Businesses today want to work faster, more flexibly and more efficiently. They want to reduce costs, whilst staying ahead of their competition. They want access to valuable insights, without having to source statistics. They want to streamline workflows, whilst reducing headcount. But how can they achieve all this? By harnessing cloud technology.
Our reliance on cloud technology has soared in recent years. The sudden shift to remote working has forced businesses to review their IT and introduce new tools that enable workforces to be more productive and efficient. But as the list of tools and systems used within our businesses grow, so does the burden of managing them.
Cloud managed services have enabled businesses to reap the benefits of cloud applications, without the strain of managing them. More and more businesses are choosing to outsource the management of their cloud systems and hand over the responsibility of optimising their platforms to a technology partner.
In this ultimate cloud management guide, you will learn what cloud management services are, how cloud assets and digital data are managed, how security and risks are managed in cloud computing and how partnering with a managed cloud service provider could benefit your business.
What Is Cloud Management?
Cloud management is the process of overseeing and monitoring cloud computing products. This allows for more centralised management of cloud resources, ensuring that all cloud infrastructure, applications, data and services run as they should.
What is a managed cloud service, you ask? It’s simple! Cloud management services are where a business hands over the responsibility of managing their cloud platforms to an in-house, or an outsourced technology partner, who ultimately monitors and optimises all cloud assets to ensure the business is getting the most from these tools.
Many might ponder why cloud managed services are necessary. Surely the point of cloud applications is that they integrate effortlessly into business life, without any manual work required, right? Not entirely. The truth is, there are lots of benefits of outsourcing cloud IT support services
A business, like yours, might require various different cloud applications for different reasons. For instance, you might have an email service provider, a CRM, an invoicing system, a marketing automation software, a customer service tool – all at once! How do you ensure each of these tools are operating to full capacity, with no system errors, whilst integrating seamlessly with one another? How do you transfer data from one tool to another, with minimum manual labour?
This is where a professional cloud-based IT service management provider steps in to save the day.
What Is Cloud Data & Asset Management?
There are lots of components within cloud management services that might be delivered by a cloud specialist.
What is Cloud Asset Management?
Asset management in cloud computing, or cloud asset management (CAM) is an important area of managed cloud services, as it’s centred specifically around the physical cloud environment, meaning the tools and services used within a business. This entails the care and optimisation of all cloud applications; managing upgrades, implementing changes to comply with new policies and rolling out new applications across the organisation, or during onboarding.
What are the Benefits of Cloud Asset Management?
The primary benefit of cloud asset management is the peace of mind that each tool in your business is maintained, compliant, up-to-date and running smoothly. If your business uses lots of different tools, from different service providers, it can quickly lead to a very complicated cloud environment. This is why many businesses choose to use packages of cloud products, like Microsoft 365, where they can have access to an entire suite of tools for all areas of their business that have been designed to work together.
What is Multi-Cloud Management?
Comparable to cloud asset management, multi-cloud management is the secure monitoring of applications and workloads across multiple public clouds. As most businesses today use more than one public cloud service provider, a multi-cloud management strategy is often required to ensure each tool is operating to full capacity, undisrupted by one another.
What are the Benefits of Multi-Cloud Management?
A huge benefit of multi-cloud management is that there are products that a technology partner could introduce to your business that could act as a centralised location for managing all your tools. Microsoft Azure integrates multi-cloud environments into one manageable location, enabling applications to expand freely and securely, whilst acting as an anchor for building a more modern workplace.
What is Coud Data Management?
Cloud data management is a component of cloud management services that focuses on the secure handling, storing, restoring, deleting or transferring of information within a cloud application. It’s one step further than cloud asset management, as rather than just handling the tool’s overall health and deliverability, cloud data management services will manage the data within an application itself, via 24-hour surveillance by an experienced technology provider.
What are the Benefits of Cloud data Management?
A significant benefit of cloud data management is the security that comes with working with an IT support services provider who knows the correct way to handle data. You may wish to transfer data from one tool to another, or perhaps you’ve suffered a cyber-attack and need to restore data, or maybe you need to get rid of confidential data to comply with privacy regulations. Cloud data management services will provide all of this, with the complexity of your IT infrastructure in mind.
What is Cloud Content Management?
Similar to cloud data management, cloud content management is focused specifically around the secure governing of resources within cloud applications, particularly when concerning files. Files within an organisation need to be stored with the right access and permission controls, whilst still maintaining the ability to enable interdepartmental or multi-locational collaboration.
What are the Benefits of Cloud Content Management?
A benefit of cloud content management is a more customised, protected and reliable file setup for your organisation. Ensuring your workforce can access what they need, without disruption is vital. Cloud content management services will ultimately enable your content to be accessible on any device, from any location, at any time – by the right people!
What Is Risk Management In Cloud Computing?
The purpose of cloud management services is ultimately to reduce risk and ramp up security within complex IT environments. The more tools your business uses, the more avenues there are for data loss, cyber-attacks, system failures and human error.
If you’re still wondering, what is risk management in cloud computing and why is it important to me? Then here are some of the areas to consider – which should all be encompassed within your cloud management services, if partnering with an IT provider who is experienced with managed cyber security services.
What is Cloud Security Management?
Cloud security management is the execution of a cyber security strategy, designed to minimise your business’s unique security vulnerabilities and cyber security threats. After carefully reviewing your cloud setup, your technology partner will assess and implement the appropriate security measures, to protect confidential information stored within your cloud environments and reduce the risks of data breaches.
What is Cloud Security Posture Management?
Your security posture refers to your business’s overall level of cyber security. Therefore, cloud security posture management is the management of your businesses entire security status by maintaining visibility and ensuring the optimisation of your entire cloud infrastructure and data.
How does cloud security posture management work, you ask? By harnessing platforms that allow your IT partner to have complete oversight of all your workloads. If you’re a Microsoft user, this might be Microsoft Azure Security Center, which provides advanced security protection across all your workloads – whether they’re in Azure or on-premise. This platform, and platforms alike, can strengthen your networks and detect security threats on the horizon so that your IT provider can ensure the right security measures are in place to prevent them.
Depending on your chosen partner’s service offering, they might also introduce other cyber security tools to improve your cloud security posture, including endpoint detection and response (EDR), cloud email security and DNS filtering. These tools will ensure your cloud networks are safe from malware, phishing emails and other common forms of cyber-attacks.
What is Identity Management in Cloud Computing?
Identity management in cloud computing is centred around enabling the right access and permissions to your cloud assets, based on each user’s personal identity. For example, you might have files within an application that should only be accessed by your HR department. By working with an IT provider who has an understanding of identity management, they can set up tailored security policies, using best-in-class policy controls, developed with regulatory and industry standards in mind, to ensure only your HR team can access such files and information.
Conclusion
So there you have it, that’s everything you need to know about cloud management. Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of what cloud management services are, the benefits and why they’re so important for modern businesses to consider.
If you’re looking to learn more about cloud management and how your business could take advantage of these services, then reach out to a professional IT service management company.
Working with a Microsoft Gold-Certified Partner can help businesses harness cloud technology, these companies usually have a team of skilled engineers and cyber security experts, who will manage multiple cloud services for you. Great cloud management can help your business work more efficiently and productively, whilst maintaining security and keeping costs down.
