it faster. While an MSP can help you deploy digital solutions and ongoing services with less worry, selecting the right one can be tricky. How will you determine if an MSP is the right fit for your organization and your business ambitions? Here are a few questions that can help you unlock more meaningful conversations as you engage with potential MSPs.

What kind of experience do you have in the cloud environment that my organization is adopting? Research whether your MSP has a solid track record of success—with knowledge of what works and what does not work on your particular cloud platform. MSP’s may offer similar capabilities, but if they don’t have extensive knowledge of your platform and where you want to go in the future (end-to-end life cycles of applications, potential migrations or modernizations), then they might not be the right fit.

How well do you understand my business and industry needs, including the KPIs that are important to us? A great MSP doesn’t just manage services. It helps you manage your business and advises you on ways to unlock measurable business value. Make sure your MSP “speaks the language” of your business—with a deep understanding of challenges, trends, and more.

How familiar are you with the tools involved? Your cloud project likely will involve layers of tools, not just those that come with your chosen cloud platform. From legacy applications to third-party solutions, your extended cloud ecosystem may be quite complex. Your MSP should know how to wield every technology tool that is critical to your cloud-enabled business.

How will your people support us and help achieve our service-level agreement? If an MSP does not have in place detailed, transparent processes and procedures for meeting an SLA, you may end up getting less than you bargained for. The staff-to-customer ratio is one key factor—since part of the appeal of an MSP is its ability to alleviate your labor pressures. Make sure the MSP itself is well-staffed with low churn. (A 1:3 client ratio is appealing. A 1:20 ratio, not so much.) Getting clarity on such details will help you have confidence in the MSP’s ability to service your account—and help ease concerns about budgeting and staffing.

Getting more insights

The questions don’t end there. But a quality MSP will help you know what questions to ask—and what answers to pursue—on your Google Cloud journey. 

Want help planning your next step with hyperscale computing? Helping clients determine their vision, strategy, and first steps to extending their Google Cloud ecosystems is where Deloitte can help. As Google Cloud’s Global Industry Solution Partner of the Year for 2021 and Global Services Partner of the Year for four consecutive years, we help our customers succeed by innovating, building, and delivering the right Google Cloud solutions from resell to implementation. To explore additional insights on your options and the value that can come with a more strategic approach to cloud services, check out our MSP Offering.