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The Cloud: creating British confidence
Thought Leadership //20-03-2017

The Cloud: creating British confidence

by Gordon Wilson, Chairman, Advanced

Companies across Britain have faced the disruptive situation in which we live head on, embracing innovative technology to ensure they can meet the challenges of the digital era with confidence. During the last year, in which we’ve been championing organisations of all shapes and sizes to re-imagine their business to be fit for the future, we’ve seen an incredible appetite for change. And much of this can be attributed to the confidence in counting on the Cloud.  

According to recent research from our annual Trends Report, 60% of UK British businesses have already made their move to the Cloud.

For many, it is no longer a question of whether, but how to make the move.

This follows an intense period of speculation as to how best to embrace digital transformation, at a point when moving IT infrastructures and data to the Cloud was considered too high risk. However, the reality is that although the threats of cyber security and data privacy are omnipresent, it’s now recognised that those who have transitioned to a Cloud hosted solution are best placed to mitigate the associated risks.

So has the Cloud conundrum disappeared? Quite possibly. During this same period, a raft of other benefits have also come to the surface over and above security. Proven advantages, from greater mobile access driving workforce flexibility and collaboration, through to supporting business growth with an infrastructure that flexes with the needs of the organisation, there’s a resounding conclusion that Cloud based solutions are the way forward. As businesses strike to marry efficiencies with growth, the Cloud eradicates the need for significant capital expenditure and so ensures organisations have an affordable solution that is not only fit for the future, but available now.

As such, the new challenge is more about finding the right Cloud solution and working out the best way to transition. Be it private, public, or a hybrid, the vast majority of British businesses need help to develop a plan for change, and execute on the technical front to ensure that their organisation’s objectives are achieved soundly. This is especially the case where they are making a significant business change, growing their number of users, needing to migrate, or turn an application on or off quickly.  

We believe getting the right technology and managed service partner is important. We’ve been fortunate to work with a number of organisations, from care homes such as Clifton St Anne’s, through to vast public projects such as Thames Tideway – both of which were recently covered in the Sunday Times’ Cloud supplement. We’ve also seen one of our schools, Lea Forest Primary Academy, recently go live under a multi-academy trust agreement with AET with incredible benefits. One contact tells us he can now replicate a spreadsheet report that he got out of the previous management information system (MIS) in two minutes, rather than the usual half an hour.  If you’re ready to make the move to the Cloud but are unsure of how to proceed, read our guide – we’ve done our best to keep it simple and avoid the jargon that invades the technology industry.

We’d love to get your views on Cloud technology, understand your experiences of moving to the Cloud and any concerns that may be preventing you from taking the plunge – so please do get in touch. As the Government’s initiatives around its digital strategy move forward and businesses are called to step up, embrace change and be fit for the frankly uncertain economic and political future, we strongly believe that those who have demonstrated confidence and boldness by counting on the Cloud will be in a stronger position to survive, grow and prosper...

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Gordon Wilson

Gordon Wilson

PUBLISHED BY

Chairman, Advanced

Having joined the company in September 2015 with a track record in leading business growth, Gordon has since driven the successful transformation of Advanced. In 2023, Gordon stepped down as CEO to become our new Chairman.

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