EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
As organizations move to the cloud or develop as a born-in-the-cloud company , the growing complexities of cloud environments are posing a significant challenge . To keep up with the current pace of change , companies must look to navigate these challenges . The first step to thrive with cloud technology is identifying the most crucial areas where complexity can be overwhelming .
Billing and provisioning complexity
Many companies find themselves faced with increasing complexity around billing . In many cases , Managed Service Providers ( MSPs ) function as aggregators on behalf of customers , thereby navigating billing and provisioning from disparate sources .
This complexity is further exacerbated when cloud providers work with several different vendors , and often conflicting , schedules and methods of charging / invoicing . For example , some charge based on consumption , while others charge per unit . The ability to reconcile these charges to usage and consolidate billing is paramount to combat complexity .
In addition to having the right skills and policies in place to ensure streamlining and simplification of billing and provisioning , being confident that the cloud environment is built with the necessary toolsets in mind can mitigate the challenges of cloud complexities . Being able to continually innovate and question how to ensure automation and integration as much as possible through streamlined support at a technical level , streamlined support in deployment , and streamlined support in billing is key .
Security
Arguably , the most important factor to consider when addressing issues of cloud complexity is security . Cloud environments increasing in complexity come with a greater need for a strong security posture .
Security must be a primary concern throughout the entire process , from the end-point device , through to the cloud provider being used to implement the cloud-based solution .
Security must be a primary concern throughout the entire process , from the end-point device , through to the cloud provider being used to implement the cloud-based solution . The entire environment must be secure through well-managed skills , policies and infrastructure .
Infrastructures ‘ born in the cloud ’ have the ability to go faster , be more agile , scalable and drastically more secure . The normalization of variables and the overall simplification of delivering the same amazing experience to all customers allows for scalability of security , while enabling operational efficiency .
Infrastructures converting to cloud are , unfortunately , at a disadvantage , while at the same time maintaining business momentum . The momentum which should be used to an organization ’ s advantage to implement the necessary structures to ensure adequate security .
The overall concept of an infrastructural-world centered on protection of devices is shifting to an identity-centric world centered on protection of the individual no matter which device they happen to act on . This means a dramatic change in how security is viewed – and it is a change that is long overdue . p
CHRIS SHARP , CEO PAX8 APAC
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