In the 1990s, cloud applications were designed for enterprises as a whole. Now, companies are moving away from that model and require cloud services that cater to specific industry needs.
While there is still a need for general services such as scalable storage and computing capabilities among enterprises, vendors are witnessing the trend of personalized and customized services for different verticals. There is also huge demand for customized and personalized services for the insurance, telecom, banking, utilities, and HR verticals.
Enter Cloud Professional Services
Businesses seeking cloud services pay consultants and system integrators to educate, plan, and implement their cloud environments. Vendors such as IBM and HCL provide these services, but often face challenges from country-specific laws and vertical-specific requirements.
Types of Cloud Professional Services
Application Development Management (ADM)
Cloud services include engineering design, implementation, testing, and maintenance to develop software for cloud computing and software maintenance. ADM also includes services to keep the system operational after it has been delivered to the end-user.
Consulting
Cloud consulting offers strategic and tactical advice on cloud computing services as per a business’s requirements. It includes a selection of cloud deployment models, planning, and the design of private clouds, as well as cloud brokerage services.
System Integration (SI)
Cloud SI services offer assistance in integrating diverse components such as hardware and software. It also provides assistance in integrating cloud services in the cloud environment.
System Integration: Key to Market Growth
SI offers services to effectively exchange information between systems and achieve a specific business objective. Integration is required in HR, payroll, and incentive compensation systems, wherein departments need to exchange information to function effectively.
Data can be integrated with an on-premises system or a cloud platform. For example, a company that relies on an on-premises CRM application might acquire a company that uses a SaaS-based CRM application. This requires the account manager to access data from both the systems and establish an integrated system to consolidate customer data.
Currently, the most daunting task for companies wishing to migrate their business processes to the cloud is integrating their existing infrastructure and services with the cloud.
With the procurement of each SaaS application, enterprise data becomes segregated into cloud silos that make integration more complex. Though cloud-to-enterprise integration is a trend, advances in technology are also making cloud-to-cloud integration possible. These modes of integration will become more challenging as the cloud becomes pervasive.
However, this issue can be rectified if an efficient strategy is designed around SaaS implementation. Vendors are providing integration tools that include on-premises appliance-based integration and cloud-delivered integration. Companies seek professional services from vendors that understand the business of clients, educate them, and suggest solutions catered to their requirements.
Cloud SI professional services are provided for SI standalone offerings, as well as bundled packages. Enterprises that have an idea about how to implement their cloud strategy opt for standalone SI services from players like Informatica. However, enterprises that need more guidance can opt for bundled professional services.
